Tata Nano

Drive a car cheaper than Nano Buy a car for Rs 1.1 lakh

2010-05-05T16:22:00.000+05:30

Bajaj's ultra-low cost car being manufactured jointly with Renault and Nissan promises to give hot chase to the Tata Nano. On Monday, Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto confirmed the $2,500 (Rs 1.1 lakh) price tag for the car, announced first by Renault chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company's shareholders' meet late last week. The Renault announcement comes a few days after it pulled out of its loss-making Logan venture with Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Bajaj car will be cheaper than the Nano, which comes at Rs 1.23 lakh-1.72 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi ). After the launch of Tata Nano, the race for the No.2 position in the ultra-low cost car segment is under way in India , which as emerged as the Mecca of this segment. However, other automakers' plans to enter this segment are still on the drawing board.

At Renault meeting, Ghosn said: "In India , Renault and Nissan are developing an ultra-low-cost vehicle with the Bajaj group, benefiting from its expertise in light vehicles and knowledge of the Indian market." He reiterated the affordability of the vehicle for the Indian market by citing the targeted low price tag.

"We are combining our strengths with Nissan, notably in India , Russia , Brazil and Mexico ," Ghosn said. "The alliance product strategy has been finalised in India and Russia , and Renault and Nissan will pool their production capacities and platforms there to fully deliver on these developments," he added.

The car was initially scheduled to hit the market this year, but has been postponed to 2012. Bajaj Auto displayed the prototype of the small car at the 2008 Auto Expo. However, the three partners were stuck at various levels of branding and engineering the car till last year. According to industry observers, the project also got delayed as partners were stuck on pricing issues as well. While Renault wanted a low-cost car, Bajaj was keen on a car that would sport high mileage and low maintenance.

It was during his India visit that Ghosn finally announced the finalisation of the project. "As per the agreement, the design, engineering, sourcing and manufacturing will be handled by Bajaj Auto, while marketing and selling will be (done) by Renault-Nissan Alliance," he said. But he had declined to comment on the pricing of the car.

Officials from the alliance have said the car will be smaller than Maruti Suzuki's Alto, which is the biggest selling model in India .

In March, Collin Dodge, executive vice-president, Nissan Motor had said: "It is over two years that Bajaj is trying to produce the car. The physics of it is very difficult. We have not yet found a solution as there are a lot of engineering solutions required." Nissan is also in talks with Hinduja group company Ashok Leyland to develop a small car for the global market that could be priced around $4,500-5,000.

"We have a formal agreement with Ashok Leyland for making light commercial vehicles in India . In addition, we also use Ashok Leyland's engineering services for various purposes. At the moment, we are talking to them and many other partners in China , Indonesia ...for a price centric vehicle," Nissan Motor Co executive vice-president Collin Dodge had said at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Hyundai preparing competitor for Tata’s Nano

2009-05-20T17:55:00.002+05:30

The Korean carmaker Hyundai is planning to make a car that will be priced like the Nano from Tata, although they are not intent on competing with the Indian car. Hyundai sees the Nano as an automotive market expander. It has joined Ford, GM and VW in seeking markets in India at such a trying time as this.

Hyundai claims that the 0.8 and 1-liter gasoline-engined vehicle will be offered when the basic model is released in the second half of next year. Meanwhile, there are reports saying that a small diesel variant will also be produced, particularly for the European market.

Maruti Ritz MODELS | VEHICLE SUMMARY | ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS | COMFORT

Nano may help Tata Motors pip Hyundai from No.2 slot

2009-05-14T19:06:00.002+05:30

Hyundai's undisputed number two position in the passenger car category for years is at stake, literally. With one lakh Tata Nanos to be delivered this year, analysts expect Tata Motors to overtake Hyundai despite the fact that the gap between the two has widened to 83,153 units in 2008-09 as compared to 49,254 units in 2007-08.

While Hyundai registered a 12.6% increase in sales at 2,43,599 units in the last financial year as compared to 2,16,307 units in 2007-08, Tata Motors posted a decline of 3.95% in passenger cars at 1,60,446 units vis-a-vis 1,67,053 units in 2007-08.

However, since Hyundai is expecting to grow by 3-5% in 2009-10 as against the estimated over 50% growth by Tata Motors with the launch of Nano, industry experts feel that Hyundai might have trouble in retaining its lead over Tata as the company has no new product lined up for this year. Eventually, while Hyundai is expected to end the current financial year at around 2,50,000 units, Tata Motors may achieve similar volumes, even if sales of its other cars remain constant.

"Assuming that the passenger car industry will largely remain flat in 2009-10, for all players, and that there could be a some shift from two-wheelers to four-wheelers to the Nano, Tata Motors have a chance to surpass Hyundai in terms of total passenger car sales in the current financial year," says Mr.Abdul Majeed, Analyst and partner, Price Waterhouse.

"While Tata Motors' marketshare will go up significantly this year because of Nano, Hyundai i20 will face a tough competition from the soon-to-be launched Ritz from Maruti. Since Hyundai has no new product slated for launch this year, it is possible that the company slips behind Tata Motors," says another analyst.

"We want to retain our marketshare, for which our sales have to grow according to the industry growth. Since industry has been projected to grow by 3-5%, we will also grow by the same rate," Mr.Arvind Saxena, Senior V-P (Sales & Marketing), Hyundai Motor India, had said last week.

Source: Indian Express Finance

Tata Nano Gets 203,000 Orders

2009-05-14T14:15:00.000+05:30

Tata Motors received more than 203,000 fully paid bookings for its new Nano subcompact car in just two weeks, the company reported in a statement on Monday.

“Tata Motors places on record its gratitude to the people of India for according such a warm welcome to the Tata Nano,” said the company, calling the response “encouraging.”

The sales were worth $512.6 million to the Indian company. That’s a significant number for a country where just 1.5 million passenger cars were sold in the last fiscal year.

The Tata Nano, lauded as the “People’s Car,” was introduced to great fanfare in March. Because of production constraints, Tata made the Nano available for sale only on April 9 to 25, the company said. Only about 20 percent of the total bookings were for the ultra-cheap $2,050 base model. About 50 percent were for the top-end Nano LX, which is priced at around $3,300 (see brief test drive here).

The number of bookings is more than double what Tata is capable of building in the car’s initial production run. The first 100,000 owners will be selected through a lottery. Tata is expected to start delivery of the Nano in July.

Car majors tread digital marketing route to rope in tech-savvy buyers

2009-05-14T11:01:00.000+05:30

After the rural market rejuvenated car sales, auto companies are now building on digital marketing activities to tap onto a new set of tech savvy customers. The strategy is to generate business through consumer interface over internet and mobile phones, say auto marketers.

Maruti claims over a lakh cars it sold last year originated from digital marketing initiatives while Tata Motors saw 4,000 customers booking its low-cost car Nano over the internet. Other automakers are also witnessing a similar response on their digital platforms.

Honda’s third generation of flagship car, City, regained its leadership position in the mid-size car segment in the first month of its launch in November on the back of strong digital interface with customers. Not to be left behind, Volkswagen is using Net and mobile to tap the 2.5-lakh strong customer base in India, owning cars over Rs 10 lakh, for its Jetta and Passat premium sedans.

Passenger carmaker leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) first tasted success with online marketing with its small car A-Star , which generated huge interest on the net with over 2.5 lakh online hits. “We sold around 4,000 A-Stars based on customer interface on internet and have doubled online marketing activity for the new hatchback Ritz with a microsite launched a week ahead of the launch and offering various exclusive options to loggers.

Around 17-18 % of our sales now are estimated to originate from digital marketing from mere 2-3 % in 2005,” MSI chief general manager (marketing) Shashank Srivastava said.
Other carmakers are also actively tapping the interactive social networking sites and blogs on the web advertising space.

Honda is launching a new programme in July to track sales originating from net. “Our cars are primarily targeted at rich and younger customer who are net savvy and take keen interest in blogs and different web activities. Digital marketing helps us build a strong brand,” Honda Siel Cars veep (sales & marketing) Jnaneshwar Sen said. He added that preliminary estimates suggest internet is responsible for 5% of Honda’s total sales in India.

Earlier, Tata Motors’ dedicate website on Nano got a little over 30-million hits from the date of launch of the car to the closure of the booking. “Its easier to reach professional like doctors, engineers and chartered accountants and other target audience with a strong influence on their purchase decision,” said Amardeep Bajpai of Webisdom, an internet marketing solution company.

World's cheapest car, Tata Nano, garners big orders

2009-05-13T17:49:00.001+05:30

Buyers can start booking the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, on Thursday. The company has entered into agreements with 18 preferred banks/ NBFCs for financing (For the list of banks Click here) and with five partner insurance companies to offer comprehensive insurance, under the ‘Tata Motors Insurance’ banner.

Customers willing to book the Nano can either pay the entire booking amount — which is Rs 95,000 (for the Tata Nano Std), Rs 1,20,000 (Tata Nano CX), and Rs 1,40,000 (Tata Nano LX) — using their own funds or seek financing. Retail auto loan are available at interest rates that range from 9% to 11.75%. The financing of the booking amount available would start from Rs 2,850 for the base model.
(for Tata Nano Models, Specifications,warranty, fuel efficiency,Safety click here)

Tata Motors on Wednesday said that it has entered into agreements with National Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Royal Sundaram Alliance General Insurance, United India Insurance and HDFC Ergo General Insurance. The insurance premium would start at Rs 3,468 (ex New Delhi), the company said.

Tata Motors will announce the allotment of 1 lakh units of the Nano through a random selection process in the first phase by June-end (60 days after the last day of the booking which is April 25). Applicants have an option of retaining their booking deposit if they do not get allotment in the first phase.

Customers retaining their booking deposit will be eligible for interest on their deposit, effective from the date of announcement of allotment of the second phase, at 8.5% for a retention period of 1-2 years and 8.75% for a retention period of more than 2 years.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors said there was no problem with the production of the Nano as reported by a section of the media. “As announced by the company earlier, deliveries of the Tata Nano will commence from July,” the company said in a statement.

Please navigate to the relevant section below for further help on how to book your Nano. To find the closest booking center near your house, click here for the Booking Center Locator below. You can also access a price list at any time by clicking here for Price List. We have a list for 30 states, including all major city's.

Tata Motors, the Indian company that also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, has received 203,000 orders for the tiny car that garnered loads of publicity last year as the world's least expensive car, Bloomberg News reports. At that sales level, the Nano would represent about 17% of all cars sold in India. The Associated Press says the sales brought in 25 billion rupees ($512.6 million).

The first Nanos will be made in Pantnagar in northern India, Bloomberg News says. The plant can produce 60,000 a year, but output will increase sixfold when a second plant in added in Sanand in western India at the end of this year. Six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News last month had estimated Tata Motors would get between 120,000 and 500,000 orders for the Nano.

The Nano was designed as a rupee-pinching alternative for families who currently can only afford motorcycles, not cars. The basic car is powered by a two-cylinder engine, lacks air conditioning or a radio and the seats don't recline.

The model, and other supercheap models like it that could soon follow from competing makers, could have a profound effect on motorists in developed nations, including the United States. That's because Nanos, while fuel thrifty, certainly can't match the gas mileage of the small motorcycles they replace. The developing world is being flooded with new cars, with most of them going to families that have never owned a car. Car sales in China are outpacing overall new cars sales in the U.S.

All those cars are collectively going to need a lot of gas. When the U.S. and world economy recover from recession, there could be unprecedented world demand for oil. That will raise gasoline prices around the world and put small cars with good mileage back in front of the American car business.

Bajaj unveils low-cost car on LITE platform

2009-03-19T11:56:00.001+05:30

Features

The car will be marginally smaller than the average small car with a twin-cylinder engine.
Transmission is expected to be a new format semi-automatic version.
Both petrol and diesel variants planned

Prototype developed by in-house R&D
Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd, unveiling the concept car in the Capital on Tuesday. The car will be marginally smaller than the size of the average small car and will have a twin-cylinder engine. Both petrol and diesel variants are being planned.

The ultra compact, so-called $3,000 car segment is set to witness its most high profile unveiling in the Tata People’s car this week.

But, Bajaj, which had announced a tie-up with Renault of France for exploring the possibility of developing a similar passenger car, took the lead and unveiled its own prototype here today.

Bajaj’s prototype of its low-cost car has been developed on a new platform called LITE, the Pune-based company’s common platform for all four-wheelers, including compact light commercial vehicles. The car prototype unveiled here today was developed entirely in-house by Bajaj R&D and the vehicle is currently under various stages of testing.

Speaking at the unveiling here, Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto (BAL), said that the company was conducting a feasibility study to determine the various parameters about the product and further discussions are also expected to be conducted with its partner Renault for finalising the details about investments, manufacturing facilities and so on.

He also mentioned that both the partners are yet to finalise details regarding whether a new joint venture company will be floated, and whether the French partner will take an equity stake in the venture.

The feasibility study that the company is conducting is expected to be completed by next month and the details regarding investment and size of operations would be clear by then. Talking about the expertise that Bajaj will seek from its partner, Mr Bajaj said that technical support for manufacturing, maintaining consistent quality in the manufacturing process are the issues that Renault can bring to the table for the venture. But, more importantly, Bajaj is hoping that Renault can de-risk the project in terms of geographical limitations by taking the vehicle to other markets.

Book Tata Nano in your own city Click here to Know How..

The prototype of the low-cost car is expected to be launched by 2010. “We have a 2-4 year time frame by which a launch of the car will happen,” Mr Bajaj said. The car will be marginally smaller than the size of the average small car of today with a twin-cylinder engine. Both petrol and diesel engine variants are being planned and the transmission is expected to be a new format semi-automatic version, which will be a type of mix between a manual and an automatic.

Bajaj claims that the car will set a new benchmark in terms of fuel economy and offer twice as much as the current crop of small cars. The chassis of the new car will focus on maneuverability and make it useful for intra-city transportation. The platform and the engines and transmission will be commonalised between the new ultra-compact and the new LCVs.

Compare Tata Nano Standard & Deluxe Model

2009-03-03T19:15:00.003+05:30

TATA NANO DELUXE MODEL

Tata Nano Deluxe Model (DLX / LX) will have the air condition and may be power steering. People says Delux Model as Tata Nano DLX, Delux, Deluxe, De-Lux, De-Luxe, De Lux, De Luxe, DX Model, Nanodelux, Nanodeluxe tatanano delux, tatananodeluxe Model, DLX Model, etc. The cost of Tata Nano Deluxe Car will be around 2 to 2.5 Lacs.

Book Tata Nano in your own city Click here to Know How..

	Tata Nano - Standard Model	Tata Nano - Deluxe Model
Engline	624 CC - Petrol (Rear Engine)	624 CC - Petrol (Rear Engine)
Power	33 BHP	33 BHP
Length	3.1 Meter	3.1 Meter
Width	1.5 Meter	1.5 Meter
Fuel average	20-25 Km/Liter	17-20 Km/Liter
Petrol Tank Capacity	30 Liters	30 Liters
Top speed	80 Km/Hour	120 Km/Hour
Colours	Red, Yellow and Silver	Red, Yellow and Silver
Accommodation	4 People	4 People
Standards	Bharat Stage 3 and Euro 4	Bharat Stage 3 and Euro 4
Transmission	Manual	Power
Window	Manual	Power
On Road Price *	1.3 Lacs *	2.3 Lacs *

Tata Nano commercially launch on March 3rd.

2009-03-03T18:21:00.002+05:30

Tata Nano is set to commercially launch (booking details below) on March 3rd.

Finer details:

Booking starts by February end
You need to pay Rs. 70K to book Nano
The standard model will be available for Rs 1 lakh and there will two other models priced at Rs 1.24 lakh and Rs 1.34 lakh.
All dealers of Tata Motors and branches of the State Bank of India (SBI) will accept bookings simultaneously across the country in the next three weeks.
SBI will initially engaged 100 branches and take the number eventually to 1,000 (SBI will not only act as sole lender to buyers but also offer its branches for bookings.)
Tata hopes to collect around Rs 700 crore in just a few weeks

Tatas are planning to gift Nano to celebrities - few names include President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader LK Advani, Sania Mirza, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

How about gifting to common man (say few of your workers/Taj hotel staff?), Mr. Tata? After all, Nano is meant to be a common man’s car.

What’s your opinion? Will you go for Nano?

TATA NANO "THE PEOPL'S CAR"

2008-01-12T22:56:00.001+05:30

The Dream of Ratan Tata come's true.The "peoples car" has finally been shown to public for the first time at the Auto Expo in New Delhi. Developed by Tata Motors with a target price of $2,500,the sweet name of this small car is "TATA NANO" the NANO has 624cc engine run's with gasoline, which has mounted under the rear seat, the SWEET SMALLY has four people to seat.

The NANO has Three Levels, The standard, and The next two are luxury set, the standard level IS a non A/C, and the rest two luxury has A/C. The interior includes non-reclining seating for four, an a dashboard with speedometer, fuel gauge and oil light

Here the specifications and some pictures of the car -

624cc petrol engine
33BHP
20km per litre mileage, upto 26km per litre on highway
30 liter petrol tank
4 door, 5-seater
Rear engine, front boot
4 speed manual gear box
On road price expected to be around Rs. 1 lakh 25 thousand
front disc brakes and drums in the rear
Euro 4 compliant
Top speed 90kmph

Tata Motors Nano

The four seater has a 624cc gasoline engine mounted under the rear seat, the 33hp engine meets current Euro 4 emissions standards, the Nano can achieve 54 mpg,has passed frontal and side impact tests, the world's cheapest car creates a a transportation revolution the price was kept so low on the basic version. We cant say how much the luxury Nano will cost until it hits showrooms toward the end of this year.

VEHICLE SUMMARY

Name : Jeh - 1 Lakh Rupee Car
Model : Petrol
Car Body Type : Hatchback
Segment : A Segment
Top Speed : 90
Fuel Consumption: Highway 26.00
Fuel Consumption: City 22.00

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS

Displacement : 796cc, 3 cylinder
Engine Type : Petrol
Maximum Power : 33bhp
Maximum Torque : 0 OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Seating Capacity: 4
Steering : No Power Steering
Brakes : Front Disk, Rear Drum
Gears : 4 Manual
Fuel Tank : 30.00
Body Color Bumpers: True
Tachometer : No
Alloys : No
ORVM Indicator : No
Xenon Headlamps : No
Headlamp Washer : No

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

AC : AC without Climate Control
Power Windows : Central Locking: Manual
Remote Boot : No
Remote Fuel Filler: No
Rear Wiper : No
Rear Defogger : No
Steering Adjustment (Rake/Reach) : No
Driver Seat Adjustment: Manual
Leather Seats : No
Door Mirror : Driver Side
Tinted Glass : No
Rear AC Vent : No
Folding Rear Seats: No
Sun Roof : No
Buttons/Controls on Steering: No
Auto Viper : No
Auto Headlamp : No

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY

Airbag : No
Parking Sensors : No
Traction Control: No
EBD : No
ABS : No
ESP : No

Click Here To know About The Making Of TATA NANO