“I hope this changes the way people travel in rural India. We are a country of a billion and most are denied connectivity, this is a car that is affordable and provides all-weather transport for the family.”
- Ratan Tata
The introduction of the Nano received media attention due to its targeted low price. The Financial Times reporter, If ever there were a symbol of India’s ambitions to become a modern nation, it would surely be the Nano, the tiny car with the even tinier price-tag. The car is expected to boost the Indian Economy, create entrepreneurial-opportunities across India as well as expand the Indian car market by 65%. The car was envisioned by Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, who has described it as an eco-friendly "people's car". Nano has been greatly appreciated by many sources and the media for its low-cost and eco-friendly initiatives which include using compressed-air as fuel and an electric-version (E-Nano).Tata Group is expected to mass-manufacture the Nano, particularly the electric-version, and, besides selling them in India, to also export them worldwide
Tata Nano is a rear-engine, four-passenger city car built by Tata Motors, aimed primarily at the Indian market. The car has a fuel efficiency of around 26 kilometers per liters on the highway and around 22 kilometers per liters in the city. The cars started to be delivered to customers after July 17, 2009.with a starting price of Rs 100,000, which is approximately equal to UK£1,360 or US$2,160 as of December 2009. This is cheaper than the Maruti 800, its main competitor and next cheapest Indian car priced at Rs 184,641 ($3,988 U.S.).Tata had sought to produce the least expensive production car in the world, aiming for a starting price of Rs 100,000 (approximately US$2,000) as of June 2009.
"Nano" means "small" in Gujarati, the language of the founders of the Tata Group. "Nano" from the SI prefix for one-billionth is derived from the Greek and is sometimes used to mean "small" in English
A team of 500 people worked on creating the Nano - Tata aims to prove that India can compete on the world market as an innovative car maker. To achieve its design goals, Tata refined the manufacturing process, emphasized innovation and sought new design approaches from suppliers. The car was designed at Italy's Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering — with Ratan Tata requesting certain changes, such as the elimination of one of two windscreen wipers. Many components of the Nano are made in Germany by Bosch, such as fuel injection, brake system, Value Motronic ECU, ABS and other technologies. The Nano has 21% more interior space (albeit mostly as headroom, due to its tall stance)and an 8% smaller exterior compared to its closest rival, the Maruti 800. Tata offered the car in three versions: the basic Tata Nano Std; the CX; and the LX. The CX and LX versions each have air conditioning, power windows, and central locking. Tata has set its initial production target at 250,000 units per year.
Cost cutting features
•The Nano's trunk does not open. Instead, the rear seats can be folded down to access the boot.
•It has a single windscreen wiper instead of the usual pair.
•It has no power steering.
•The base model has only three lug nuts on the wheels instead of the usual four.
•The base model has only one side view mirror.
•Some use of plastic and glue in place of welded steel
•Manually operated side windows
•Air conditioning/heating not part of base model
•Airbags not part of base model
•Engine is much smaller (623 cc) than the other cars but is suitable for city driving.
Models
Tata initially targeted the vehicle as "the least expensive production car in the world” aiming for a starting price of 100,000 rupees or approximately US$2000 (using exchange rate as of 22 March 2009 6 years ago. despite rapidly rising material prices at the time.At its launch the Nano was available in three trim levels:
•the basic Tata Nano Std priced at 123,000 Rupees has no extras;
•the deluxe Tata Nano CX at 151,000 Rupees has air conditioning;
•the luxury Tata Nano LX at 172,000 Rupees has air conditioning, power windows, fabric seats and central locking
•the Nano Europa, European version of the Tata Nano has all of the above plus a larger body, bigger 3-cylinder engine, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and meets European crash standards and emission norms.
Tushar Kargathiya & Vinod Prajapati
[II Year]
