Imagine, poor people with cars!
The Indian Tata group has unveiled the Nano, an aptly-named new car that will sell for just R17 500 (Rp100 000, or $2 550), not counting taxes and import duties. MyBroadband carries the AFP story — presumably because the Indian Tata conglomerate is heavily invested in South Africa, including in its telecoms sector — and has a picture, reproduced alongside.
Horrid, innit? But hey, it’s transport. And cheap transport at that. For the price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a ten-year-old wreck in South Africa.
One would think that such a bold competitive move, bringing prices down and promising to improve the quality of life, employment opportunities and business prospects of millions of people who previously couldn’t afford the luxury of a motor vehicle, would be hailed as tremendous news. You’d think it would be held up as a symbol that free enterprise can yield success not only in the rich west, but also in the emerging markets of the south and east.
No. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, which jointly won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, is “having nightmares” about the prospect of a low-cost car for the masses. Despite the fact that the car has a tiny engine, meets emissions standards, has a claimed fuel efficiency number well ahead of even the smug hybrids of the rich, he is among the critics who reckon it can only contribute to noise and air pollution, and therefore it’s a bad thing. Better to keep cars expensive, so only the rich get to pollute the planet.
There, with one simple phrase, Pachauri betrays the nightmarish aim of the environmentalists. The sanctimonious elite seek to bar progress, and their anti-prosperity goals are aimed not only at the extravagant rich, but also at the ambitious poor, who are still climbing the ladder of rising prosperity and quality of life purchased by rising production and economic development. Can’t have the natives driving cars, now can we?
What people like Pachauri fail to realise is that prosperous people have the means and motive to do something about pollution and environmental quality. By keeping the poor pinned underfoot, all the self-proclaimed “socially conscious” set do is ensure that the poor will have higher priorities than being nice to the planet for the sake of the rich. All they will do is make sure the poor won’t have the means to protect themselves against the natural changes and disasters that are an inevitable part of living on this active planet of ours.
If the madder branches of the Cult of Gaia resemble suicide sects, the remainder appears to be into human sacrifice.
Thank God for articulate others who share my view of the cult of Gaia! I tear my hair out dailty reading the new religion of the Rev Al Gore; the sham that is the IPCC (hardly a climatologist among them) and the blatant disregard for historical facts such as the Romans growing vines and making wine in York, England. The germans have gopt it right ewhne they refer to the Red Greens. Every Communist, faced with the complete ruin that was the old Soviet system, is now a commited environmentalist. Worse, just as it was for 75 years in the last century, western intellectuals — especially the comfortably off ones, lap up theories which, if followed, would reduce them to poverty and raise up a new crowd of bureaucrats to lord over humanity. AaaaaaaGH!
It’s a hideous little thing, isn’t it? But at that steal of a price I’ll probably be among the first to get it. Being a student, I hover in that confusing penumbra at the mid-point between rich and poor and R17 500 is right up my alley. So come time, I’ll take to the streets in my yellow bug-like glorified scooter of a Nano and dart nimbly between the Hummers and the Hybrids whilst directing silent expletives in the general direction of Pachuari, the IPCC and the rest of the Red Greens. And damn the consequences!
“Red Greens”. I love it.
Fantastic article Ivo. I blogged about it too, but really briefly as I couldn’t find some really decent content and you’ve managed to do that perfectly.
Thank-you.
Silence!!! Do not question the wisdom of the great and powerful Wizard of Gore-Oz! Wait - what are you doing! Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
Sorry, couldn’t help being a bit Al-eGore-ical there. Great article. Car reminds me of the old Volkswagon somewhat. A new “people’s car”, perhaps? Probably won’t catch on here in the U.S. anytime soon, though. SUV’s and Hummers (disgusting things) would squash them like a bug, and not even know it.
Two things. One, they’re not meant to catch on in the US. You guys have a minimum wage that could pay it off in a year or so. I’m just chuffed to bits that the developing world can make a car for the developing world, even if it’s ugly as sin. Secondly, speaking of ugly as sin, Americans only make one great car every 50 years. Don’t diss this half-century’s top candidate. :-)