Overview

Tata Motors is India's largest and leading automobile company, with US $ 7.2 billion revenues in 2006-2007. With over 4 million Tata vehicles pursuing in India, it is the premier in commercial vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles.

It is also the world's fifth largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer and the second largest heavy bus manufacturer. Mr. Tata's 'dream project', the Rs one-lakh car has generated immense interest in the Indian auto market, where Tata's current lowest-priced car is Indica with a tag of Rs 3.3 lakh. The one lakh rupee car is going to be a real car with the basic features.

The car is in every way a car, with an engine, a suspension, and a steering system designed for its size. The most watched car in the Indian car space - the Rs 1-lakh offering from the Tata Motors stables - is going to be launched in september in 3 variants. When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe/luxury versions.

Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual’s preferences. It is aimed to rank between high end motor cycles and the compact car segment. Instead of researching on low cost components by themselves, Tata has delegated the task to various vendors.

The fuel-injection system is being developed by MICO while Brakes India and Bosch Chassis Systems will be supplying low cost braking system. Around 55 prototypes have been tested on Indian roads under varied conditions. It has been reported that the final model will make its debut in October 2008. The name 'Nano' was chosen as it denotes high technology and small size. It was the most eagerly waited car.

People world over were keen to see what Tata Motors' People's Car looked like, and know more about it. The Tata Motors website saw nearly 7.9 million hits on January 10 (the day the Nano was unveiled), while the Tata Nano website saw 4 million hits in 30 hours, making these sites among the busiest in the world.

Design

The People’s Car, 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.

Yet with a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.

Engine

Unlike other low cost Indian cars, this one is going to have a variomatic gear system. Instead of manual gear box in conventional cars it is coming up as gear less or rather with an automatic gear transmission. This helps to improve the efficiency & mileage by magnifying the torque output.

As in international markets, the compact car from Tata will have back mounted engine, pushing the luggage space 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. The car will have front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 22 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highway.

Fuel Efficiency

The People’s Car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.

The lean design strategy 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.

Safety & Comfort

By adhering to the fact that less weight requires less power, the 1 lakh car is made of light weighing steel. This has made the Tatas come up with a cheap alternative with out compromising on safety and performance.

The base model will feature glass windows that can be cranked up. The tail lights are expected to appear like as in Tata Indica. Higher versions will have the comforts of power steering, power windows, air-conditioning and much more.

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 further enhance safety. It exceeds current regulatory requirements with a strong passenger compartment, crumple zones, intrusion resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorage.

Controversies Involved

Controversies also arose about Tata's planned manufacturing unit for the car in Singur, West Bengal, where the state government of West Bengal has allocated 997 acres (4.03 km²) to Tata Motors. The construction of the car factory on that tract of land will require fertile agricultural land and the expropriation and eviction of ca. 15,000 peasants and agricultural workers.

The affected farmers fear they will receive inadequate or no compensation and therefore lose their livelihoods. Activists near Kolkata, where Tata's manufacturing unit is located, started burning the car in effigy. In New Delhi, a group of six women protested wearing T-shirts bearing slogans that said, "The Rs 1 lakh car has Singur people's blood on it." The Trinamool Congress alleged that Tata motors usurped the agrarian land for the construction site and have threatened to stall the manufacture of the car. The 11 cases were dismissed.

The Nano is alleged to have severely affected the used car market in India, as many Indians opt to wait for the Nano's release rather than buying used cars, such as the Maruti 800 (a rebadged Suzuki Alto), which is considered as the Nano's nearest competitor. Sales of new Maruti 800s have dropped by 20%, and used ones by 30% following the unveiling of the Nano.

Critics

Among its notable critics are columnists from the New York Times, Newsweek, and several media outlets. Only a few years ago, author and NYT columnist Thomas Friedman wrote that the world was divided into those who want a Toyota Lexus and those who are searching for an olive tree (in his book The Lexus and the Olive Tree).

Today, the answer has arrived for the former audience in the form of the Tata Nano. Yet the former author of articles like, 'Two for the price of one' was quick to call the Nano, a 'cheap copy of our worst habits.'

Newsweek, in an article headlined 'A Billion New Tailpipes' was far more critical. 'It turned out to be a four-seater, a bit more than three meters long, with a 642cc engine and made of plastic and glue instead of welded steel,' is how the article put it.

The article quotes a Yale environmentalist, Daniel Esty, as saying: "This car promises to be an environmental disaster of substantial proportions."

The reasons why American journalism is against the Tata Nano are obvious. The Nano was 'not invented here (in the United States).'

Promotional Video of Tata Nano:

360 Degree View of Nano (from Tata's Website):