A380 to Tata Nano: Experts fail to read tea leaves on future of transport

Why some of the ideas currently in vogue could be as mistaken as the A380 and the Nano

If you want to know the future of transport, make sure you never listen to the prophets.

A decade ago, the most bracing visions of travel were being promulgated by Airbus SE and Tata Motors Ltd.

The double-decker Airbus A380, which entered service in October 2007, would offer a way for airlines to transport ever-greater volumes of passengers from space-constrained airports and steal market share from Boeing Co.’s 747 and smaller twin-aisle planes like the Boeing 777.

Tata’s Nano would repeat Henry Ford’s trick and open up a giant new market with its promise of a Rs 100,000 ($1,400) car