Tata Nano
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Cute & Practical
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Overview Of Tata Nano
Tata Nano was launched on 23rd March in Mumbai with much fanfare. Over 100 media persons were present at the launch ceremony with over 1000 guests. Tata Nano is a rear-engined, four-passenger city car aimed primarily at the Indian market. It was first presented at the 9th annual Auto Expo on 10 January 2008, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Tata Nano has been priced with a starting rate of Rs.134000.00 for the Base model and Rs.160000.00 & Rs.185000.00 for the CX & LX model respectively. It is cheaper than the Maruti 800, its main competitor which is next cheapest Indian car priced at 1,84,600.00 Rupees. Nano is 8 percent smaller in exterior size and has 23 percent larger interior space in comparison to Maruti 800. It is available in 6 shades and the top model LX comes fully loaded with AC, front power windows, fog lights, central locking, tinted glass, body colored bumpers and digital tripmeter.
Update: Special Edition Nano Launched At Auto Expo 2010
Tata launched two special editions of Nano called “Nano for him” and “Nano for her”. The special edition Nano’s will be based on top end LX variant. "Nano for him" is available in an exclusive wild lime colour shade. It also gets leather seats and door pads. "Nano for her" comes with decorated interiors – cocktail red spilled over dashboard, seats and central console. Exteriors too get floral pattern to lure the fair sex.
Update: Tata Nano To Get New Features + Minor Facelift
Tata Motors is in the process of upgrading the world’s cheapest car Nano in the coming few months. Acting on the feedback from the market, the car will get small but significant upgrades with in the next six months. The Nano will get a higher rev limit at 6000 rpm compared to the conservative 5000 rpm earlier. The higher rev limit will improve performance especially in the first two gears allowing greater pull from the engine, important when going up an incline with full load, but the top speed will remain the same at 105 kph.
Other changes include a newly modified outside rear view mirror which is less cumbersome owing to the movement of the mirror with in the casing negating the need for moving the whole assembly while adjusting. The newer design will also make it possible to introduce electric adjustment in the future if Tata Motors wants to. The doors will also have check straps to limit the door opening. The most significant upgrade in the coming months will be the tailgate which can be opened improving the utility. The present sealed glass unit is inconvenient especially when there are passengers sitting on the rear seat.
The limited capacity is also a blessing in disguise for the company as the changes can be in-corporated before the production is shifted to the main plant in Sanand, Gujrat. Tata Motors is also in advanced stages of the development of the diesel engine which will be introduced by the end of 2011. The all new twin cylinder engine will be one of the smallest diesel engine with common rail technology and will develop a healthy 40 bhp.
First Tata Nano Owner Gets Keys To Car
The much eagerly awaited Nano hit the roads on Friday - July 17th, 2009 - with Mumbaikar Raghunath Vichare becoming the proud first owner of the world's cheapest car from the stable of Tatas. "I hope that the Tata Nano will bring motoring pleasure to those who will be buying their first car as also those who currently own a car but want a modern, contemporary and emission-friendly city car," Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata said after handing over the key of the first Nano to Mr. Vichare here.
Mr. Vichare has bought a Tata Nano LX (lunar silver), the top-end model. With Tata handing over the top-end model to Vichare, the delivery process of first one lakh cars have started, which would be completed by March next year. Along with Mr. Vichare, Ashish Balakrishnan, an HDFC Bank employee, and Kores India also received their Tata Nano LX (sunshine yellow), and Tata Nano LX (lunar silver) respectively. Nano was commercially launched on March 23 this year. It has received 2.06 lakh bookings. Tata Motors has already selected over 1.55 lakh customers for delivering the car, of which the first one lakh cars are price-protected.
Design & Style Of Tata Nano
Tata Nano has been designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy. With a length of 3099mm, width of 1495mm, height of 1652mm and with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.
Tata Nano's mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which sets a new benchmark among small cars. The main styling elements of Nano are centre crease on the bonnet, side scoops which not only looks sporty but also helps to keep the rear mounted engine cool.
Tata is also providing some add-ons like alloys, rear spoiler & sunroof to make Tata Nano more stylish & attractive. From the rear it looks more or less like the Indica Vista with vertical tail lamps. The centrally placed exhaust pipe looks very cool. First look at the Tata Nano may not impress you in terms of dimensions but even though the car looks tiny and miniscule in images but it is only when you come up close to it that you can make out that its virtual length constitutes the very cabin space!
Interiors Of Tata Nano
Step inside and you will feel like you are entering a proper hatch. Nano has more space inside in comparison to the Maruti 800 and Alto. The top model of Tata Nano, LX comes with three spoke steering wheel while the base model & CX features rather simple two spoke one. There are many cost saving factors like the hazard warning light switch has been placed behind the steering wheel. The front power window switches in Tata Nano have been placed on the centre console to save the wiring costs.
The dash of Tata Nano has been designed in such a manner that they can easily produce left hand drive models as the instrument cluster is placed in centre of the dash and the design of dash is same on both sides. The legroom & headroom in Tata Nano is more than sufficient. The rear passengers have plenty of legroom even if the driver & front passengers are six footers.
Engine, Ride & Handling Of Tata Nano
Tata Nano has a rear mounted , all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 624 cc, multi point fuel injection petrol engine which develops maximum power of 34.5 Bhp at 5250 rpm with maxiumum torque of 48 Nm at 3000 rpm. This is the first time that a two-cylinder petrol engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The lean design strategy of Tata Nano has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.
Due to rear mounted engine the luggage space in Tata Nano has been pushed to the front. Making the engine closer to the fuel tank has another advantage of increased fuel efficiency. Rear mounted engine also help in reducing the power loss during transmission. Tata Nano has front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 17 plus kmpl in city and 20 plus kmpl on highway.
Riding on small 12" wheels and tubeless tyres, the Tata Nano rides surprisingly well. Most bumps are rounded nicely, but as the speeds climb the ride can get a little firm. The steering has a little vagueness around the centre position, dial in more lock; it feels direct and provides good feedback as well. Grip levels are decent but are limited by the narrow tyres. Straightline stability is also good, you can cruise comfortably at 80-90kph.
Safety Features Of Tata Nano
By adhering to the fact that less weight requires less power, Tata Nano is made of light weighing steel. This has made the Tatas come up with a cheap alternative with out compromising on safety and performance. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tubeless tyres of Tata Nano further enhance safety. It exceeds current regulatory requirements with a strong passenger compartment, crumple zones, intrusion resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorage.
Variants, Shades & Price Of Tata Nano
Tata Nano is available in following 3 variants (Prices are Ex-Showroom Mumbai):
- Nano Base/Standard/Basic - 134000.00
- Nano CX - 160000.00
- Nano LX - 185000.00
The Base model of Tata Nano features:
- Seat Belts.
- High mounted Rear Stop lamp.
- Only Driver seat adjust-sliding and reclining.
- Fixed front passenger seat.
- Folding Rear Seats.
- 2-Spoke Steering wheel.
- Grey bumpers and interiors.
- Driver side Outside rear view mirror.
In addition to above features the mid variant Tata Nano CX features:
- AC.
- Tinted glasses.
- Metallic paint.
In addition to above features the top variant Tata Nano LX features:
- Tripmeter.
- Front Power windows.
- Central Locking.
- Front and Rear fog lamps.
- 3-Spoke Steering wheel.
- Moulded door trim with fabric inserts.
- Floor console with glass holder.
- Anti-Glare inside rear view mirror.
- Sunvisors on both sides.
All the models of Tata Nano come with 18 Months or 24,000 kms warranty - whichever is earlier.
Tata Nano is available in following colors:
Tata Nano Base - Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue.
Tata Nano CX - Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver
Tata Nano LX - Sunshine Yellow, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver