Never have I seen a simple small car get soo much attention from the press and that’s not just the Indian media but the entire global press has been curiously awaiting the unveiling of Tata’s 1 lakh car now called TATA nano. Surf through any news channel on TV its nano, pick up a newspaper and its Tata nano on the frontpage, visit any news website and its nano, automotive communities online and the blogs have gone berserk – its utter frenzy everywhere. This hysteric event went live not just on Indian tele but all over the world.
Watching and listening to Mr Ratan Tata gave me goose flesh… Made me feel proud it was Tata that made the impossible possible as it was sworn by many automakers around the world. We just witnessed a monumental landmark in the history of the Indian Automotive Industry, the birth of a completely new segment of cars.
Some specs and details of TATA nano if you haven’t heard or read already. With the engine mounted at the rear, nano is rear-wheel driven and engine is a two-cylinder, 623 cc petrol that makes 33 bhp power and 48 Nm torque. The expected fuel efficiency is 20+ kmpl. The 1-lakh tag is the ex-showroom price and on the road it’d cost around Rs 125000 in Delhi.
On the inside, it has a simple dashboard with center mounted instrument cluster. Driver and passenger seats have integrated headrests and rear seats can be folded for additional boot space.
Comparing it to the Maruti 800, nano is 9 inches shorter in length but 2 inches wider and 7.5 inches taller. With these dimensions it manges to be 21 % more spacious than the Maruti.
| |
Maruti 800 |
Tata Nano |
| Length |
3335 mm |
3100 mm (-9.2 in) |
| Width |
1440 mm |
1500 mm (+2.3 in) |
| height |
1405 mm |
1600 mm (+7.6 in) |
| Power |
37 bhp |
33 bhp |
| Torque |
59 Nm |
48 Nm |
| Fuel economy |
20 kmpl |
20+ kmpl |
Nano will be up for sale by the end of 2008 in September – October and will be offered in 3 variants namely standard, deluxe and luxury. The standard version has no AC or body coloured bumpers.
Like all big things the nano had some bricks thrown at it too. The environmentalists have voiced their opinions about how this would add to the road congestion and step-up the pollution. They do have a point about the congestion in urban areas but IMO that is not something a buyer or an automaker should be concerned with as much as the government should be with the infrastructure. And about the pollution, Mr.Tata says Nano meets Bharat 3 and Euro 4 emission norms and pollutes lesser than some of the 2-wheelers in the market today. He also adds that 85% of the Indian population is in the rural parts and not just the metros.
The competition and critics have expressed some safety concerns and without the price in the equation, I doubt if any car enthusiast (myself included) would appreciate the car by itself. Nano fits right in the middle of the wide gap that exists between the conservative two-wheeler market and the entry level Maruti 800 and mind you, this is aimed at the two-wheeler market and the closest it can be compared to another car is the Maruti 800. Perhaps, a person living or who has lived in India would better understand what nano means to the intended buyer.
more photos after the jump.
Continue reading ‘another rant on Tata Nano – the one lakh car’
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