The wait finally seems to be getting over as the world’s cheapest car is ready to hit the Indian roads on March 23. Nearly everyone is waiting for Tata Motors to start bookings for Nano. "Tata has lost some momentum because of the delays, and competition may have put it to use," said Deepesh Rathore, managing director, India of UK based consultancy, Global Insight. However, looking at the anticipation amongst the Indian consumers, the comment does not seem to hold true. India and the rest of the world is seems to be waiting anxiously for this little car to become available.
Monday the 23rd will bring a new dawn when the “People’s Car” will be launched for the people. It was unveiled in 2008 with a dealer price of Rs. 100,000. The latest details of the car are now available as the car gets ready for a launch amidst worsening global crisis.
- Tata Nano will initially be available in three models — the Nano (base model), the CX (mid-level model) and LX (top-end model). The cost of the base model will not exceed Rs 1 lakh (ex-factory, Pune). The standard and the deluxe models will be 3.1 meters in length, 1.6 meters in height, and 1.5 meters wide.
- The model will have rear-wheel drive 2-cylinder, 623 cc, multi-point fuel-injection petrol engine, rear mounted. Tata said it is the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine is used in a car with single balancer shaft. Initially, only the petrol engine version will be available. The 624-cc two-cylinder petrol engine with a single balancer shaft (to avoid excessive vibrations) will have four valves. It will develop 35 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 4.8 kgm of torque at 3,000 rpm. The car should be able to crack 60 kmph in eight seconds and will have a top speed of 105 kph. The car will be available in BS II and BS III variants.
- The Nano will weigh 600 kg without load. It will have only one spare tyre which can be used to replace only the front tyre as the rear tyre is of different size. In case of puncture, the car can still be driven slowly but it has to be repaired as soon as possible. The car will come with manual transmission with 4 forward and one rear gear.
- Nano will have a 15 litre fuel tank and is expected to deliver a mileage of slightly over 20kpl. That means a full tank will be able to take you over 300 km. Only the driver’s seat will be adjustable in the base model and the CX model will have air conditioning with a heater. The LX model will have power windows, central locking and fog lamps and will come fully loaded. The car will come with a warranty of 18 months or 24,000 km.
Booking forms for Tata Nano will be available only for 14 days at SBI, Westside, Croma stores and, of course 400-odd Tata Motors dealerships. The company also intends to establish Nano as a brand itself. It intends to launch Nano merchandise, including Nano phones and watches which will be marketed through various retail outlets.
