The seventy year old chairman of the Tata Group of India, Ratan Tata unveiled the "people's car" which is a mini four seater priced at one lakh rupees as promised five years ago, that is less than half the price of the cheapest car in the market. The car would be called Nano referred to the smallest unit in science. Even though the commodity prices have gone up, Ratan Tata wanted to keep up the promise of a one-lakh rupee car fulfilling the dreams of the common man who wants to own a four-wheeler.
When Tata Nano goes on sale, it would start the emergence of Tata Motors on the global scene, marking India as a global center of small car production. It was branded impossible by the rivals but was made possible by Ratan Tata who was bent upon fulfilling his promise.
Before stating the project, the ideas were felt from the customers, which gave the inspiration and need to manufacture a cheap four-wheeler for the common man. Tata Nano would have a dealer price of one-lakh rupees apart from the Value Added Tax and transportation charges and would be available in three variants, one standard model and two deluxe models with air condition.
The car has a 624 cc engine, which is built of aluminum, 33 HP petrol engine and meets Bharat stage III emission norms and could also meet the Euro 4 norms. The Nano satisfies all the safety and emission norms of a modern car. Even though Nano is eight percent shorter than Maruthi 800 in length, it is 21 percent more spacious than Maruthi 800
Tata nano would be launched in later 2008 and be available in both standard and deluxe varieties with a wide range of body colors, satisfying the individual's preferences. Tata Nano is designed to have a roomy passenger compartment with a family in mind and has a generous leg space and headroom, which will enable four persons to sit comfortably. The dimensions of the car measures 3.1 meters in length, 1.5 meters in height and can easily move on the busy roads in cities and rural areas.
The wheels are at the corners and power train at the back and so it can combine both space and movement, which is unique to Tata Nano. The target countries of export are Africa, south East Asia and Latin America.
With the economy of the Indian market charging along, people can now afford to buy four wheelers and it has been predicted that within a few years, two million people who own a two wheeler may switch over to Tata nano.
The fact that it meets all the necessary crash worthiness and emission norms of the day enhances its appeal. The invention of one lakh rupee car may add a new definition of low cost.
