Tata Nano Booking Information Online

Tata Nano V2 Upgraded version just around the corner ! With 5-10 price hike.

2020-12-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Amidst talk about the dismal November 2010 sales of the Tata Nano, we're soon going to have the Tata Nano V2 hitting showrooms across India. The Tata Nano V2 is expected to come with a host of upgrades according to the sources in the know, which includes a power steering, adjustable seats and a five speed gearbox. The power steering will further endear the Nano to folks who find the manual steering tedious to operate at parking speeds and that includes members of the fairer sex who sorely missed the option of a power steering on the Tata Nano. Tata Motors seems to be taking feedback very seriously and thus, the Nano V2 with a power steering option is a certainty.

The Tata Nano, though diminutive in size and designed primarily, was a car that could easily hold it's own on the highway. One major deterrent to this was the lack of a fifth gear with overdrive that could have made cruising a relaxed affair along with boosting fuel efficiency. Now, the upgraded Nano V2 will also feature the fifth gear to make the Nano more fuel efficient as well as capable of higher highway speeds. We aren't too convinced about increasing the speed at which the Nano can traverse with the addition of the fifth gear as it would be plain dangerous considering the low kerb weight and the overall traffic speed on Indian highways.

Thus far, the cruising speed of the Nano, at 80 Kph has been par for the course and very satisfactory for most Nano owners who seldom are seen hustling the car at triple digit speeds on Indian highways. This means that the fifth gear could be more of an overdrive gear designed to maximize fuel efficiency by allowing the engine to spin at a lower rpm for a particular highway speed rather than one meant to increase the top speed. A better option from Tata Motors' side would be to optimize the gear ratios to ensure quick and safe overtaking as overtaking at highway speeds is one area where the small engine of the Nano shows a bit of a struggle.

Also the addition of the power steering, which in all probability could be a cheap electric powered one which might not weigh up progressively as speeds increase could make steering the Nano V2 at high speeds a very hairy affair. The other significant change we'd hope to see is the relocation or suitable compartmentalization of the exposed battery, which currently resides under the driver seat of the Nano. The 5-10% price hike of the Nano V2 with all these modifications is reasonable as Tata needs to still position the Nano V2 well below the entry level 800cc Maruti Alto if they ever hope to prevent the Maruti Alto from cannibalizing sales of the top end variant of the Nano.

All said, these are observations that we hope Tata Motors have already addressed before launching the Tata Nano V2 in the first quarter of 2011, as these factors are extremely important if Tata is serious about making the Nano, in it's second iteration, an able, relaxed and fuel efficient highway mile muncher in addition to bettering the Nano's credentials as a nifty city run about. Closing words: Bring on the Diesel Nano, Tata!

Tata Motors to rope in Accenture for Nano firefight, strategy review

2020-12-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: Dwindling sales of Nano, coupled with recent incidents of the car going up in flames, have led Tata Motors seek professional help to fix the myriad problems.

Industry sources told FE that the company is roping in global consultancy firm Accenture to review issues pertaining to production, quality standards and supply chain management. Accenture would also identify new growth markets for Tata Motors to resurrect brand Nano and push its sales.

"The company would have to re-look at its strategy from scratch for which they are seeking professional help," an industry source said, adding that over the past one month senior officials have been in close touch with Accenture division heads to give steam to a new strategy and identify possible production-related loopholes. "The aim is to review the overall processes within Tata Motors and compare it with its rivals," the source said. However, when contacted a Tata Motors spokesperson denied any such move by the company.

Tata Nano has seen total sales nosedive from 9,000 units in July to just 509 units in November, down 85% from the previous year.

"The company is fighting a battle on two fronts -- engineering and marketing. Today, the nature of the market is such that if the company takes too long to fix the problem, it could run the risk of losing prospective customers," said an auto analyst.

Tata Motors has explained the declining sales of Nano to the fact that it is still in the process of opening up its dealerships on a pan-India level. "All these initiatives will be done across the country, as we expand open sales. Sales will increase, as we go on covering states," the company has said.

As reported by FE earlier, top Tata Motors executives would be meeting later this month to devise a new plan to become a global automaker. The ones slated to attend the meet would include vice-chairman Ravi Kant, group CEO Carl-Peter Forster and managing director (India Operations) PM Telang.

Source: Agencies

Nano may not stay as cheap as it was - price hike : Tata Motors

2020-03-04T02:16:00.000-08:00

The Nano, the world's cheapest car at Rs 1 lakh, may no longer be as cheap, when Tata Motors opens fresh booking later this year.

The company on Tuesday said it had promised to hold the price line for the first lot of Nano buyers, hinting at a hike for fresh buyers. It did not divulge the exact amount of the price hike.

"Deliveries to the first lot of customers should be over by December... prices of commodities and logistics have gone up, so we'll look into the pricing of the car closer to the date of fresh bookings," said Ravi Kant, vice-chairman, Tata Motors.

The Nano is currently manufactured on a makeshift basis at Tata's Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand, which gets tax sops as the region is a zero excise zone. With production at its motherplant Sanand, Gujarat, set to commence from April, tax outgo will go up.

"Pantnagar enjoys some tax sops which Sanand does not. Also, our suppliers transport components from far off areas to Uttarakhand, which increases logistic costs," said Prakash Telang, managing director (India operations), Tata Motors. Tata Motors showcased the electric version of the Nano at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday. This version will be launched in Europe in three years time.

TATA NANO THE Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years

2019-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors has won kudos for its low-cost Nano, the world’s cheapest car. Here’s one honor the Indian company won’t want to trumpet: According to my BusinessWeek colleague Damian Joseph, the $2,500 Nano is one of the world’s 50 ugliest cars over the past half-century. “Admittedly, appearance wasn’t a design priority for the Nano, which is intended for Indians too poor to buy a regular car,” Joseph writes. “But that doesn’t excuse its egg-like stylings. Even the snub hood and tiny tires can’t draw the eye from the car’s domed top.”

Meanwhile, Tata Motors has other Nano problems. Check out the piece on BusinessWeek’s Asia Channel now by Mehul Srivastava, Ian Rowley and Moon Ihlwan. As they write in the BW story, Tata “may have to work hard to fight perceptions created by being a cheap, made-in-India car in Western markets obsessed with comfort and safety. Since September three Nanos across the country developed a short circuit that caused fire-retardant plastic parts to smoke up from the heat. Tata says it will carry out a preemptive audit of cars sold and in inventory as a precautionary measure, and it has ruled out a recall, choosing instead to replace the supplier for that specific part, called the combination switch.” Three problem cars out of 7,500 sold does not a crisis make. Problem is, when you hype your product as a People’s Car that’s the world’s cheapest, three might be all it takes to create jitters in the marketplace. Sure enough, auto blog GM Inside News already has a comparison between the Nano and the infamous Ford Pinto.

Tata should move fast to defuse the problem. CarTradeIndia.com, an auto industry website, reports today that a Tata spokesman says there have not been “actual cases of Nano catching fires but only smoke due to short circuit around the switch area and the melting of the plastic.” As damage-control strategies go, “No fire, just smoke” probably isn’t going to cut it.

Source: Business News

Karnataka may be the home for second Nano plant

2019-09-01T01:44:00.000-07:00

Karnataka may have narrowly lost the race for housing Tata Motors’ Nano car plant but that is not stopping the southern state from nursing ambitions of winning the second round of the same race. It was late last year when Tata Motors announced that it would set up the first plant for producing the Rs 1-lakh car at Gujarat’s Sanand rather than Karnataka’s Dharwad, among other places.

Now, if all goes well, Karnataka will get a chance to play host to Tata Motors' proposed second Nano car plant in South India. The state government has been assured by the company that Dharwad will be a preferred choice for the company's plans to expand its Nano manufacturing capacity into South India.

The state government, in turn, has assured the company that it will provide the required land as well as tax concessions, similar to those offered by the Gujarat government, for setting up the second Nano car plant, Karnataka minister for medium and large industries Murugesh R Nirani said.

"When Tata Motors initially came to inspect Dharwad, we had offered them 600 acres within 24 hours and had assured another 400 acres in three months. But the company chose to go to Gujarat for reasons best known to them. However, they have told us, for expansion of their Nano car capacity, they will consider Dharwad and we have promised them all possible help," he told Business Standard.

Nirani added the state government recently acquired 2,500 acres at Dharwad, adjacent to the existing Tata Motors' bus plant, where the company had intended to set up the Nano plant. Tata Motors had indicated a requirement of around 1,000 acres.

"We have already discussed this with the company's higher officials. They have plans to set up one more plant in South India for producing the Nano car and they want to do it in Dharwad because it is closer to Pune, where they have a major presence. Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has invited us for further talks in this regard and we will soon meet him," Nirani said.

Tata is currently manufacturing the Nano at their plant in Pantnagar. Its dedicated Nano car plant will be operational at Sanand in Gujarat by early 2010.

At Dharwad, Tata Motors currently operates two plants to manufacture construction equipment under the Telcon brand name. It also produces buses in a joint venture with Brazil's Marcopolo. So far, it has acquired 600 acres and employs around 3,500 workers in both the plants. The company has invested close to Rs 500 crore in its bus plant, which started commercial production in January this year.

In addition to Tata's Nano car plant, the state government is also in talks with Korea's car maker Hyundai Motors and the domestic utility vehicle major, Mahindra and Mahindra, for locating their new plants in Karnataka.

Recently, the state government approved an additional investment proposal of Rs 800 crore by Toyota Kirloskar Motors at Bidadi, near Bangalore. The government is also planning to hold a special meeting with the automobile industry very soon in Bangalore, as a precursor to its forthcoming global investors' meet scheduled to be held in January 2010, Nirani added.

Source: Business Standard (MSN News)

12:34:56-7/8/9 What might Nano Gift at this magic time..? Gasses....

2019-08-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Digital time will be 12:34:56-7/8/9 at 12.34pm today

BE alert and alarmed - history is in the making. Blink and you'll miss it. At exactly 56 seconds past 12.34pm today, the digital time will be 12:34:56-7/8/9. If we look in the history this is a very lucky time, many great things come in to light on this magic time at 12:34:56-7/8/9 like, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, the founder of WWW was found on 12:34:56 89 So

what might happen this time..

My gasses:

Will WHO give medicine to AIDS?
Will Tata Group Start a new Nano car for 1000 Rs/- ?
Will all the Traffic jams Problems in world go out of world?
Will Reliance give all the KG basin gas to AP ?

It might be any thing you people keep enjoying our time.

Spend time with some one you love,

All this points are just for joke and comedy only, they are all false and will not happen..

Here are the details about the magic time 12:34:56-7/8/9 :

Miss the numerical nuance and it won't come again for another 81 years, the Herald Sun reports.

But while setting an alarm for 12:34 might appeal, not everyone thinks this time's worth the effort.

Numerologists say it's no big deal and our official time lords, the National Measurement Institute, will barely give it a second's thought.

The Watch and Clockmakers of Australia (incorporating the Horological Guild), though, doesn't need any winding up.

Its state secretary, John Mohan, said the special second was quite fascinating."It's quite unique. I'll definitely be watching it," Mr Mohan said.

"We've got our AGM coming up next week and they'll all be talking about it, for sure. "It's those sort of things myself and other members are quite interested with. "Maybe they'll have it up on the big screen at Federation Square?"

In the US, where they write months and days the wrong way around, the magic moment came on July 8. A YouTube video of it happening drew almost 1200 comments. Some were already looking forward to the next, even better one, in 2090, when a final zero will follow the nine. Dr Bruce Warrington, the scientist in charge of Australia's best and official clock, isn't too fussed about today's moment in time.

His caesium atom-based atomic clock at the institute is a $100,000 job accurate to one second in 30,000 years.

Dr Warrington's magic moment comes every 18 months or so when a leap second is added to reconcile its accurate clock with the earth's haphazard rotation. He says he won't be wasting time clock-watching at 12:34. "It's not particularly special for us because every time, for us, is special," he said.Melanie Evans from Visionary - the Spiritual Institute of Australia - said from a numerologist's perspective, it was a second-rate second.

"It is quirky, it is different, it is unusual," she said. "But from a numerological point of view, er, no."

Source:http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25894584-421,00.html

'Nano' a buzzword for the Tata Group New project on way

2019-08-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

With the success of the Nano car, the word 'Nano' has become a buzzword within the Tata group, with practically every company of the group wanting to do some 'Nano' (low-cost) project, R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons Ltd, said on Monday. Speaking to journalists here on 'Innovation and innovativeness - The Tata Experience', Gopalakrishnan said that there were many 'Nano' projects in the offing, such as Nano Housing, the proposed low-cost housing project of the Tatas. In one of the presentations made to the media by the Tata Group officials today, showed a 'Nano cement' - but that came in the list of projects that had not taken off.

Need to innovate

Gopalakrishnan observed that the next decade would be one marked by the need to innovate. This in mind, the Tata Group has begun to streamline and document the innovations that are happening in the group companies.

A Tata Group innovation forum has been set up to formalise innovation, which includes cross pollination of ideas and a system of recognition and awards. The idea is to foster the culture of innovation and as such, there is a category of awards even for failed innovation projects.

Dr Santanu Chakrabarti of Tata Steels Ltd spoke of a successful attempt in the company to reduce time, and consumption of water, in the process of annealing steel. The team that worked on the project substituted water with 'nano liquid' - a water-based solution containing suspended solids (fine grains of metal oxides).

For a one-time investment of Rs 50 lakh, the company would save Rs 5 crore annually, but more significantly, the company will be able to make more steel with less waterOne of the presentations said that the number of innovation projects registered for awards rose from 101 in 2006 to 1,712 in 2009. The number of failed projects that were nominated for awards increased from 12 in 2007 to 115 in 2009.

One of the 'failed projects' was of Tata Tetley. The company wanted to bring in flavours in the form of soluble capsules - you put them in your drink (any drink) to get the flavour you want. It did not work out, but the company is now working on the concept with liquids and sprays.

Another failed concept was a plastic door for the Nano car. The door, with reinforced metal bars, passed every crash test, but was still rejected because it might be perceived by the public as unsafe.

The nano breed - Nano Pickup Truck

2019-07-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

On the July edition of Overdrive, a popular monthly magazine in India, pictures of the Tata Nano pickup truck test mule were published. Overdrive say this vehicle was testing with its loading area packed with cans on the outskirts of Pune, in the vicinity of Tata’s production plant.

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A single wiper, three wheel lugs and a similar dashboard layout substantiate its Nano mechanicals. The engine was apparently mounted at the rear axle and sounded exactly like the Nano’s twin cylinder exhaust tune.

The Nano’s platform as we said earlier will not end with just a passenger car. We are not sure what else it can give rise to, maybe only a Nano tractor wouldn’t come about.

Tata Nano has passed its first basic EC structural safety tests

2019-07-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

The diminutive Tata Nano has passed its first basic EC structural safety tests which will becomes Indian structural safety standard in 2012. The tests were conducted at UK’s MIRA test center under the supervision of Nic Fasci, type approval engineer from Britain’s Vehicle Certification Authority.

Two slightly modified Tata Nano cars flown in from India to the MIRA test center and were subjected to a 50 kmph side impact and a 56 kmph offset frontal impact test, the minimum required for any vehicle to be sold in Europe.

Tata Engineering chief Clive Hickman said the aim of the tests was to show that with basic modifications the present car could meet the existing safety regulations and set the vehicle on course for a European version to be ready by 2012.

Video: Tata Nano Crash Test

Tata Motors said it was “delighted but not surprised” that its Nano subcompact passed European front- and side-impact crash tests last week.

Tata Motors is intending to subject the Nano’s European version to NCAP testing and is confident of getting a 4-Star safety rating.

The modifications to the Tata Nano included extra foam added to the cant rail, a reinforced longitudinal structure and some added strength behind the front bumper and in the front doors.

“It looks no different from other cars doing this test. It’s a good crash.” said Nic Fasci, approval engineer from Britian Vehicle Certificaion Authority who certified the tests.

The crash tests included a 40 percent offset and a 56km/h (35 m.p.h.) frontal impact, and are tougher than those that exist in India — currently the Nano’s only market — but they are due to be adopted in India in three years’ time.

Farmers to operate irrigation pumps by cell - Nano Ganesh

2019-07-11T04:21:00.000-07:00

Telecom service provider, Tata Teleservices(TTSL), has launched a new product offering, especially for the rural community. Under a project named as Nano Ganesh, TTSL will be offering services that allows the farmers to operate their irrigation pumps from remote location without having to travel tens of kms to and fro daily. The telecom service provider has tied up with Ossian Agro Automation to offer remote device access to regulate the irrigation systems.

According to Naveen Bhasin, chief operating officer, Gujarat, Tata Teleservices Limited, "Tata Indicom is first operator in India to partner with Ossian Agro to offer remote access to irrigation pumps using a mobile phone Nano Ganesh — a radical move to save electricity, time, money and resources like water. We have launched a pilot project as part of the inauguration at Sojitra in Anand district of Gujarat."

To know more about Tata Nano Ganesh click here

Under the service, farmers will have to buy Tata Indicom mobile connection and a mobile modem that will be attached to the starter of the pump set. After registration, the subscriber (farmer) will be provided with a unique code number. Using the mobile handset, the farmer can remotely switch on and switch off the pump set with the assigned code number. The farmer can also check the on/off status as well as the availability of power by a particular tone.

"This service is exceptionally functional in order to save lot of time and energy in the regions that have erratic power supply," added Bhasin.

The subscriber shall be charged Rs 2,700 for the device and additional for the handset that offers lifetime validity. The service comprises two handsets that shall be provided with the bundled offer — one installed with the device and the other remains with the farmer. All calls made to the pump by the Tata Indicom mobile shall be free whereas the other calls charged as per the tariff plan given to the subscriber.

Talking further about the launch, Bhasin said, "We are extremely delighted to partner with Ossian Agro Automation for launching Nano Ganesh. With Tata Indicom network support, the farmers can remotely access their irrigation pumps which will help them improve productivity, and save electricity costs and have better return on investment. Through our various rural initiatives like Sahayak, MKrishi, and Nano Ganesh amongst others, Tata Indicom is constantly innovating and devising new techniques to reach out to the basic needs of rural India."

Electric car form TATA Costly then Tata Nano - says rathan tata on global warming day

2019-06-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

Indian conglomerate Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has said that Tata Motors will have an electric car in the market by September this year.

"We will have an electric car in the market in September," Tata was quoted as saying by Cornell University on its micro-blogging feed on Twitter. Tata is also a Cornell trustee.

He talked about the electric car at the Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Global Enterprise organised by the university.

In 2008, Ratan Tata speaking at the Annual General Meeting of Tata Motors said that the company was developing an electric car.

Foreign media also reported quoting Tata at the forum that Tata Nano, dubbed as the world's cheapest car, is expected to be available in the US in the next two years.

The much-awaited Nano was commercially launched in March in India and is expected to hit the roads soon.

According to the university website, the Tata Education and Development Trust committed USD 50 million to Cornell in October 2008 to establish the Tata Scholarship Fund for Students from India and the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition, intended to improve the lives and livelihoods of India's rural poor.

At Tata Motors' annual general meeting this week chairman Ratan Tata told shareholders about an electric car partnership project with Norway, with the car to launch in Norway within the next 12 months, according to Swedish weekly Ny Teknik, and India afterward. Calcutta Telegraph said Tata will use its Indica platform for the development of its electric car, not the no-frills, $2,500 Nano, which is scheduled to start rolling off production lines in September. Tata is currently working on five prototypes of electric vehicles, the Telegraph said, with lithium-ion batteries and an approximate range of 200 kilometers. Indica is a full-size highway-ready car, but Tata hasn't said whether the Indica-based EV will also be full-sized or an NEV (neighborhood electric vehicle), or given price signals.

Scandinavia cornering electric vehicle market?

Tata's electric car is supposed to be initially assembled in Norway, which seems a bit strange given the country's high wages compared to India. On the other hand, with THINK and the Kewet Buddy under production and Miljøbil Gronland working to continually beef up the infrastructure of fast recharging stations, Norway has some accumulated EV competence.

Reva electric car's strong sales

Tata earlier partnered with Chrysler's electric vehicle unit Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) to develop and market an electric version of its light commercial vehicle Ace for sale in the United States, according to Germany's Spiegel Magazine. Spiegel also said India's electric car maker Reva has sold 2,500 units, including 1,000 in the UK, and is hiking capacity to 30,000 units by December from 6,000 now.

Tata's mystery electric car partner

THINK thus far gave no indication that it was Tata's EV partner, nor did Kewet, according to Ny Teknik. But Miljøbil Gronland, though refusing to give any details, did say it "has a project with India" according to Ny Teknik. Owned by government-owned Norsk Hydro, Miljøbil Gronland has a fleet of different EVs and hybrids that it leases to Norwegian consumers.

Bookings for Tata's 'Nano' house starts on May 11th

2019-05-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Bookings for Tata's low-cost houses - that will come for as low as Rs 4 lakh - starts on Monday.

The initial booking amount is Rs 10,000 and booking application forms are available at SBI branches. Bookings can be made through bank pay order at selected branches of SBI bank across Mumbai. Applicants can purchase the application form booklet at Rs 200.

Bookings have to be made in the next 20 days and the first list and the waiting list is expected 15 days after the final booking day.

Tata Housing, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, launched its low-cost housing initiative - the Shubh Griha project - on Wednesday. The company plans to build apartments that will be priced at around Rs 4 to Rs 7 lakh.

The first Shubh Griha township will be launched at Boisar in Mumbai.

Tata Housing has tied up with SBI and HDFC to help potential buyers with finance options.

Tata Nano | Test Drive Review | Interiors Review | Exterior Reviews | Performance Reviews | Engine Reviews

2019-04-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano Reviews on Engine, Gearbox and Performance

Now for the part about our test drive report that is the most awaited of all. Unlike what was being rumoured, the Nano has a surprisingly refined and capable 624cc petrol engine. The engine does not sound like that of an autorickshaw or a genset and is also not too strained when pushed during heavy acceleration.

Of course, the two-cylinder, MPFI engine, with a rated peak power of 35 PS, is tuned and mapped for fuel efficient performance. Its top speed has also been limited at 105 kmph with the help of an engine-rpm sensor and fuel cut-off mechanism. The fuel is cut-off at 5,600 rpm and fuel delivery is restarted once the engine rpm fall below the 5,550 rpm level. More...

Higher Claims and Reinsurance on Nano - Review

Higher loss claims and the possibility of non-proportionate reinsurance being factored into insurance policies taken for the Tata Nano, cannot be ruled out. This may necessitate the five insurance companies insuring the Nano to review the annual premiums that are currently expected to be in the range of 2.5 to 3 per cent of the insured declared value (IDC) of the model when it rolls out from the factory.

First time drivers graduating from two-wheelers, a larger expected commercial usage of the vehicle due to its low-ticket value, may increase the accident frequency. This may raise the possibility of higher loss claims accruing to insurers and consequent higher overhead expenses due to the low price of the Nano. More..

Tata Nano Exterior Reviews

There are few examples of an automobile that is as sharply focused on one issue as is the Nano on frugality - of manufacture, of acquisition and of regular maintenance.

And so, every single part of the car was approached with a fresh intent and without the pre-fixed notion of how it already exists in other cars. The idea was to keep the weight of the car low, so that it can offer high fuel-efficiency, meet emission norms and be capable of being manufactured within the pre-defined cost. These points were also important to ensure that the theme of frugality can be extended to include low cost of ownership. More..

Tata Nano Interiors Review

Much has already been written about the Nano’s vital statistics in terms of interior space compared to its nearest rival – the Maruti 800. But, it still does take you by surprise when you get to sit inside the Nano and personally get a feel of the space that has been leveraged out of a tall, relatively narrow outer shell.

There is considerable headroom and the fact that there is no engine under bonnet in the front helps the Nano offer deep foot wells and so lots of legroom for front passengers. At 1,652mm, the Nano is about 6 cms taller than the Hyundai Santro Xing, the tall-boy of small cars and it is also wider than both the small cars. More..

Test Driving the Tata Nano Review

Before allowing me behind the wheel of a Tata Nano test car at Tata Motors’ engineering research center and high-speed testing center here two hours south of Mumbai, a team of engineers told the story of the car’s gestation.

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, envisioned a safe, affordable and all-weather form of transport for Indian families that couldn’t afford a car. The vehicle Mr. Tata dreamed of would have a starting price of only 100,000 rupees ($2,000). More..

Nano Booking Closed

2019-04-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano booking acceptance closes, Tata Motors is thinking of extending the booking date for neno

Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850; Retail auto loan available at interest rates starting from 9%; Insurance premium starts at Rs.3468 (ex New Delhi)

The booking of the Tata Nano opens tomorrow on April 9th and will continue up to the end of day on April 25, 2009. Tata Motors has entered into agreements with 18 preferred banks/NBFCs to enable prospective customers to get finance and facilitate booking of the car.

The sale of application forms has already started from April 1, to a very encouraging response. The Tata Nano website has recorded over 50 million (5 crore) hits, including over 20 million (2 crore) hits in the fortnight since the launch on March 23, 2009. The forms are available at a price of Rs.300 (for online booking Rs.200). The forms can be bought at over 30,000 locations in about 1,000 cities through Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, State Bank of India and its branches, its subsidiaries and associates, other preferred financiers, and outlets of Westside, Croma, ‘World of Titan’ and Tata Indicom exclusive stores. The forms come with a range of offers from select associate Tata Group companies up to Rs.1100.

Customers can either pay the entire booking amount -- of Rs.95,000 (Tata Nano Std.), Rs.120,000 (Tata Nano CX), and Rs.140,000 (Tata Nano LX) -- themselves or seek financing of the booking amount.

Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850

The company’s partnership with the preferred financing partners has enabled attractive options of financing the booking amount, which start from a low of Rs.2850. The details are as follows:

Preferred banks/NBFCs
Bank Name	Financing of booking amount of Rs.95000 for the Tata Nano Std. version
State Bank of India	Rs. 2,999
Canara Bank	Rs. 2,850
Tata Motor Finance	Rs. 3,199
Corporation Bank	Rs. 2,999
Central Bank of India	Rs. 3,256
Indian bank	Rs. 3,343
State Bank of Tranvancore	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Indore	Rs. 3,516
State Bank of Patiala	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Hyderabad	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Mysore	Rs. 2,999
ICICI Bank Ltd.	Rs. 2,999
Union Bank of India	Rs. 2,950
United Bank of India	Rs. 3,137
Punjab National Bank	Rs. 3,733
UCO Bank	Rs. 2,975
The Federal Bank Ltd.	Rs. 4,110
Corporation Bank	Rs. 2,999

Customers can submit their application forms to their chosen financier. The financier will, on their behalf, submit their application forms to the State Bank of India, which is managing the booking process. Those who are themselves paying the entire booking amount can submit their application forms directly to State Bank of India through 1,350 notified branches in 850 cites, and also at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, Westside and Croma outlets. Option to submit bookings online is available at www.tatanano.com.

Retail auto loan interest rates for the Tata Nano

Post the successful allotment of the bookings, customers can convert their booking loan into a retail auto loan for the Tata Nano at very attractive rates with the preferred financiers:

Retail auto loan interest rates
Preferred banks/NBFCs	Interest rate post Allotment
State Bank of India	11.75%
Canara Bank	9.5-11%
Tata Motor Finance	12 – 13%
Corporation Bank	11-11.5%
Central Bank of India	9.5-11%
Indian bank	11%
State Bank of Tranvancore	11.75-12%
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur	11.75%
State Bank of Indore	11.50%
State Bank of Patiala	11.50 – 12%
State Bank of Hyderabad	11.75%
State Bank of Mysore	11.25-11.75%
ICICI Bank Ltd.	13.00%
Union Bank of India	11-11.25%
United Bank of India	9%
Punjab National Bank	11%
UCO Bank	11 – 11.50%
The Federal Bank Ltd.	14.25%
Corporation Bank	11-11.5%

Insurance premium for the Tata Nano

Tata Motors has also entered into agreements with five partner insurance companies to offer comprehensive insurance, under the ‘Tata Motors Insurance’ banner, for the Tata Nano at a rate of just 2.76% of the ex-showroom price of the car, the most competitive in the industry. In New Delhi, the insurance premiums will be as follows:

	Nano	Nano CX	Nano LX
Ex-showroom price New Delhi (Rs.)	123360	148360	172360
Insurance premium (Rs.)	3468	3959	4431

The empanelled insurance companies are National Insurance Co Ltd, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd, Royal Sundaram Alliance General Insurance Co Ltd, United India Insurance Co Ltd and HDFC Ergo General Insurance.

Deliveries

Within 60 days of the closure of bookings on April 25th , 2009, Tata Motors will process and announce the allotment of 100,000 cars in the first phase of deliveries, through a computerised random selection procedure. These 100,000 allotments will be price protected for the launch prices till delivery of the cars but the booking amounts will not bear any interest for the customers. Deliveries will commence from July 2009.

Applicants have the option to retain their booking deposit, even if they do not get allotment in the first phase. Those who choose this option will be eligible for interest on their deposit, effective from the date of announcement of allotment of the second phase, at a rate of 8.5% for retention period between one year to two year and 8.75% for a retention period of more than 2 years. Allotment of retainees will be simultaneously communicated, along with the allotment of the first 100,000 cars.

Only 48 Hours left to Book Tata Nano..

2019-04-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano booking acceptance opens till end of day April 25, that is only 48 hours more left to book your nano car. Tata Motors is thinking of extending the booking date for neno

Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850; Retail auto loan available at interest rates starting from 9%; Insurance premium starts at Rs.3468 (ex New Delhi)

The booking of the Tata Nano opens tomorrow on April 9th and will continue up to the end of day on April 25, 2009. Tata Motors has entered into agreements with 18 preferred banks/NBFCs to enable prospective customers to get finance and facilitate booking of the car.

The sale of application forms has already started from April 1, to a very encouraging response. The Tata Nano website has recorded over 50 million (5 crore) hits, including over 20 million (2 crore) hits in the fortnight since the launch on March 23, 2009. The forms are available at a price of Rs.300 (for online booking Rs.200). The forms can be bought at over 30,000 locations in about 1,000 cities through Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, State Bank of India and its branches, its subsidiaries and associates, other preferred financiers, and outlets of Westside, Croma, ‘World of Titan’ and Tata Indicom exclusive stores. The forms come with a range of offers from select associate Tata Group companies up to Rs.1100.

Customers can either pay the entire booking amount -- of Rs.95,000 (Tata Nano Std.), Rs.120,000 (Tata Nano CX), and Rs.140,000 (Tata Nano LX) -- themselves or seek financing of the booking amount.

Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850

The company’s partnership with the preferred financing partners has enabled attractive options of financing the booking amount, which start from a low of Rs.2850. The details are as follows:

Preferred banks/NBFCs
Bank Name	Financing of booking amount of Rs.95000 for the Tata Nano Std. version
State Bank of India	Rs. 2,999
Canara Bank	Rs. 2,850
Tata Motor Finance	Rs. 3,199
Corporation Bank	Rs. 2,999
Central Bank of India	Rs. 3,256
Indian bank	Rs. 3,343
State Bank of Tranvancore	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Indore	Rs. 3,516
State Bank of Patiala	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Hyderabad	Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Mysore	Rs. 2,999
ICICI Bank Ltd.	Rs. 2,999
Union Bank of India	Rs. 2,950
United Bank of India	Rs. 3,137
Punjab National Bank	Rs. 3,733
UCO Bank	Rs. 2,975
The Federal Bank Ltd.	Rs. 4,110
Corporation Bank	Rs. 2,999

Retail auto loan interest rates
Preferred banks/NBFCs	Interest rate post Allotment
State Bank of India	11.75%
Canara Bank	9.5-11%
Tata Motor Finance	12 – 13%
Corporation Bank	11-11.5%
Central Bank of India	9.5-11%
Indian bank	11%
State Bank of Tranvancore	11.75-12%
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur	11.75%
State Bank of Indore	11.50%
State Bank of Patiala	11.50 – 12%
State Bank of Hyderabad	11.75%
State Bank of Mysore	11.25-11.75%
ICICI Bank Ltd.	13.00%
Union Bank of India	11-11.25%
United Bank of India	9%
Punjab National Bank	11%
UCO Bank	11 – 11.50%
The Federal Bank Ltd.	14.25%
Corporation Bank	11-11.5%

	Nano	Nano CX	Nano LX
Ex-showroom price New Delhi (Rs.)	123360	148360	172360
Insurance premium (Rs.)	3468	3959	4431

Tata Nano Bookings to Open Today

2019-04-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Book Nano @ your Own city... Form More details Click Here

Click on Each for More INFORMATION

Online Booking
Offline Booking
Filling of Application form
Submission of Application form
Payment
Preferred Financiers
Allotment of Car's
Retention
Refund of Amount
Deliveries of Nano
Booking Cancellation for Nano
Refund on Cancellation
Terms and Conditions

Bookings of Tata Nano will start on the 9th of April 2009

2019-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Timelines for bookings are presented above.
The Booking form distribution & Bookings will start on the 9th of April 2009 and will continue till 25th April 2009, both days inclusive.
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.(Links will be live Soon)

Book Nano @ your Own city... Form More details Click Here

Click on Each for More INFORMATION

Online Booking
Offline Booking
Filling of Application form
Submission of Application form
Payment
Preferred Financiers
Allotment of Car's
Retention
Refund of Amount
Deliveries of Nano
Booking Cancellation for Nano
Refund on Cancellation
Terms and Conditions

Tata Nano ranks last in customer satisfaction among small cars

2011-02-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Tata Motor''s Nano has been ranked last among entry level small cars in terms of customer satisfaction, according to market research firm TNS.

In the ''2010 four-wheeler Total Customer Satisfaction (TCS)'' study by TNS Automotive, Maruti Suzuki India''s (MSI) best selling model Alto topped the entry level small car category. Omni and the once bread-and-butter model M800 followed the list.

"The customer expectations even at the bottom end are rising. The owners of Tata Nano expect more in terms of design and Maruti 800 owners expect better servicing as the years go by," the survey said.

While Alto scored 91 points, Nano got only 70 points thus being placed last, it added.

Nano has been having issues following fire incidents with six reported cases since its launch in 2009. Tata Motors had offered to provide additional safety measures free of cost as a precautionary measure, although it claimed that the Nano is absolutely safe.

In the higher priced cars segment, the survey reflected the Indian consumers respect for value even if the price is higher.

The study pointed out that car owners in Northern India are relatively less satisfied compared to those in other parts of the country, primarily because of after sales services as the age of the car grows.

"At the national level, the customers in the relatively larger cities are more satisfied than those in the smaller cities.

"This may be a reflection of the growing expectations in the smaller cities. The manufacturers will do well to understand those," TNS said.

Apart from the entry level compact car segment, MSI''s Zen Estilo and A-Star jointly topped the premium compact car category in customer satisfaction.

While Volkswagen''s (VW) Polo and MSI''s Swift together became the number one in the upper premium strata, MSI''s Swift DZiRE was ranked as the numero uno in the entry-level mid-sized sedan segment.

Other models that topped in different segments are Toyota Corolla Altis in premium mid-sized sedan, VW Passat in entry-level luxury sedan, Toyota Innova and Mahindra Scorpio jointly in sports utility vehicle and multi utility vehicle and Honda CR-V in premium SUV categories.

"In a year of high growth and long queues at the automotive dealerships, auto manufacturers maintained their poise and managed their processes to keep their customers satisfied," TNS Automotive Executive Director Pradeep Saxena said.

Tata Motors Denies Nano Recall

2010-11-12T02:52:00.000-08:00

Tata Nano never ceased to hit headlines ever since Ratan Tata conceived the idea of making a one lakh car. Wednesday’s media reports that Tata is recalling the Nanos in the wake of some of them turning into fireballs raised many eyebrows.

However, Tata has denied any such recalls saying “the Tata Nano is a safe car with a robust design, state-of-the-art components and is built with uncompromising attention to quality in all aspects. This has been re-established through a second analysis, conducted during the months of September and October 2010. “
The company has reassured the customers that there are no generic defects in the Tata Nano.

Anyways, Tata is not taking the incidents of Nanos catching fire lightly. They have decided to make the car even more reliable by providing additional protection in the exhaust system and the electrical system.
As of October 2010, Tata has delivered over 70,000 Tata Nano cars and about 85% customers are said to be satisfied with the car.

No Advance Booking for Nano - Buy Nano of-the-shelf soon

2010-06-11T02:57:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano will be available off-the-shelf by August-September, negating the need to book it in advance, a senior company officer said here on Wednesday.

"From this August or September, customers will be able to walk into our showroom and drive out in a Nano," Manoj Arora, Senior Manager, Tata Motors, told reporters.

Arora said that setting up a manufacturing facility at Sanand (Gujarat) will help the company deliver cars faster.

Tata Motors has been producing limited units of the Nano at its Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand.

The company had taken bookings for only 1.55 lakh units through a lottery after the Nano was launched on March 23, 2009. Out of the total, only one lakh units were price-protected and the company was scheduled to deliver them by this year-end.

At present, there are 35,000 Nanos plying on Indian roads. "The Sananad facility can manufacture 2.5 lakh units per annum," he said.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Tata Nano's 'Superdrive' event, which will have cars traveling through the length and breadth of the country, Arora said that the company has nearly fulfilled the commitment made during the first lot of bookings.

Arora said that the car is doing well in the market because customers are satisfied by it.

Speaking on the Superdrive event, he said that the Nanos were flagged off from the Tata Motor Plant at Sanand on June 2.

"Nine Tata Nanos will cover three different routes during a 26-day-long voyage, and will visit 36 cities -- covering a distance of over 15,000 kilometres," he said.

source Yahoo news

Bajaj car to take on roads in 2012

2009-11-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

Bajaj Auto and French automaker Renault on Tuesday (November 10), announced their plans to launch an ultra-low cost car in India in 2012. The car is expected to take on the Tata Nano.

INDIAN TWO-WHEELER major Bajaj Auto and French automaker Renault on Tuesday (November 10), announced their plans to launch an ultra-low cost car in India in 2012. The car is expected to take on the Tata Nano, the cheapest car being produced and marketed by Tata Motors in the country.

Renault chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn said that the design, engineering, sourcing and manufacturing of the car will handled by Bajaj, while marketing and sales will be done by Renault-Nissan alliance.

Speaking at the India Economic Summit, Ghosn said that the brand under which the car will be sold will be decided later on. The tie-up between Bajaj and Renault to produce a low cost car was annunced in 2008. The alliance is planning to sell the car at about Rs 1 lakh.

The project was, however, delayed after differences emerged over issues like price, brand and styling of the car. Both the companies are now confident that the work on the project will start soon and the car would burn the rubber on Indian roads in 2012.

Learning from Tata's Nano for Western executives

2009-10-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

The breakthrough innovations of the $2,500 Nano car carry a lot of important lessons for Western executives

The announcement last month by Tata Motors of its newest car, the Nano, was revealing on many levels. The announcement generated extensive coverage and commentary, but just about everyone missed the Nano's real significance, which goes far beyond the car itself.

But, O.K., let's start with the car itself-particularly the price. At about $2,500 retail, the Nano is the most inexpensive car in the world. Its closest competitor, the Maruti 800, made in India by Maruti Udyog, sells for roughly twice as much. To put this in perspective, the price of the entire Nano car is roughly equivalent to the price of a DVD player option in a luxury Western car. The low price point has left other auto companies scrambling to catch up.

Thinking Outside the Patent Box

How could Tata Motors make a car so inexpensively? It started by looking at everything from scratch, applying what some analysts have described as "Ghandian engineering" principles-deep frugality with a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. A lot of features that Western consumers take for granted-air conditioning, power brakes, radios, etc.-are missing from the entry-level model.

More fundamentally, the engineers worked to do more with less. The car is smaller in overall dimensions than the Maruti, but it offers about 20% more seating capacity as a result of design choices such as putting the wheels at the extreme edges of the car. The Nano is also much lighter than comparable models as a result of efforts to reduce the amount of steel in the car (including the use of an aluminum engine) and the use of lightweight steel where possible. The car currently meets all Indian emission, pollution, and safety standards, though it only attains a maximum speed of about 65 mph. The fuel efficiency is attractive-50 miles to the gallon.

Hearing all this, many Western executives doubt that this new car represents real innovation. Too often, when they think of innovation, they focus on product innovation using breakthrough technologies; often, specifically, on patents. Tata Motors has filed for 34 patents associated with the design of the Nano, which contrasts with the roughly 280 patents awarded to General Motors (GM) every year. Admittedly that figure tallies all of GM's research efforts, but if innovation is measured only in terms of patents, no wonder the Nano is not of much interest to Western executives. Measuring progress solely by patent creation misses a key dimension of innovation: Some of the most valuable innovations take existing, patented components and remix them in ways that more effectively serve the needs of large numbers of customers.

A Modular Design Revolution

But even this broader perspective fails to capture other significant dimensions of innovation. In fact, Tata Motors itself did not draw a lot of attention to what is perhaps the most innovative aspect of the Nano: its modular design. The Nano is constructed of components that can be built and shipped separately to be assembled in a variety of locations. In effect, the Nano is being sold in kits that are distributed, assembled, and serviced by local entrepreneurs.

As Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group of companies, observed in an interview with The Times of London: "A bunch of entrepreneurs could establish an assembly operation and Tata Motors would train their people, would oversee their quality assurance and they would become satellite assembly operations for us. So we would create entrepreneurs across the country that would produce the car. We would produce the mass items and ship it to them as kits. That is my idea of dispersing wealth. The service person would be like an insurance agent who would be trained, have a cell phone and scooter and would be assigned to a set of customers."

In fact, Tata envisions going even further, providing the tools for local mechanics to assemble the car in existing auto shops or even in new garages created to cater to remote rural customers. With the exception of Manjeet Kripalani, BusinessWeek's India bureau chief, few have focused on this breakthrough element of the Nano innovation (BusinessWeek.com, 1/10/08).

This is part of a broader pattern of innovation emerging in India in a variety of markets, ranging from diesel engines and agricultural products to financial services. While most of the companies pursuing this type of innovation are Indian, the U.S. engineering firm, Cummins (CMI) demonstrates that Western companies can also harness this approach and apply it effectively. In 2000 Cummins designed innovative "gensets" (generation sets) to enter the lower end of the power generator market in India. These modular sets were explicitly designed to lower distribution costs and make it easy for distributors and customers to tailor the product for highly variable customer environments. Using this approach, Cummins captured a leading position in the Indian market and now actively exports these new products to Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

"Open Distribution" Innovation

We have called this "open distribution" innovation because it mobilizes large numbers of third parties to reach remote rural consumers, tailor the products and services to more effectively serve their needs, and add value to the core product or service through ancillary services. Three innovations in products and processes come together to support "open distribution:"

o increased modularity (both in products and processes)

o aggressive leveraging of existing third-party, often noncommercial, institutions in rural areas to more effectively reach target customers

o creative use of information technology, carefully integrated with social institutions, to encourage use and deliver even greater value.

Modular designs combined with creative leverage of local third-party institutions help participants to get better faster. Companies such as Tata and Cummins are going far beyond "customer co-creation" in the narrow sense of soliciting isolated ideas from customers. Instead, they are building long-term personal relationships with customers, enriched by the specialized capabilities of broad networks of third parties that generate much deeper insight into customer needs and afford opportunities to tailor value.

Such innovations are quite different from those in the retail distribution systems pioneered by companies such as Dell (DELL) and the leading big-box retailers. These U.S. companies developed completely self-contained and highly standardized facilities and services for customers. But the open-architecture approach pioneered by Indian companies may offer much greater opportunity to deliver more tailored value to customers than the closed-architecture U.S. approach. The techniques initially developed to reach poor and rural customers may have even greater potential when used to reach highly demanding, affluent, urban customers in Western economies.

Welcoming Users Back into the Design Loop

The Tata Motors/Nano approach contrasts with the strategy of most other manufacturers. For more established automakers each new model represents an advance in tight integration, with more and more of the functionality deeply embedded in electronics that truly represent a "black box" to the customer. The days of customizing cars to personalize them and push their performance limits are rapidly receding into distant memory for the average customer. Yet, as Kathleen Franz, makes clear in her wonderful book, Tinkering: Consumers Reinvent the Early Automobile, it was the open design of early automobile models that blurred the lines between consumption and invention and led to a wave of innovations that were later embraced by the auto industry.

What are the broader lessons that Western executives should learn from this innovation story?

Emerging markets are a fertile ground for innovation. The challenge of reaching dispersed, low-income consumers in emerging markets often spurs significant innovation. Western executives should be careful about compartmentalizing the impact of these innovations on the edge of the global economy. As we suggested in Innovation Blowback, these innovations will become the basis for "attacker" strategies that can be used to challenge incumbents in more developed economies. What's initially on the edge soon comes to the core.

o Find ways to help customers and others on the edge to tinker with your products. Modular and open product designs help engage large numbers of motivated users in tailoring and pushing the performance boundaries of your products, leading to significant insight into unmet customer needs and creative approaches to addressing those needs.

o Pay attention to institutional innovation. Western executives often become too narrowly focused on product or process innovation. Far higher returns may come from investing in institutional innovation-redefining the roles and relationships that bring together independent entities to deliver more value to the market. Tata is innovating in all three dimensions simultaneously.

o Rethink distribution models. In our relentless quest for operating efficiency, we have gone for more standardization and fewer business partners in our efforts to reach customers. As customers gain more power, they will demand more tailoring and value-added service to meet their needs. Companies that innovate on this dimension are likely to be richly rewarded.

John Hagel and John Seely Brown are co-chairman and independent co-chairman, respectively, of the Center for Edge Innovation, a part of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. John Hagel writes a blog at Edge Perspectives .

Nano fetches premium in used-car market

2009-09-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Second hand demand entirely for the top-end LX variant Barely two months after the Tata group chief Ratan Tata handed over the keys of the Nano to its first buyer, the world’s cheapest car has already made its way to the used-car market and is selling at a Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 premium, 18 to 20 per cent more than the booking price.

Used car dealers say limited allotments and long waiting periods are the chief reasons for these premium second-hand prices. In addition, customers whose names featured in the first allotment list of 100,000 cars are reportedly also selling their allotments, though at lower premiums.

The premiums for December deliveries, for instance, range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 (the allotments, however, would be made to the original buyer).

"The buyers are those who either missed out on the first allotment draw or did not bother to book it then. They are people who are quite affluent and own four or five cars, so they wouldn't mind paying that extra buck," said Arif Fazulbhoy, director, Fazulbhoy Motors.

All the eight to 10 Nano models sold from Fazulbhoy's outlet in Mumbai were re-sold even before they were brought to the showroom.

Those who are selling are either in need of cash or choose not to wait for the extended period for the delivery of the car, which ranges from three months to over a year, according to information provided by the company to its buyers.

Demand has also been fuelled by the fact that Tata Motors has not yet disclosed when bookings for the Nano will reopen.

The company had initially stated that bookings would reopen only after the first batch of Nanos was delivered. Although the company had suggested that first-batch deliveries would be complete by the last quarter of 2010, some allottees say their delivery date is scheduled for the first quarter of 2011.

All the second-hand models were from the top-end LX variant, priced at Rs 1,85,375 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The on-road price of the variant is a little more than Rs 2 lakh.

"Buyers of second-hand Nanos are those who have developed a kind of fetish for the car. It’s more the snob value attached to the car than the practical use of it. These buyers are from Mumbai, the National Capital Region and Gujarat, with a strong demand for the yellow, high-end variant," added another used car dealer from the city.

According to a Tata Motors disclosure, among the three variants of the car, 50 per cent of the 203,000 bookings were for the LX variant, 30 per cent for the CX variant and only 20 per cent for the standard variant.

Tata Nano Plant – From Singur to Sanand and now to Dharwad

2009-09-08T00:35:00.000-07:00

Will luck smile on the state of Karnataka? Tata Motors is completely tight-lipped like always about the whole issue. Karnataka state government had initially offered 1000 acres of land to Tata Motors when it was planning to shift from Singur amidst rising controversies from the Bengal farmers. Initially the state government was ready to allocate 600 acres of land immediately and rest 400 acres over a period of three months. The negotiations were not fruitful then but now Tata Motors seems to be seriously contemplating its options to set a firm foot in the State with a second Nano plant in Dharwad.

The Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Mr V. Umesh, said Tata Motors’ officials had visited two sites near Dharwad which could be offered for the project. Murgesh Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Industries met Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Motors, “to take forward the negotiations on relocating the Nano project to Dharwad,” he said.

Last week, a Tata Motors team led by its Managing Director, Mr Ravi Kant, met the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, and discussed the possibility of locating the Nano plant in the State. The state government has assured all the help needed by the company for setting up its plant.

Submitted by Satish Kalepu

Second slot of Nano, Tata Motors now in the race in Karnataka

2009-09-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

Amidst the commotion in installing the manufacturing unit in Gujarat for Rs1 lakh car , Tata Motors is now journeying towards Karnataka(Dharwad) for the same race. If fortune smiles the Karnataka state Tata Motors will start the second plant in its South India base, with an assurance given to the state government in this regard. The reciprocity from the state government has been positive including land, tax concessions in the lines of Gujarat government.

The initial offering of the Karnataka government was in the form of 1000 acres of land in a split of 600 acres in just 24 hours and the remaining in the time span of three months. But the venture could not fruitify but the time has now come for further negotiations and this time Tata is firm on its foot at Dharwad. In the current move, according to the government’s Minister, 2500 acres of land has been acquired adjacent to the proposed Nano plant from which 1000 acres will be benchmarked for Tata. The choice of Dharwad is for the reason that it is closer to Pune to indicate the wide presence of Tata. Further talks are on between the Chairman of Tata, Ratan Tata and the government officials. The present unit in Pantnagar is designing Nano and the full-fledged Nano plant will start its operation from Sanand in Gujarat from 2010.

The Dharwad plant is currently in the operation for Telcon ranges including a bus project with Brazil ‘s Marcopolo. Tata has got possession of 600 acres with the employees ranging upto 3500 in its two plants and the bus plant has yielded Rs500 crore investment by which the commercial production commenced this January. Karnataka government has in good spirits to promote Korea’s Hyundai and, Mahindra&Mahindra too for erecting their units in this state. Earlier, Toyota got the grace from the Karnataka government for Rs800 crore at Bidadi. In all the Karnataka government is in celebrity mood to meet the automobile industry prior to the global investor’s meet slated for January 2010.

Tata Motors delivers 2,501 Nanos in August

2009-09-04T00:59:00.000-07:00

The country's largest auto maker Tata Motors delivered 2,501 units of small car Nano - billed as the world's cheapest four wheeler --
during the first full month of its sale in August.

The company, which rolled out the car on July 17 has registered a cumulative delivery of 4,976 units during the first month and half, Tata Motors said in a statement.

It had delivered 2,457 units of the car during the first 15 days of July.

The vehicle carries an ex-factory price of Rs one lakh for the base variant and costs anything up to Rs 1,75,000 depending on the model.

Last month, the company's total sales jumped 14.24 per cent to 49,810. Its passenger vehicles sales in the domestic market grew by 11.33 per cent at 17,364.

Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had said in the company's Annual Report in July it would deliver up to 60,000 Nanos within the next year.

After originally planning to roll out the 'small wonder' from Singur, Tata Motors had to shift the project to Gujarat on account of violent protests by farmers last year.

Nano facility in Gujarat to be ready by January: Tata

2009-08-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors Tuesday said its plant in Gujarat which will manufacture the Nano, considered as the world's cheapest car, will be completed by January next year.

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata addresses shareholders at the company's 64th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday. the head of India's leading vehicle maker said the country was seeing its initial signs of recovery in the auto sector but there were tough challenges on the road ahead. Tata Motors consolidated earnings for the year 2008-09 showed a net loss of Rs25 billion ($520 million) compared to a net profit of Rs21.7 billion in 2007-08.

"The Sanand plant will be ready by January next year. At first stage, the plant will produce more yellow and silver coloured cars as they are in demand in the market," Chairman Ratan Tata said at the company's Annual General Meeting here.

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata, discusses with Vice Chairman Ravi Kant, and CFO C. Ramakrishna, before addressing shareholders at the company's 64th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

He said the Sanand plant would supplement the production of the Rs 1-lakh car that is now coming out of the company's facility at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand.

Last year, Tata Motors pulled out of the proposed Nano site at Singur, West Bengal, following agitation and relocated the plant to Sanand, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata addresses shareholders at the company's 64th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The shifting of the plant cost the company Rs 100 crore, Tata said, adding, the net loss on account of the relocation had not been assessed yet.

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata makes notes before addressing shareholders at the company's 64th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The car, touted as the cheapest in the world, would initially cater to the Indian market but the company plans to export the vehicle to Europe, Africa and Asia, he said.

'Cost down' Alto to replace 800, dare Nano

2009-08-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: There has been continuous speculation about Maruti Suzuki India's gameplan from April next year, when the M800 is phased out from the top 11 Indian cities. Since M800 and has traditionally formed the backbone of Maruti's entry level strategy, what will the company do to maintain its vice like grip on this segment? Already, the launch of Tata Nano is expected to start eating into Maruti's entry-level dreams.

Sources tell us that Maruti has devised a clever, two pronged strategy to meet this challenge: launch a new, upgraded Alto at a price premium, and simultaneously develop a 'cost down' version of the existing Alto to bring it close to the price levels of the M800.

The upgraded Alto, which is already under development and should be launched in the first quarter of next fiscal, will come with the advanced K-series engine and significant design and styling changes as well. It may be priced close to the Rs 3 lakh bracket but this could not be confirmed. Vendor sources say the company does not expect major volumes from this variant -- only 60,000-70,000 units a year.

But the 'cost down' version of the Alto is expected to generate sizeable volumes for Maruti. The company has already been working with vendors on the 'one gram, one component' principle to reduce the weight of each component used in making a car by a gram. This, coupled with other cost saving techniques, could well bring down the price of this 'cost down' Alto rather close to the base version of the M800 or could even within striking distance of the Nano!

So, six months down the line, a first time car buyer can choose between the existing Alto -- which will be priced at the bottom of the pyramid -- and the new, upgraded one.

The Alto has been one of Maruti's most successful models, averaging 19,000-20,000 unit sales a month. But sales of the erstwhile bread and butter model, the M800, have been declining continuously though top officials at Maruti insist that the model may see an upgrade to BS IV norms even now.

One thing is for sure though. The first indigenous car, which was launched in the early eighties, would not be selling in Mumbai, Delhi and nine other top cities of the country from April 2010 unless an upgrade is done to make it BS IV compliant.

Gearing up
Maruti developing new Alto with K-Series engine and significant styling changes
This new Alto will come at a price premium, could be in Rs 3 lakh bracket

The existing Alto may be replaced with a 'cost down' version

This model will be made BS-IV compliant and could be close to the existing M800 base variant or even lower, competing directly with the Nano

Fiat could help Tata in Nano launch in Latin America

2009-08-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

Tata Nano deliveries have started in the Indian market. It’s good to see the car finally on roads driven by common people.

Tata has been considering launching this car in the international markets as well. Latin America is one of the important markets where Nano could generate good sales.

Tata could launch the Nano model in this market with the help from Fiat which is a major player in Latin America.

Fiat and Tata are already collaborators in India. Fiat provides engines to Tata while Tata provides service stations and showrooms to Fiat.

Auto sector: Ready to roll

2009-08-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Robust volumes in July point to a recovery in the auto sector.

Easier credit availability and softening interest rates helped auto makers continue their trend of positive growth in the current fiscal. Vehicles sales started showing positive growth in February this year and have been hovering at around 8 per cent plus growth rates in the current fiscal. Auto companies which had been struggling with depressed demand in the second half of 2008-09, reported double-digit growth rates for July, 2009 with leaders-Maruti Suzuki and Hero Honda-experiencing a 30 per cent y-o-y growth. We highlight the performance of the key listed players in the major auto segments.

Two-wheelers
The two-wheeler segment has been the least impacted among all the auto categories registering a 15 per cent y-o-y growth in July and an 11 per cent growth in year-to-date sales. While Hero Honda continues its strong run due to a robust showing from the rural segment which contributes to about half of its sales, Bajaj Auto’s declining sales seems to have bottomed out. TVS Motors also saw higher growth rates on sequential, yearly and year-to-date numbers.

The battle in the motorcycle space which is the largest in two wheeler category is likely to shift to the executive segment (100 cc+ upto 125 cc) with Bajaj launching 100cc Discover DTS-Si bike in July. While Hero Honda’s dominance is unlikely to be challenged in the rural sector anytime soon, Discover is aimed at grabbing customers away from Hero Honda’s top-selling executive segment models – Splendour and Passion. Both companies are also looking at tapping the low-cost bike market with prices expected to hover at about Rs 20,000. Going ahead, expect Hero Honda and TVS to post double digit growth and Bajaj Auto to improve its position from flat sales growth. The key concern, especially for Hero Honda, will be a deficient monsoon which is likely to drag down sales from the rural segment.

Cars, UVs and tractors
Passenger car sales which had jumped 18 per cent in June are expected to post 20 per cent y-o-y growth rates for July. Small-car king Maruti Suzuki and utility vehicle leader Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) have reported strong volumes. Maruti Suzuki recorded a 27 per cent increase in the domestic market aided by strong sales from the A2 (A-Star, Swift, Ritz) and A3 segments. Combined with exports of A-Star, total sales volume jumped 33 per cent y-o-y. For M&M, a good showing of recently launched Xylo helped it record a sharp 56 per cent y-o-y jump in utility vehicle sales. The company’s tractor sales also recorded an impressive 72 per cent y-o-y growth due to a low base and strong demand. Tata Motors managed a 21 per cent y-o-y growth in the passenger car segment thanks to the 2,500 units sold on account of Nano and 2,690 units from its Fiat JV. Going ahead, while Maruti will be looking at exports to boost its sales, Tata Motors will be eyeing the 1.55 lakh bookings for the Nano to ramp up its numbers.

Commercial vehicles
The CV segment, which has been the worst-hit among the auto segments due to the economic slowdown and lack of credit availability, has been on a downward trajectory since August 2008. But, going by the numbers over the last four months it looks like the sector has seen off the dip experienced in December where total CV sales stood at 20,000. July numbers are expected to be double this figure. Tata Motors, the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the country, saw a 6 per cent growth y-o-y in M&HCV sales to about 10,000 units. This is the first time in over a year that the manufacturer has seen a positive growth. The LCV show for this company was even more impressive as it registered a 44.5 per cent growth due to a strong demand for goods carrier Ace and passenger vehicles, Winger and Magic. The other major player Ashok Leyland, continues to face problems with July sales down 34 per cent over the previous period. Since October 2008, the company has been registering a 50 per cent fall in sales volumes till June 2009. While a major turnaround for both these players will depend on the pickup in economic activity, higher bus sales due to JNNURM projects should boost sales going ahead.

Conclusion
With private sector banks coming back to the auto loan segment and demand picking up the future looks good for the auto sector. Further cost cutting measures, excise breaks and a dip in commodity prices have helped companies improve their margins. All companies reported a smart rise in margins, barring Ashok Leyland which saw its margins fall to just 1.2 per cent in June quarter. Overall, strong volume growth (except M&HCV) across categories and improvement in margins enabled the sector to report a 23-24 per cent y-o-y rise in adjusted net profits for the quarter. Going ahead, analysts expect nearly all companies to report positive growth in revenues, operating profits and net profits for 2009-10, except for Tata Motors, which is expected to report a lower (though lower y-o-y) due to Jaguar and Land Rover operations.

Companies have not completely passed on the excise duty benefits and are likely to use the surplus to aggressively promote new launches. Though there are signs of a turnaround as the sector has been exhibiting consistent numbers, stocks of auto majors (see chart price performance) despite the recent correction, are up significantly. The biggest gainers over the last one month have been Tata Motors (48 per cent) and Maruti Suzuki (20 per cent). Analysts believe that the stocks are trading at close to their 52-week highs and future prospects on account of higher sales are already priced in.

IGNIS New launch from Tata Motora Coming Soon

2009-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors, part of globally acclaimed Tata group and also known for bringing innovations at times (certainly for the recent Tata Nano imbroglio), is on the verge of rolling out a brand new variant of its most popular car Tata Indica Vista. It has been learnt that the new version will be named as IGNIS and will become the fourth variant of Tata Indica Vista, as a result.

Tata Motors Limited happens to be a multinational corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India.
It is the largest company in the automobile and commercial vehicle sector of India, and a midsized player on the world market with 0.81% market share in 2007 in accordance with OICA data as well.

As per the OICA ranking (based on figures for 2007), it was the 19th largest automaker in the global arena. Apart from this, Tata Motors is the world’s fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the world’s second largest bus manufacturer.

It is to be noted that the company has three variants in its grip already; Aqua, Terra and the Aura. As per the latest info, IGNIS will have 1.4L Saffire engine that powers Fiat Grand Punto at this time. This new engine will certainly be a pleasing transition as the current 1.2L Saffire unit is often considered insufficient for the size of the car.

What are the other exciting features? It has been found that IGNIS version will have re-furbished interiors with a new dash integrated audio system with call answer and reject buttons, bluetooth connectivity and USB connectivity. It also features a new steering wheel with steering mounted audio controls and electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors. Keyless entry is also standard.

Apart from all these, the new variant will contain dual front airbags, ABS and EBD as added safety features; there has been a great dearth of these in the Indica Vista range of models.

What will be the price? It will be priced at Rs. 4.5- 5 lakh.

EMI spurs Nano cancellations

2009-08-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

V R Sundaram was thrilled to bits when Tata Motors allotted him the Nano in June. He had booked the car through the Pollachi branch of State Bank of India in Tamil Nadu.

But the 58-year-old businessman's elation was shortlived because he was soon told the car would be delivered only by March 2011.

To boot, monthly instalments for the loan would start in July.

That's because EMIs on the booking amount (between Rs 95,000 and Rs 140,000, depending on the model, and the interest paid thereon @10%-10.5%) start a month after allotment.

Tata Motors completed the allotment process for Nano in June.

In all 100,000 people received allotments and 55,000 were named 'retainees' whose booking amounts Tata Motors retained, promising to pay them interest @8.75%.

Sundaram promptly cancelled his booking. "Why should I pay interest now when I am getting the car only in 2011?" he asked.

Sundaram is one of the many who have been deterred by the huge gap between when the instalments start and when the car is actually delivered.

Banks say they are seeing increasing requests for cancellation of allotments. At some banks, close to half the allottees have cancelled.

Central Bank of India, for example, received around 9,200 applications for the Nano, of which 7,200 got allotments. However, 4,700 of these are to get the car only in 2011, and a majority of them have opted out, an official with the bank said.

"We have already received applications for 3,000 cancellations... the last date for
cancellation is August 20," said the official.

P Nandkumaran, chief general manager, auto loans, at State Bank of India, said the group's banks had warned Tata Motors about the possibility of cancellations.

"This was bound to happen. People would not be comfortable getting possession of the car later while having to pay the instalments much earlier," he said.

He did not give an estimate of the cancellations as it was difficult for the public sector
behemoth to collate the data from its 12,000 branches across the country.

A Tata Motors spokesperson confirmed that the company is aware of the cancellations.
"Our first priority is to deliver the car to the one lakh allottees and then move on to the 55,000 retainees. Meanwhile, as people cancel, the queue moves up and the retainees will get their cars earlier than planned. Starting from July we have dispatched 2,475 cars and plan to complete delivery of the one lakh allotments by the last quarter of 2010."

The story at Chennai-based Indian Bank is no different. It sold 3,200 forms of which 434 got allotments. Of these, 210 have been cancelled, said A K Dhar, general manager, retail loans.

"Since cancellations were coming in batches, we had to designate July 23 as the last date for it," Dhar said.

More "than 60-65% of the 5,000 people" who applied for the car through Union Bank of India have either not got allotment or chosen not to take it.

"About 2,400 got allotments from our bank but we are still processing the data for cancellations," a bank official said.

Bangalore-based Canara Bank got 1,818 applications for the car, of which 530 were rejected.

M Dohare, chief manager, marketing and new initiatives at Kolkata-based United Bank of India said 2,366 applicants out of 3,270 have been allotted the car. Of these 1500 deliveries will happen before 2010 and the rest in 2011.

"The majority of the cancellations are from those getting allotment in 2010-2011. But there are others also from the lucky 100,000 who are withdrawing. We cannot give an exact figure as our last date for cancellations is August 20," Dohare said.

Not just banks, dealers are also facing cancellations because of the long waiting period.
Sudeep Chakravarty, manager (Nano) at Sanya Motors, Aurangabad, agreed high interest payments have forced many to give up.

"If people go for the finance option, they have to pay interest which amounts to an average of around Rs 25,000 a year till they get delivery. After delivery, they have to pay EMIs and the actual rate of interest, which is another Rs 25,000. People are not willing to spend Rs 50,000 for this," Chakravarty said.

That apart, those who booked through ICICI Bank, the only private financer for the car, have faced another problem.

"The bank has placed a rider that it will finance only people who have Rs 5 lakh established annual income. This has led to many cancellations from ICICI," Chakravarty said.

Online's no different.
Tufail Khan, vice-president marketing at Carwale.com,said his company sold 10,000 forms and of these, 2,000 got allotment. "We haven't yet spoken to all the allottees, but our survey says around 20% will cancel as their allotment date is sometime around December 2010 and they do not want to wait that long."

The Nano is currently being produced at the Pantnagar facility of Tc which has an annual capacity of 50,000 units, and once the Sanand plant in Gujarat goes on stream by the first quarter of 2010, the company will manufacture 350,000 units a year.

TATA’s Nano to hit Orissa roads Today

2009-08-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

The world's cheapest car Nano from TATA Motors would be handed over to the first customer in the Orissa on Monday. Customers will get the car delivered in five selected outlets across the State this week. Swapna Motors and Bharat Motors in Bhubaneswar, Bharat Motors in Balasore, Way Automotives in Jeypore, Indira Motors in Rourkela and Maa Samaleswari Automobiles in Sambalpur have been authorised to distribute the cars. This has been revealed by Tata Motors Process Action Group associate (Orissa) Uday Narayan Biswal.

Meanwhile, the customers have to pay Rs 1, 40,000 for the cheapest version of the Nano, while the Nano CX would cost Rs 1, 84,000 and a customer would have to shed Rs 2, 20,000 for the LXR version which have facilities of power steering, central locking and power window version of the small car segment.

The cars will come in a variety of colours like racing red, ivory white, summer blue, campaign gold, lunar silver and sunshine yellow.

Lucky 7 gets Nano Vroom.... People’s car

2009-08-05T04:01:00.001-07:00

Rajendra Singh, who has a workshop for repairing vehicles at Ratu Road, today became the first proud owner of the Nano in the capital.

Singh was handed over the keys of his new vehicle — a lunar silver Tata Nano LX — by Rama Automobiles, an authorised dealer of Tata Motors. “Nano was the dream of Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. This is what inspired me to go for it,” said an elated Singh after getting keys.

As he rolled out his dream car from the showroom and headed straight for a gurdwara on Ratu Road, Singh said he would take his family for a ride in the evening. The Nano LX, priced at Rs 1,89,464 on road, is the fourth car that will grace Singh’s garage.

Apart from Singh, six other customers got the people’s car. Two of them — Anshu Mishra and Neerja Singh — received the keys from Rama Automobiles.

“We have booked well over 400 vehicles, out of which 350 would be delivered by end of December 2010,” said Sandeep Ganguli, the general manager of Rama Automobiles.

At Basudev Automobiles, another Tata Motors dealer, four persons became proud owners of Nano cars. The first among them was Budhan Lohar, a resident of Nayatoli. For Lohar, this is the first four-wheeler that he now owns. He went for the Nano LX, the top model. “I decided to buy a Nano as it suited my budget,” said Lohar.

Over 500 people had booked the Nano at Basudev Automobiles. Deepak Dev, its general manager, said that they would ensure quick delivery of the vehicles.

“I was eagerly waiting for my new car. Tomorrow, I will take my family members on a long drive,” Sukhdeo Bhagat, another Nano owner.

Tata wants to deliver 60,000 Nano cars to customers by July 2010

2009-08-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors has confirmed bookings for more than 1 lakh Tata Nano cars. The company has started delivering the models to the lucky winners.

However, they are not yet manufacturing this small car model in mass numbers as the plant dedicated to it is not functional yet.

The company is however aiming to deliver up to 60,000 units of the Nano model by July next year.
Tata said that they are aiming to complete the delivery of all the confirmed bookings by the end of 2010.

Tata said: “In the meantime, the Nano is being produced in other plant facilities so as to enable around 50,000-60,000 cars to be available to customers over the next 12 months until the main new facility in Gujarat comes on line.”

Tata Nano is currently being manufactured at their plant in Pantnagar.

Tata Nano cars spotted doing test rounds in Brazil

2009-07-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Several Tata Nano cars have been spotted doing test rounds around Fiat’s largest car production plant at Betim, Brazil. According to Marlos Vidal in Brazil, a prototype of Nano is taking test drives. However, he did not confirm the specifications of the car doing test rounds. He commented “… this model can be small or Indian.” The report from a Brazilian blog reports reads as “Fiat Already Has a Nano Factory in Betim”.

Earlier Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group, had stated in an interview to Italian newspaper La Stampa that Tata Motors and Fiat are seriously considering launching Tata Nano in South American markets. This statement fell like a bomb for the Brazilian press who received the news with an uproar. Sources in Brazil have already confirmed that Fiat intends to launch a mini-model in Brazil. It is much expected that this model may be “the little Indian.” Tata Motors has already showcased the Nano Europa model and Fiat may be marketing the same model in Brazil. However, it still remains to be seen what will be the final outcome!

Gujarat’s 1st Nano owner owns ’48 Morris

2009-07-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

When Chandrasinh Parmar, a Surendranagar-based entrepreneur wanted to buy a car in 1976, he went for a Morris. Parmar, 60, who runs a cooking gas agency, had got the vintage car cheaper than an Ambassador or a Fiat then. “I bought a 1948 model for Rs 5,500 as a new car would have cost much more,” he said.

On Tuesday, he accompanied his son Umangsinh, 30, who became the first buyer of Tata’s Nano in Gujarat, much before Gujarat itself starts rolling out the small car from the Sanand plant later this year. “We own four cars, including the vintage Morris. But, I feel really special today with a Nano,” said the younger Parmar, who drove down from Surendranagar with his father to take delivery.

“I was eager to buy this car ever since Ratan Tata made an announcement. Today, my dream has come true,” said Parmar, who drove back to Surendranagar where his arrival was eagerly awaited late in the evening. “My family is dying to take a Nano ride,” he told TOI, flashing the car keys.

Four cars were delivered in Ahmedabad on Tuesday as the dealer coped with a big rush. Vipul Thakkar, a Gandhinagar-based doctor, came along with 25 relatives to take the small car delivery. The Thakkars, who already own a Santro, celebrated the buy with an ice-cream party at their Sector-3 residence which was crowded by curious onlookers. Ahmedabad-based doctor, Mahendra Goswami, who drives a Maruti Esteem, also became a proud Nano owner.

“I decided to buy this car when Tata chose Gujarat over other states to set up the Nano plant,” he said. The fourth owner, a retired Air Force official, too owns three cars. Charanjeet Singh Walia, 68, drove down from Gandhidham in Kutch to pick up the car. “I wanted to become a part of this revolution,” said Walia, who was accompanied by his twin daughters. Tata Motors is likely to deliver nine more cars in next four days in the city.

Tata Nano Cab's to hit roads soon..

2009-07-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

India currently has just under 1.2 billion residents. Moreover, its population is set to overtake China any monsoon now. As India's economy continues to grow (currently the world's 12th largest) all those people now have places to go. We've all seen crazy pictures of fantastically overloaded Indian trains and buses with people hanging out of windows, but not only is that very dangerous, if you have a business meeting the last thing you want to do is sit on a dirty old roof with three dozen of your closest friends. Indians need taxis. Trouble is, cabs (and cars in general) are expensive to buy and poverty is still rampant. Enter the Tata Nano.

That's right, the world's cheapest new car is being eyeballed and ordered by many Indian entrepreneurs looking to start their very own cab company. Yes, Nanos are small and would make very lousy cabs in NYC or London. But to a person that's never owned a car before, it's (sorta) Versailles on wheels. And as the Nano is a no-frills, few features product, there's very little to break, so what does get broke will be cheap and easy to fix. In the biz, that's called "win-win." Besides all that, we're thinking that hundreds of thousands of Nanos darting all over Mumbai would be cute. Sort of like Rome in the 1950s.

According to the Indian man I spoke to, a considerable amount of orders for the Tata Nano were from people who will use it as a taxi to start up their own business with.This was quite an interesting point and one I certainly hadn’t thought of before. With its four seats and no-frills, hard-wearing interior, the Nano is just right to be used as a taxi and repairs and servicing costs are also likely to remain low on what is a relatively simple (albeit very clever) piece of engineering.

Despite it costing less than £2000, this is still quite a sum for many people so the chances to recoup some of that cost and use the Nano as an investment instead of a luxury item could make the initial outlay seem insignificant in the long run. Of course it’s early days and this is only a theory, but it’s one that makes sense to me and with something as revolutionary as the Nano, it is always going to be memorable for more than one reason. The beauty of something as accessible as the Tata Nano is that everyone will find their own use for it and its show-stopping price will appeal just as much to people in the UK as it does to people in India.

Maybe one day, there may be more Tata Nanos on the road in India than there are Rickshaws, Tuk Tuks and scooters. It could even become as iconic in India as a taxi as yellow cabs are in New York and Hackney Carriages are in London.

Nano gives Tata Motors a net profit of 57.5 percent

2009-07-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Auto major Tata Motors Monday reported 57.5 percent surge in its net profit at Rs.513.7 crore (Rs.107 million) for the quarter ended June 30, as compared to Rs.326.11 crore in the like period last fiscal.

Total income, however, decreased 7 percent to Rs.6,723.9 crore from Rs.7,244 crore, the company said in a regulatory statement.

“Improvement in liquidity, increased reach across the country and introduction of new products and variants improved the company’s sales, except in the case of the heavy truck segment, it added.

The company reported a marginal decrease of 1.4 percent in domestic sales at 122,120 vehicles.

“The exports at 5,220 vehicles continued to be severely impacted (negative 43 percent) in the wake of continuing tumultous global environment resulting in total sales volume at 127,340 vehicles, a decline of 4.3 percent, the company added.

The auto giant, which owns luxury car brands Jaguar and Land Rover and recently launched the world’s most inexpensive car Nano, said its passenger vehicle sales declined 10 percent in the domestic market to 45,846 units.

Tata Nano and Fiat tie-up

2009-07-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Fiat and Tata have announced plans to jointly sell the Tata Nano across South America.

The first deliveries of the world’s cheapest car have been taking place in India and South America is the next market Tata is aiming to sell the Nano in.

Brazil is Fiat’s second largest market after Italy so it has expertise in selling cars in South America. The Nano is not the only model Tata and Fiat are planning to sell together, with Tata’s chairman Ratan Tata confirming the two firms were considering plans to sell Ferrari and Maserati models together in India.

“We have various projects, [with Fiat] to take the Nano to Latin America together, to share platforms for new cars, we have projects for Iveco and also for us to sell Ferrari and Maserati here in India,” he said. “We are talking about a lot of things.”

Tata, who is a Fiat supervisory board member, said the two were studying further projects including a joint venture for vehicle and engine production in India.

The Tata Nano, in its Indian production form, recently passed a European crash test. A European version is set to go on sale in 2011.

Would you buy a Nano?

2009-07-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano finds its first customer.....

Cute like a bug might be a suitable descriptor for Tata’s Nano, a tiny subcompact that could almost singlehandedly transform the Indian auto industry in the same manner that Ford’s Model T did in its day, putting a car in the driveway of more North Americans than ever before.

The Indian market represents close to a billion people, however, the second largest potential market in the world next to China, and the Nano is priced well enough to tap that market better than any car in history, with the hopes of getting entire families off of mopeds (often families of five can been seen riding a single moped) and into a safer enclosed car.

That dream has become real as the first of what is expected to be millions of Nanos has found a home, delivered to Mr. Ashok Raghunath Vichare of Mumbai who paid a mere 100,000 rupees ($2,292 CAD) to park on in his driveway.

The price might be low, but so are its fuel economy numbers, rated by the Automotive Research Association of India, and carbon emissions at 4.2L/100km and 101 grams of CO2 per km, respectively.

Numbers like these make the Nano a viable alternative for other markets too, with the Europe high on Tata’s priority list. A Euro-specified model just passed all necessary crash tests to make it legal in the EU, and Tata is also targeting the North American market, which has already embraced the smart car and will soon have Fiat’s 500 and Scion’s iQ to pave the way.

Unlike these European models, the North American-spec Nano would sell for a great deal less, although more standard features and the need to meet stricter North American regulations would mean its entry price would be significantly higher, yet still likely the lowest priced vehicle sold here, by a long shot.

Author: Staff, Canadian Auto Press
© Copyright (c) Driving
source: calgaryherald.com

Tatao Nano reached the hands of first three lucky customers

2009-07-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

After the long wait, the much coveted Tatao Nano reached the hands of its first three lucky customers. Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata presented the first Tata Nanos, the world’s cheapest car, to three customers at a dealership in the Prabhadevi area in central Mumbai on 17th July 2009. The keys of the three cars were delivered to Ashok Vichare, Ashish Balakrishnan and A. Chandrashekaran.

Buzz up!
A land dispute forced the Tata Motors off the site of a factory in Singur, West Bengal that it was building to produce the cars. This case fuelled concerns about its ability to meet demand on time. In this scenario, the delivery was a positive step.

Some 100,000 people were selected from a ballot to be the first recipients of the Nano. They include a roadside cobbler from Mumbai, who had been saving for seven years to buy a two-wheeler, but decided to wait and upgrade to four wheels on hearing that the vehicle would sell for just 100,000 rupees. Others among the 203,000 people who placed orders included an 82-year-old former assistant commissioner of Mumbai police who used to ride a scooter and a market trader looking for an investment for his 12-year-old son.

Ratan Tata launched the Nano in March, predicting the no-frills vehicle would revolutionise travel for millions of Indians. Tata Nano got the growing middle-class, urban population off motorcycles and into safer, affordable cars. Tata Motors' Pantnagar factory in Uttarakhand can produce up to 50,000 Nanos every year. By the end of March, 2010, about 100,000 Nano cars would be delivered to customers

Reviewers have compared Nano to the European Smart car and the classic Volkswagen Beetle. Three versions of the sporty, jellybean-shaped Nano went on sale in April: the basic model and more expensive CX and LX versions, which have extra features like air-conditioning, automatic windows and central locking. The standard model sells for 140,000 rupees including tax in the showroom. The deluxe models cost up to 185,000 rupees.

Cancellation and Refund of Nano Booking's

2009-07-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

If you wish to cancel the booking contact the tata nano call center @ 020-66495678
Keep your application form ready when you make this call as the call centre will do a verification check.
The call center agent will generate a cancellation reference Number for the same
A call back verification check will be done by call center agent
On getting satisfactory response, call center agent will forward the cancellation request to tata motores
You are requested to submit the following documents in the original to the tata moters dealership with in 3 days of placing the cancelation request:

Application form customer copy in the original
Copy of the identification proof mentioned in the application form
Allotment/retention letter in the original
Cancellation format (available at the dealership) duly filled in and signed.

This would then be forwarded to Tata Motors and you refund will be processed (Based on terms and conditions in the form) within 30 days after receipt of documents by Tata Motors.
Tata motors limited will not charge any cancellation charges for any cancellation requests placed within 30 days of announcement of allocations.
Any cancellation requests received by Tata Motors limited after 30 days of announcement of allocations would attract a cancellation charge of Rs 2999/- this includes the administration changes.
This amount would be deducted from your booking amount and sent as your refund
Refunds would be done only to the designated account as per the details in the application form

Tata Nano to be handed over today

2009-07-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

The first of Tata Motors' Nano will be handed over to its first customer later today (17 July).

The keys of the first Nano will be handed over by the chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, Ratan N Tata, at the OEM's dealership in Prabhadevi, Mumbai.

Following this, the first 100,000 cars will be delivered in phases to customers across the country who were selected through a lottery. The first 100,000 customers are price-protected, and will get the car for Rs100,000 (US$2,054), excluding taxes. Delivery of this first batch of cars is scheduled to be completed by the last quarter of 2010.

In all, a total of around 206,000 bookings were received for the Nano. An approximate breakdown of bookings for specific models revealed that 20% went towards the Nano Standard, 30% for the mid-range CX version, while 50% of the bookings were for the top-end Nano LX.

The OEM currently produces the Nano at its plant in Pantnagar, till its new plant in Sanand, Gujarat, comes on stream in December. The Pantnagar production line has output capacity of not more than 50,000upa. However, with start of production in Sanand, Tata Motors' capacity for build of the Nano is expected to rise to 250,000 units.

Tata Motors deliver's first Nano Today

2009-07-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors Ltd, India's largest vehicles maker, said on Thursday it would deliver the Nano, the world's cheapest car, to its first customer on Friday.

Chairman Ratan Tata had showcased the Nano at an auto show in New Delhi in January last year, but consumer bookings began only in April this year after the project was delayed due to land disputes at its planned site in the eastern state of West Bengal.
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The plant for producing the Nano was shifted to a new site in Gujarat on the west coast, but the first batch of Nanos would come from its car plant in Pantnagar in northern India.

Tata has assured price protection for the first 100,000 customers, for whom the cars will be available for 100,000 rupees ($2,053), excluding taxes.

Tata nano First commercial consignment come's to Hyderabad

2009-07-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors on Tuesday rolled out the first commercial consignment of Nano, regarded as the World’s cheapest car to be showcased at Hyderabad on Tuesday.

“The first consignment has come to Hyderabad. Tata Nanos’ have been dispatched particularly for Hyderabad. They have sent 84 cars, out of which 50 are Tata Nano and the rest 34 are Magic,” said S K Singh, Area Manager of Tata Motors.

Residents in the ‘Twin Cities’ of Hyderabad and Secunderabad had been eagerly waiting for the Tata Nano, costing just over Rs 1,00,000.

They contended that this car is a boon for the middle class society.

“In Rs 1,00,000, you get a Pulsar. Here, in one lakh, five people can travel together. I need to find out the details about its mileage. Once these cars start running on road, all motorcycles will disappear,” said Deep Bhavanishankar, a local resident.

Nano Set To Roll

2009-07-07T04:39:00.001-07:00

One lakh applications selected for the one lakh rupee car.Tata Motors has announced that it has completed the task of selecting the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano. Having to choose from the list of a little more than two lakh applications, the first batch of customers were chosen through a random computerized process. While 67% of the applicants decided to go ahead with the option of awaiting the delivery of the car even if they were not amongst the first 1,00,00, Tata has managed to give 55, 021 of these applicants allotments as well while the booking amounts of the remaining applicants will be returned. The company is all set to start deliveries from July 2009 and is expecting the first batch of deliveries to be done by the last quarter of 2010. The first 1,00,00 will get the Nano at its launch price on March 23 after which the 55, 021 retainees will receive their own Nanos.

Here is the long Press Release.

Tata Motors is pleased to announce that it has completed the process to select the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano from among the 2,06,703 final list of applicants who had booked the car. As announced at the launch on March 23, the first 100,000 owners were selected through a computerised random selection process.
The company had said that the process would be completed within 60 days of the closure of booking on April 25.

The booking process had also given the option to applicants to indicate whether they would like to retain their booking amounts with the company, even if they do not get selected among the first 100,000 allottees, and await delivery of their cars after them. 67% (137,867) applicants had chosen this option, from which a further 55,021
retainees have been made allotments. The booking amounts of the unsuccessful applicants, who had not exercised this option, are being returned.

The company will be individually informing all applicants about their status of being an allottee, retainee or an unsuccessful applicant. The details have been uploaded on www.tatanano.com . Applicants need to log on with their booking application number to know their status or contact the company appointed call centre (020 66495678).

Tata Introduces Limping Luxury Brands to India

2009-07-06T02:50:00.001-07:00

Tata Motors has introduced its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. But the celebratory announcement to mark the occasion has been tempered by plummeting sales and the threat of job cuts and factory closures at both brands.

For the first time in eight years, Tata reported an annual loss. The culprit: a $504 million drain inflicted by struggling Jaguar Land Rover on the Indian company’s bottom line. Tata bought the historic brands for $2.3 billion from Ford in March 2008.

Unfortunately for Tata, the purchase was soon followed by a collapse in the global economy. Sales of luxury sedans and S.U.V.’s – core to the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio – have been hit especially hard. According to Reuters, during a 10-month period ending in March, Jaguar Land Rover sales fell to 167,000 vehicles, compared to 246,000 in the same period the previous year.

Mr. Tata maintained his optimism during ceremonies held last Sunday welcoming the British makes to India. “We at Tata Motors are proud to have these brands,” he said, according to The Economic Times, saying it was a “terrific decision.”

But questions linger as to how Tata — relatively unknown outside of India and a specialist in budget-minded vehicles — can align its operations with two British companies synonymous with prestige, power and a well-heeled clientele.

Base versions of the Tata Nano city car start at $2,200 (taxes and fees included), whereas prices for Jaguar Land Rover products in India will begin at more than $120,000. While the Nano has been well received by the media – including my test drive of the range-topping LX version – the fact remains that the tiny four-door has none of the frills (and even less of the social status) typical to Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.

The Indian lineup of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will include the XF and XFR sedans, sporty XKR coupe, Land Rover Discovery 3 and the Range Rover S.U.V. Tata Motors said it would develop a dealer network for Jaguar Land Rover this year and next. According to a report in The Business Standard, Land Rover is also negotiating with the Indian government to supply military vehicles to the armed forces.

That news might provide little relief for Jaguar Land Rover employees in Britain. The Birmingham Post reports that Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain has held talks with Tata regarding the company’s threats to close British factories to stem the flow of red ink. Belt-tightening by Tata could also put a crimp on the development of future models, such as a hybrid version of the Jaguar XJ sedan and an eco-themed XE sports car.

Nano applicants receive confirmatory letters

2009-07-04T23:02:00.001-07:00

The first 100,000 applicants for allotment of Tata Nano have been selected by Tata Motars. The selection was done by computerised random selection process.

The deliveries which will commence from July this year, are expected to be completed by Q4-2010. The company has confirmed 'ex-showroom prices' for these first 100,000 allottees.

The retainees on the booking-list will be entitled to interest at rate of 8.5 percent on the booking fee if the car is delivered 'within' 2-years from the date of allotment, which is June 23, 2009, and at rate of 8.75 percent if delivery is made 'after' two years from the date of allotment. The company will pay the interest directly to the retainees.

The company will also offer retainees discount vouchers of Titan and Westside, besides an exclusive offer on the Tata Indica car range, which will be also extended to unsuccessful applicants.

The bookings for Tata Nano which began on April 1 across the country, was well received with filing of 2.03 lakh applications for different variants of small car -Tata Nano.

Most of the bookings (as many as 70 percent) were done through loans, of which nearly 50 percent of the bookings were through SBI.

Tata to lanch Nano in Nigeria by 2010

2009-07-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors, India's largest auto maker, will introduce its small car Nano--considered the world's cheapest--in Nigeria within
next 18 months, ahead of its planned launch in Europe.
The car would be available for about NGN 360 for the base model, same as the price in the Indian markets. The car carries a price tag of Rs 1.23 lakh to Rs 1.72 lakh (ex-showroom) in the Delhi for three variants.
"Tata Motors will make the Nano available in Nigeria in the next one year to one and a half years," a senior official of Tata Africa Nigeria, Sudeep Ray, said.

"The launching of the Nano was branded everyman behind the wheel and will benefit Nigerians much as public transport systems like metro are not available here.

"The car (Nano) will cost NGN 357,480 (about Rs 1.16 lakh) in Nigeria, which is much less than the price of most second hand saloon cars sold here," Ray said. The cost of a used car usually starts at NGN 500,000 in the country.
Ray, however, declined to give details whether the 'cheapest' car in the world would be assembled in Nigeria or it would be sold as a completely-built-unit.

A Tata Motors spokesperson from India said: "The company has said that the Tata Nano can be marketed in other countries, but timelines, modes and countries are yet to be finalised."
Earlier in March, Tata Motors had showcased the European version of the Nano, which the company planned to launch by 2011.
Conceived in 2003, Tata Motors had launched the much- hyped 'cheapest' car in India on March 23 this year. The car has cost over Rs 2,000 crore to the company.

Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in many countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and Latin America.

Bronze Lion for Tata Nano at Cannes 2009

2009-07-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors’ innovative use of media to advertise the launch of the Tata Nano has won the world’s most coveted advertising award – the Bronze Lion – at this year’s edition of the world’s biggest advertising awards festival at Cannes.

The jury of Cannes 2009 conferred the Bronze Lion for Best Use of Mixed Media – print, TV, radio, Internet – to the Tata Nano’s advertising in the days ahead of the launch. The innovative use of media, for example, included newspapers branding their news-briefs as ‘Nano news’, radio jockeys taking ‘Nano break’, popular serials on TV sporting Nano pop-ups, extensive use of Internet as medium, exclusive home pages by many websites with countdowns, Nano online games and many other such eye-catchers.

The award came in the face of stiff competition from some of the savviest advertisers of the world, like P&G, Nestle, Toyota, Adidas, BMW, Ford, among others. Cannes 2009 received 22,652 entries from 86 countries.

Flying car to be unveiled in 2011

2009-06-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

An American company Terrafugia Transition, based near Boston, is set to unveil the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'The Flying Car' as early as 2011. The two-seater vehicle can let you fly if you wish to avoid the congested city traffic.

If you want to drive on the road, just touch the road. The vehicle will fold up its wings in 30 seconds and transform itself into a car.

"The Flying Car" can travel up to 725 kilometres in the air at a speed of more than 115 kilometres per hour.

Fuelled by gasoline, it has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight.

With its wings folded, it can be parked in your ordinary car garage.

Its initial cost is expected to be around $200,000 (nearly Rs.1 crore), says the company which has already orders for 60 vehicles.

The CEO of the company told Canadian TV (CTV) network here that they have successfully test-flown "The Flying Car" as many as 28 times.

The tests have shown that the vehicle can drive, fly and switch from being a plane to a car in just 30 seconds.

"It (testing) has been very successful," Carl Dietrich, co-founder and CEO of Terrafugia, told the television network.

" We have got a very good handling vehicle and our test pilot said that the flights were just remarkably unremarkable - it just flies like a really nice, little airplane,” he said.

He said this miracle vehicle will ease problems for pilots who currently face problems like weather which sometimes doesn't allow them to take off or land.

"This vehicle allows a pilot any time, if the weather changes, to divert to the nearest airport, fold up their wings and drive safely under the weather."

"The Transition (the name for "The Flying Car" is not designed to replace the automobile. However, it will solve transportation issues for a variety of circumstances,” company vice president Richard Gersh said.

Asked whether the vehicle will be mass produced one day, he said: "That is certainly a possibility, but a number of years away."

He said the vehicle will be able travel on ordinary roads.

"Our depositors represent a wide-cross section in terms of age, interests, and intended use of the vehicle. We have deposits from both experienced pilots and non-pilots who intend to earn their Sport Pilot certificate," said the vice president of Terrafugia.

Set up in 2006, Terrafugia is run by trained aeronautical engineers and MBAs from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Allotment Results - Know the status of your booking

2009-06-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

In all, Tata Motors received 206703 applications for the Nano. It also said deliveries to the first batch of 100000 applicants will begin in July. And today is tata nano lucky draw results, With launch of NANO Car, 55,021 applicants for its Nano who missed out on an allotment of the first 100,000 units of the small car had retained their bookings.

For Allotment Faq's click here..

check Allotment Results - Know the status of your booking tata motors, tata nano booking, tata nano car, tatanano, tata nano lucky draw

The Tata Motors has finalized 1.55 lakh customers for its small-car Nano. The Nano is the world's Cheapest Car. The company will start delivering from next month. Tata Motors, would deliver the first one lakh cars by March 2010, while the handing over of the Nanos in the next phase to 55,021 customers would start thereafter.

There were 2,06,703 applicants out of which first 1,00,000 had been selected. The company has also completed the selection process for the second phase by alloting slots to 55,021 customers. The entire selection process was done through a computerised lottery.

For Allotment Results - Know the status of your booking visit : www.tatanano.com

100,000 Tata Nano the people's car owners chosen

2009-06-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors is pleased to announce that it has completed the process to select the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano from among the 2,06,703 final list of applicants who had booked the car. As announced at the launch on March 23, the first 100,000 owners were selected through a computerised random selection process. The company had said that the process would be completed within 60 days of the closure of booking on April 25.

The booking process had also given the option to applicants to indicate whether they would like to retain their booking amounts with the company, even if they do not get selected among the first 100,000 allottees, and await delivery of their cars after them. 67% (137,867) applicants had chosen this option, from which a further 55,021 retainees have been made allotments. The booking amounts of the unsuccessful applicants, who had not exercised this option, are being returned.

The company will be individually informing all applicants about their status of being an allottee, retainee or an unsuccessful applicant. The details have been uploaded on www.tatanano.com . Applicants need to log on with their booking application number to know their status or contact the company appointed call centre (020 66495678).

Allotment Results - Click Here to Know the status of your booking (with Faq's)

The first 100,000 owners

Deliveries will begin from July 2009 and the first 100,000 deliveries are expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2010. All efforts will be made to deliver earlier, by ramping up production at the already operational Pantnagar plant and the fast upcoming S anand plant. The successful allottees will also be sent discount vouchers of Titan and Westside valid at their outlets across India.

Tata Motors reconfirms that the first 100,000 owners are price-protected, and will get their Tata Nano at the ex-showroom prices, announced at launch on March 23.

The Retainees

The deliveries to the 55,021 retainees will begin after the first 100,000 deliveries.

Tata Motors reconfirms that the retainees will benefit from an interest of 8.5% on their booking amount if the car is delivered within two years from the date of allotment (23rd June 2009) and 8.75% if the car is delivered after two years from the date of allotment. The interest will be paid directly to the retainees by Tata Motors.

Along with the confirmatory letter, Tata Motors is making retainees an exciting offer on the Tata Indica range over and above any current scheme on these cars in the market, in addition to discount vouchers of Titan and Westside which can be used at any outlet of these companies across India

Tata Motors’ preferred financiers have announced auto retail loans with aggressive low-interest schemes. The allottees & retainees, who had availed of booking finance, can approach them to convert their booking amounts into auto retail loans and also to finance the remaining amount. The interest rates offered by the preferred financiers are:

Retail Loan
Bank Name	Tenure (up to) years	LTV	Rate range
BANK OF BARODA	7	85%	10.50%
CANARA BANK	7	90%	9.5-11.5%
CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA	7	80%	9.5-11%
CORPORATION BANK	7	85%	10.5-11.25%
ICICI BANK LTD	2-3	80%	13.50%
INDIAN BANK	5	85%	11.00%
ORIENTAL BANK OF COMMERCE	7	85%	11-11.5%
PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK	7	80%	11.00%
STATE BANK OF BIKANER & JIPUR	5	85%	10-11.5%
STATE BANK OF HYDERABAD	7	80%	11-11.25%
STATE BANK OF INDIA	5	85%	11.75-12%
STATE BANK OF INDORE	5	80%	12.00%
STATE BANK OF MYSORE	7	85%	11.25-11.75%
STATE BANK OF PATIALA	5	80%	12.00%
STATE BANK OF TRAVANCORE	7	85%	11.75-12%
TATA MOTORS FINANCE LTD	4	90%	13.5-14.5%
THE FEDERAL BANK LTD	5	90%	14.25%
UNION BANK OF INDIA	5	85%	11-11.5%
UNITED BANK OF INDIA	5	90%	9.00%
UCO BANK	5	85%	11.75%

Offer for unsuccessful applicants

As a token of its appreciation for their interest in the Tata Nano, Tata Motors is also making unsuccessful applicants an exciting offer on the Tata Indica range over and above any current scheme on these cars in the market. The scheme is being communicated to them individually. They will also be sent discount vouchers of Titan and Westside which can be used at any outlet of these companies across India.

Tata Motors once again places on record its gratitude to the people of India for according such a warm welcome to the Tata Nano, as also to all its preferred financiers, dealers and partner companies for their stupendous effort in helping the company launch the Tata Nano.

Allotment Results Faq's

2009-06-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

What is UIN?
UIN stands for Unique Identification Number. It is the 9 digit number on the top right of the application form.

My booking was financed by a preferred financier. I did not get a UIN. What do I do?
You need to contact the preferred financier and get the UIN. Then you can check the status of your booking by contacting our call center at 020 - 66495678 or visiting www.tatanano.com

How can I edit information in my application form?
No information can be edited in the application form. However, if deemed necessary, Tata Motors reserves the right to do so at its discretion.

How can I check the status of my application?
You can check the status of your application by clicking here or calling our call center @ 022-66495678

I have already paid the booking amount . Do I need to pay anything more?
Yes. You need to pay the balance amount. The Balance Amount = Ex-showroom price - amount already paid (booking amount).

I have paid the booking amount using my own funds and would like to pay the balance amount also using my own funds. What further steps do I need to take?
The dealership would contact you a month before your car is expected to be delivered to you. This communication from the dealership would mention when the balance payment is to be submitted in the name of the dealership.

I have paid the booking amount using my own funds but would like to finance the balance payment. What further steps do I need to take?
If you have paid the booking amount by your own funds but now want to get it financed:

1. Contact the nearest branch of the Tata Nano Preferred Financers
2. Get a fresh loan approved.
3. Inform the Tata Motors dealership
a. Do take full assistance of the Tata Motors Dealership to get the loan process done smoothly
b. The ex-showroom price applicable at the time of delivery may be taken from www.tatanano.com or the dealership.

How can I cancel my booking?
1. If you wish to cancel the booking, kindly contact the Tata Nano call center @ 020-66495678.
2. Kindly keep your application from ready when you make this call as the call center will do a verification check.
3. The call center agent will generate a Cancellation Reference Number for the same.
4. A call back verification check will be done by call center agent.
5. On getting satisfactory response call center agent will forward the cancellation request to Tata Motors.
6. You are requested to submit the following documents in original to the Tata Motors Dealership:
* Application form customer copy in original
* Copy of the identification proof mentioned in the application form
* Allotment/Retention letter in original
* Cancellation format (available at dealership) duly filled and signed.
7. This would then be forwarded to Tata Motors and your refund will be processed (based on terms and conditions in the form) within 30 days.
8. You will be informed by TML after processing your refund.

What are the cancellation charges?
No cancellation charges are applicable for any cancellations done within 30 days of announcement of allocations. If Cancellation request is received after 30 days of the announcement of Allocation the Cancellation Charges of Rs.2999/- would be applicable. These include the administration charges .

Can retainees cancel their booking after few months?
Retainees can cancel their booking after a few months. In that case,Retainees will get interest at the mentioned rates from the date allotment to the date of placing a cancelation request with the TML call center.

When will my Tata Nano be delivered?
The Delivery period differs for Allotees and Retainees. The dealership would contact you a month before your car is expected to be delivered to you.

Can I take delivery of my Tata Nano earlier than the time period committed to me by Tata Motors?
No. The delivery of the Tata Nano Car cannot be taken at any time earlier than the time period committed by Tata Motors Limited.

If my Tata Nano is not delivered within the delivery period committed by Tata Motors, and I cancel my booking, will I get any interest?
Yes. If the booking is cancelled due to delay in delivery period committed by Tata Motors then an interest @ 6% per annum on the booking amount for the period of delay.

When will I get my refund?
Your refund will be processed (based on terms and conditions in the form) within 30 days

How will I get my refund?
A Cheque will be sent to the address mentioned in your application form.

Can I change my refund account number?
No

I had booked the Nano through a preferred financier and now I have been allotted a Nano. What further action should I take?
Following are the steps to be followed if your boooking is financed and you are allotted a vehicle:

1. The original allotment letter would be sent to the preferred financier with a copy to you.
2. Contact the preferred financier branch from where you took the booking loan.
3. Convert your booking loan into the Nano Auto loan within 10 days of announcement of allotment. This is also applicable for applicants who have not been allotted a vehicle and want to retain their bookings with Tata Motors Limited.
4. Inform the Tata Motors dealership.

How will I get the Interest?
It will be credited to you in your account every quarter till the delivery period.

Will the interest be paid to me or the financier?
It will be credited to the Applicant.

What is the Rate of Interest the customer will earn from Tata Motors?
8.5% for retention period upto 2 years and 8.75% for retention period greater than two years.

What if I am not able to fit in the KYC norms?
You can do either of the following:

1. Arrange for the funds and close the loan or
2. Get in touch with another preferred financier and close the loan with the existing preferred financier
Inform the same to Tata Motors by mailing at tatanano@tatamotors.com

What if I am not able to convert the loan into an auto loan?
If you fail to convert your loan into an auto loan within the stipulated time period then the booking can be cancelled by your financier.

When I convert my booking loan to an auto loan, when will my EMIs start?
On conversion of booking loan to auto loan, the EMIs will start immediately. You will be required to pay the balance amount at the Tata Motors dealership at the time communicated to you by the dealership.

How will the cancellation chages be deducted?
It will be deducted from the booking amount and the balance amount will be refunded.

Can Interest be adjusted against the balance payment/cancellation charges?
No, Interest payment will be done seperately.

How will I get the TDS Certificate?
It will be dispatched to you directly by Tata Motors Limited.

What is my priority number?
We have not assigned any priority number.

Is it possible to switch the status from retention to refund of the booking amount?
Yes, this can be done by cancelling your booking

How can I retain my booking?
Your booking will be automatically retained, if you have selected the option in your application form. In case, you have opted for refund in the application form, then the same cannot be converted to retention.

I have lost my copy of the form. What can I do now?
The customer will have to do either of the following:

1. If the customer's booking is self-financed then he/she should try and obtain a copy of the form from SBI
2. If the customer's booking is financed, then direct the customer to contact his/her preferred financier to obtain a copy of the form

A cobbler form Mumbai gets Nano

2009-06-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Maruti Bhandari, the celebrated Mumbai cobbler who booked the top-end Tata Nano by paying a cheque of Rs 1.4 lakh in April, is one of the one lakh allottees of the car.

“I am absolutely elated. It is a moment of pride,” he said on a day when television channels were trying to interview him.

Bhandari, who lives in a Mumbai suburb, had been saving money to buy a motorcycle. However, the idea of an inexpensive people’s car caught his fancy and he ended up zeroing in on the Nano.

He paid the entire booking amount from his savings at the Concorde outlet, a Tata Motors’ showroom in the city. Bhandari is expected to get the car within a few weeks when deliveries begin.

The Nano was designed for people like him who could afford the car and fulfil an aspiration in the process. “Mera family ko ghumane le jaunga (I will take my family around),” he said.

Bhandari lives in a small home with his wife and two sons. “Buying the Nano is a dream comes true,” he said. Asked if he was concerned about the imminent petrol price hike, he replied, “Yes, but we have to somehow run the car.”

Tata Nano delivery to start next month

2009-06-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors has completed random selection of the first 100,000 applicants who would buy the Nano small car in the first phase and that delivery will begin next month.

"Tata Motors once again places on record its gratitude to the people of India for according such a warm welcome to the Tata Nano, as also to all its preferred financiers, dealers and partner companies for their stupendous effort in helping the company launch the Tata Nano," the company said in a statement.

The selection was made through a random computerised process after bookings closed on April 25.

About two lakh bookings, which began April 9, were made across Tata Motors dealerships and State Bank of India (SBI) branches. This was, however, much lower than what was expected.

The selected applicants will be contacted individually, the statement said, adding that delivery will begin next month and continue till the last quarter of 2010.

India's third largest passenger car maker said 55,021 applicants out of the 106,703 not selected in the first phase had exercised the option to retain their booking.

They will be given preferential allotment in the second phase.

Additionally, they will be entitled to an interest of 8.5 per cent on the booking amount if the car is delivered within two years (June 23, 2011), and 8.75 per cent after that date. The booking amounts of the unsuccessful applicants shall be returned, the statement added.

The company will also be offering the unsuccessful applicants "an exciting offer on the Tata Indica range", the statement read.

Maruti plans competitor for tata Nano

2009-06-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Tata has taken the lion’s share of the headlines with regards to the Indian car industry, but Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) is being equally aggressive in its bid to get more domestic consumers off bikes and into cars. Plans are afoot for a locally made compact car as well as ambitious eco-friendly proposals.

MSIL has plans to launch a compact car, much like the Tata Nano and entirely produced in India by 2011. However, despite ambitions for an Indian-designed platform, the car will, for the time being, be built from one of three Japanese-sourced platforms already being used by the company’s Indian factories.

The platform will either be the Wagon R-Zen Estilo, the Alto-M800 or the Swift-Ritz. The Swift Dzire, a sedan version of the successful Swift hatchback, has already proved popular in India. Using an existing Japanese platform should prove to be a more cost-effective means of producing the car rather than designing a new platform from scratch in India, as the cost of creating this makes up a substantial part of any new car’s initial production costs.

It is also hoped that by 2011, an Indian-designed platform will be a reality.

to know more about The new car Maruti Ritz Click Here

MSIL started planning the compact last year and aims to employ 1,000 engineers by 2010, most of whom will work on the project. The company remains tight-lipped about the price and market positioning of the new car as the size, power and design were yet to be finalised.

As well as the compact car, which presumably will be a competitor to the Tata Nano, MSIL also has plans to develop new, more environmentally sound cars over the next three to five years. The MSIL engineers are working on hybrid-electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and hope to incorporate these options into three or four Indian-made models, which have yet to be confirmed.

At present, MSIL offers LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) versions of the Maruti 800 and the WagonR, which are two popular hatchbacks, as well as the Omni van.

“Our initiatives for non-conventional clean fuel will take a step further in the coming times with factory-fitted CNG options on several models,” says Shinzo Nakanishi, the company’s managing director and CEO. He also announced this month that the new green technology is earmarked especially for the Indian market. MSIL’s Japanese research and development unit will be keeping Indian mileage and price parameters in mind while working on the project.

As well as plans for green technology in cars, Nakanishi says that, by 2010, all MSIL vehicles will meet European end-of-life standards. This directive was adopted by the European Commission in 2000 and provides requirements for the recycling of all suitable vehicle components and materials.

Tata Nano customers Get allotment letters soon say'sTata Motors

2009-06-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

A lakh Tata Nano customers, most of them from small towns, will begin getting their allotment letters this week. Over 70% of the 2.03-lakh bookings have come from these towns.

Tata Motors, which closed bookings for the Nano on April 25, is expected to start delivering the car by early-July and complete the process by the last quarter of 2010.

“Tata Motors will announce the first 100,000 allotments for the Nano within 60 days of the closure of bookings on April 25, 2009,” said a company spokesperson.

The company announced earlier that one lakh customers would be selected through a computerised random selection procedure, with the remaining — numbering just over a lakh — being given the option of retaining the booking.

The company will also announce the allotment to these 1.03 lakh applicants, who will get the Nano at a higher price, and earn interest on their booking amount with effect from July.

At the time of the Nano launch in March, the company had said only one lakh customers will get the car “at the currently announced price”.

Among the three variants of the Nano car, the base version accounted for 20% of the bookings, followed by the CX variant at 30% and the remaining 50% for the top-end LX variant. “The Tata Nano is unlikely to contribute significantly to Tata Motors’ revenues in 2009-10 as the initial volumes are low. However, as the booking amount is higher for the top-end variant, the margins will be better. A lot will depend on product performance and how
fast the Sanand capacity comes up,” said an analyst from a Mumbai-based brokerage.

The company, which is currently manufacturing the Nano from its interim facility at Pantnagar, has a capacity to manufacture 50,000 cars per annum, which it plans to raise to 2.5 lakh units once its new plant at Sanand in Gujarat starts in December.

Tata Motors had a slew of car launches lined up this year. The company is also understood to be gearing up to launch its premium luxury cars — the Jaguar Land Rover on June 28 and the new Indigo in a few months’ time.

Tata's Nano is headed to United States by 2011

2009-06-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

The Nano, the tiny, very inexpensive car from Indian automaker Tata Motors, apparently is heading to the United States in the next couple of years. A Tata spokesman confirmed to Automotive News remarks from Tata Chairman Ratan Tata that he expects the car to go on sale in the United States by 2011.

The car, which has a starting price of $2,500 in India, would have to meet U.S. safety and emission standards and would need a distributor to sell it. The New York Times speculated that the Fiat-Chrysler partnership could produce a distribution network. Fiat and Tata already have joint ventures, and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne would like to sell a low-cost brand that would be even cheaper than from Fiat.

Tata Motors to build hybrid cars on Nano platform

2009-06-16T04:24:00.000-07:00

After stunning innovation of the cheapest car Nano, Tata Motors plans to build electric and hybrid vehicles using this
platform.

"Tata Motors has plans to use the Nano platform to build electric and hybrid cars," Tata Group said highlighting the Innovation and Innovativeness of the company.

Designed with the transportation needs of a family in mind, the Nano is a full-fledged car with contemporary styling and spacious interiors conforming to standards of emissions, mileage, acceleration, safety and performance.

"The Nano is just not a car for Tata Motors, it is also a platform to create more high-end models that will sell for higher prices and yield better margins," a Tata Group's report on its innovations said.

The introduction of Nano was compared to that of the Ford Model T, the car that completely revolutionised the automobile industry.

Nano is also expected to create a new distinct category in the auto industry - the People's Car.

Tata Group said that Tata Motors should target exports of the car in the developing countries like Brazil, China, Indonesia and Russia, where the growth rate is more than 10 per cent.

A true Indian car, Nano has 97 per cent local content. Before Nano, Maruti 800 was the lowest cost car in the Indian market priced at around Rs two lakh.

SBI may account for 50% of total bookings

2009-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Kolkata, May 18 State Bank of India might account for almost 50 per cent of the total loan bookings made for the small car Nano and is hopeful of disbursing loans worth Rs 900 crore, according to the bank’s Chief General Manager, Personal Banking, Mr P. Nandakumaran.

“Seventy per cent of the total bookings (2.03 lakh) announced by Tata Motors Ltd were booked through loans. SBI will be targeting about 50 per cent of the total loan bookings which will work out to about 75,000 applicants,” Mr Nandakumaran told Business Line.

“The bookings for Nano have primarily come from urban and metro centres,” Mr Nandakumaran confirmed. Business Line had earlier reported that the Nano had received a lukewarm response from Tier II and Tier III towns, which were originally perceived as the primary market for the car.

The bank had offered a Nano booking loan product with a one-time upfront booking fee of Rs 2,999 for the base model (which has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.2 lakh in Delhi), Rs 3,499 for the intermediate model (Rs 1.40 lakh) and Rs 3,999 (Rs 1.70 lakh) for the high-end model.

The booking could be converted into a SBI Nano car loan once a customer gets allocation to the car. The maximum tenure of the loan would be seven years and the rate of interest could range between 11.75 and 12 per cent interest.

The margin required would be 15 per cent, which means for a loan of Rs 1 lakh, the customer would have to pay upfront cash of Rs 15,000 while the bank would pay the balance of Rs 85,000.

Auto loan share

SBI’s auto loan portfolio grew by 36 per cent at Rs 9,713 crore (Rs 7,149 crore) in 2008-09. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the market share of the bank in auto loans increased to 12 per cent (10 per cent) this year. Apart from a tie-up with Tata Motors for Nano, the bank has also tied up with Maruti and Hyundai.

Tata Motors Gets 203,000 Orders for Nano, World’s Cheapest Car

2009-05-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

By Vipin V. Nair

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Tata Motors Ltd., the Indian truckmaker that owns Jaguar and Land Rover, received 203,000 orders for its Nano, the world’s cheapest car, more than double the initial sales plan.

The bookings amount to almost 25 billion rupees ($501 million), Mumbai-based Tata Motors said in a statement today. Deliveries will start in July and are expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2010, the company said.

Tata Motors will choose the first 100,000 customers for the $2,500 Nano by a lottery, leaving the company with at least a year of production as backlog. Surging demand from first-time buyers and motorcyclists in India contrast with plunging automobile sales in the U.S. and Europe where job losses and economic recession have kept consumers away from showrooms.

“The Nano has the potential to become a game-changer for Tata in the long run,” said Gaurav Lohia, an analyst at K.R. Choksey Shares & Securities Pvt. in Mumbai. “Once you generate the volumes, you are the king.”

The bookings represent about 17 percent of the 1.22 million passenger cars sold in India, Asia’s fourth-largest automobile market, in the fiscal year ended March. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., maker of half the cars sold in the country, sold 636,707 units while Hyundai Motor Co. sold 244,030 and Tata Motors sold 160,446, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said.

Tata Motors shares rose 6 percent to 258.35 rupees in Mumbai today. The shares have gained 62 percent this year.

Pantnagar Rollout

The first Nanos will now roll out from a plant at Pantnagar in northern India, which can produce 60,000 units a year. Annual output will increase by a further 350,000 when a facility at Sanand in western India is completed at the end of this year.

Six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg last month had estimated Tata Motors would get between 120,000 and 500,000 orders for the Nano. The company accepted the bookings between April 9 and April 25 for the egg-shaped model.

Demand for the Nano may help the company, which slumped into its first loss in seven years in the quarter ended Dec. 31, to negotiate better rates with its suppliers and cut production costs for its local range of trucks, buses and sport-utility vehicles, Lohia said.

“You have a huge amount of bargaining power with your suppliers and that will help reduce costs,” Lohia said.

Tata Motors had a 2.6 billion rupee loss in the three months ended Dec. 31. The numbers don’t include financials of Jaguar and Land Rover, which Tata bought from Ford Motor Co. for $2.4 billion in June.

Volkswagen, Honda

Surging demand in India has attracted a combined $6 billion of investment by Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other carmakers in the country. Car sales in India may triple to 3 million units annually by 2015, according to the Indian government forecast.

That contrasts with plunging demand in Japan, U.S. and Europe. Japan’s auto sales, excluding minicars, fell 32 percent to the lowest level in 35 years in March as economic recession, rising unemployment and falling wages hurt demand. In Europe, sales have slumped for 11 consecutive months through March, while U.S. sales dropped 37 percent in the month.

The first Nanos will sell for as little as 123,360 rupees in New Delhi for the basic model, without reclining seats, air- conditioning or a radio. Buyers were asked to pay 95,000 rupees as down payment for the cheapest model. The most expensive model comes with an air conditioner, central locking and metallic paint.

Dispute, Delay

Sales of the two-cylinder, 624 cc Nano was delayed by at least six months after a land dispute forced Tata Motors to shutter a purpose-built factory in the east of the country.

Most customers who failed to make it to the initial list of buyers may cancel their orders, considering the long wait, said said Deepesh Rathore, Indian automotive analyst at IHS Global Insight Inc.

“As soon as Tata announces the winners of the first 100,000 Nanos, I expect a majority of remaining bookings to be eventually canceled,” said Rathore. “A section of the people would wait with their bookings and have a look at the first few cars on the roads and then decide.”

To contact the reporter on this story:Vnair12@bloomberg.net

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

2009-05-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Tata’s Nano Sales Show the way Forward for Detroit?

2009-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

A hit in the auto world? Is it a flash back? A time warp? No it’s here and now and it’s the story of the not so new Tata Nano. We say not so new because the car should have launched some time ago and we have been hearing all kinds of hype about it for months. Yet finally Tata seems to be getting their production problems sorted. Sales opened on April 9 for just 2 weeks. During that time, Tata’s website received 30 million hits, salesrooms received 1.4 m visitors and punters put down 80% deposits (yes 80%!) on 203,000 cars. That’s 17% of the Indian market in 2 weeks, though most of which won’t be delivered before the latter part of next year. Not bad for a country that only consumed 1.5m new cars last year according to the NY Times. Well this is India, not so long ago you had to put your deposit down on an Ambassador car and wait years for delivery. The scarcity of the Nano due to production problems has been turned into a marketing coup by Tata, holding lottery style allocations of production slots for the first 100,000.

Buyers have deposited $512m with Tata and interestingly 50% of them are for the luxury version with a/c and power windows, (stop chuckling youngsters, some of us can remember cars without a/c’s, its not funny, especially in an Indian summer). 30% of buyers went for the mid range model and only 20% went for the basic $2,050 version according to a report in Daily Finance. The article goes on to suggest Detroit could learn a thing or two from the Nano and suggests US car makers should bring out stripped down no-nonsense frugal models. We think they are missing the point, however as lower cost frugal cars have been available in the USA for some time, mostly from European and Japanese car-makers and have largely proved unpopular. Temporary changes of behavior as seen during the oil spike last year notwithstanding, America has a long standing love affair with big cars and though some will trade down from a SUV to a sedan the sedan will still be large by the standards of any other country.

If the Nano shows a trend it is for the developing world. India is not alone in having a large portion of the population relying on motorcycle transport, for whom the upgrade to a car was always going to be one step too far but for whom the upgrade to a Nano at $2,000-2,500 is a different matter. In addition, the Indians are notoriously thrifty and the fact 50% of sales have been for the high end model suggests many middle class families may be moving from their Suzuki Maruti to the Nano rather than from a motorcycle.

The $512m of cash flow will come as a welcome boost to Tata who borrowed $3bn via a bridging loan last June to buy Jaguar Land Rover at the top of the market. The firm has since repaid $1bn raising funds from a rights issue but is due to pay the balance in 4 weeks time. Tata is more than capable of funding the acquisition though and in covering the cash JLR is hemorrhaging at the moment – that won’t stop them coming for state aid to the UK government though, in spite of Nano sales.

–Stuart Burns

Tata Nano to World’s Cheapest Home

2009-05-13T04:23:00.000-07:00

Recently we saw the launch of the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car. The company is now working on its next project for those with little cash. The new project, which has been dubbed Nano homes by the Indian media, will offer the world’s cheapest homes in India.

The Tata housing project will offer one-room, 283 sq ft flats, which is half the size of a squash court. The price of the flat will be 390,000 rupees (£5,200), which The Telegraph explains will be on the outskirts of Mumbai, normally property prices there compete with other cities such as London and New York.

Tata will offer a more expensive option, for 670,000 rupees (£9,000) is 465 sq ft flat, that gives you a separate living room and separate bedroom.

These small homes are aimed at Indian families who just cannot afford to get on to the property ladder. It is expected that millions of slum-dwellers are expected to jump at the chance of owning their own property, and Tata is just the company to offer them the chance.

Tatas' nano housing plan takes off in style

2009-05-13T04:18:00.000-07:00

Tata Group has sold around 3,500 application forms for its low-cost housing project, Shubh Griha near Mumbai, in the first two days of booking, three-and-a-half times the number of apartments the company is planning to build under the project, a company executive said.

The pricing of the project has taken many by surprise. Its Shubh Griha website has received 15 lakh hits in four days since announcement of the project. This includes 6.7 lakh hits from the US and 3.3 lakh hits from India, as per the executive.

“The response only reflects the huge demand for housing in that segment,” Tata Housing managing director Brotin Banerjee said, adding that the company had already sold off all printed forms in just two days. Ten branches of State Bank of India started selling forms across Mumbai on Monday.

The bank branches located in the western suburbs linked to Boisar have seen better sales of application forms, a senior marketing executive said, adding that the company was receiving enquiries from many other cities, including Delhi and Bangalore.

Source: Economic Times

Tata Housing Development Company | Low Cost Housing

2009-05-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Jamshedpur gave birth to Telco (now Tata Motors) which has just launched the low-cost Nano; Jamshedpur, according to the 35-year old Tata Housing Development Company Managing Director Brotin Banerjee, is what inspired Tata Housing to launch its Shubh Griha low-cost housing project in Mumbai.

Banerjee has been with Tata Housing for the last two years. For now, the group will construct 1,000 low-cost houses in Mumbai, and later do another 4,000 over four years in different cities.
Banerjee, who was born and brought up in Jharkhand and has worked with the Tatas since 1998, says he liked the concept of Jamshedpur, which provided housing to thousands of employees working with Tata companies and others. So, he says, he wanted to try and replicate that model in other cities. 'The Tatas', he says, 'have always worked with the common man in mind. I am just one of them".

For the record, the Tata Administrative Service officer has been working with the group on mass-products in the past as well. He began his TAS-life with Tata Chemicals making salt for the 'common-man' one of his first jobs was to help relaunch the Tata Salt brand.

After launching the 'Tata Namak, Desk ka Namak', he launched 'Samunder', a low-priced iodised salt aimed at poorer sections of society. He later moved to Barista Coffee as Vice-President in charge of marketing, strategy and corporate communications and was also its Chief Operating Officer.

According to Baner-jee, the project was a long time in the making and the team worked with suppliers, designers and others for over a year to come up with a model which was financially viable much the same thing, it appears in retrospect, that happened when Tata Motors conceived the Nano.

"We had many board and committee meetings discussing financial and commercial parameters at length. We were able to demonstrate that the project was feasible", he says.

Will the company's experiment to reach to the bottom of the pyramid be financially viable when the economy is slowing down, and how will the entry of builders such as Unitech and Omaxe in this very segment affect the Tata project?
"Why not?" counters Banerjee. "There is a short hous-es in the country in mid- and lower-income segments, and that cannot be bridged by the government un-less there is private sector participation", he argues.

The similarities with the Nano, of course, don't end here. The Shubh Grlha project, like the Nano, is likely to add more to the buzz around the company than it will to its bottomline. In the next four years, if all goes well, it will contribute just around 5 per cent to Tata Housing's revenues.

For the rest, the company is banking on mid-income and premium housing projects, IT parks, malls, office complexes and so on. In the same manner that Tata Motors is counting on the truck market to lift its fortunes

Tata Offers Low Cost Houses | Booking Started on May 11th

2009-05-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

After the low cost Tata Nano, Tata has come out with low low-cost houses that would be available for Rs4-7 lakh.
The loans for low-cost houses are been offered by a subsidiary of Tata Sons, Tata Housing Finance and the booking for these houses has also started on May 11th.

Tata Housing launched its low-cost housing initiative named the Shubh Griha project on May 6th. The company plans to build apartments under the project at the rate that will be priced somewhere between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 7 lakh.

The booking amount for these apartments will start at Rs 10,000 and the bookings can only be made through bank pay order at selected branches of SBI across Mumbai. Further the application forms for the booking are available at SBI branches and can be availed for a price of Rs 200.

The booking for these low cost houses will be made in the next 20 days and the first list and the waiting list for the same is expected to be out 15 days after the final booking day.

The first township under the Shubh Griha project will be launched at Boisar in Mumbai.

The firm has also entered into agreements with SBI and HDFC to provide finance options to its potential customers.

Tata Nano Makes 2.03 Lakh Bookings

2009-05-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Tata Nano has drawn over 2.03 lakh fully paid bookings amounting to nearly Rs.2,500 crores, in an encouraging response to the car launched on 23rd March.

The Tata Nano website recorded an unprecedented 3 crore (30 million) hits from the date of launch of the car to the closure of the booking period (25th April, 2009), nearly 1 million hits a day. About 14 lakh people walked in to Tata Motors Showrooms, Croma and Westside stores across the country to catch a glimpse of the car. A total of 6.10 lakh forms were purchased from the booking centres. 70% of the 2.03 lakh bookings received were financed, while 30% of the applicants booked in cash by paying fully. About 4,000 cash bookings were made online through www.tatanano.com, a first for the auto industry in India. Among the three variants of the car, 20% bookings are for the Nano Standard, 30% for the Nano CX and the remaining 50% for the top-end Nano LX.

As announced on 23rd March, the first 100,000 allottees from among the applicants will be chosen through a computerised random selection procedure, and the announcement will be made within 60 days of closure of the booking. Deliveries will start in July 2009, and are expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2010, while all efforts would be made to ramp up production and deliver earlier.

Simultaneously along with the announcement of the first 1 lakh successful allottees, Tata Motors will also announce the allotment of those booking applicants who have expressed their interest in retaining their bookings with the company even if they do not form part of the first 1 lakh allottees. The retainees will earn an interest on their booking amount, effective from that date. The booking amounts of unsuccessful applicants who have not chosen to retain their booking amounts will be refunded at the same time.

Tata Motors places on record its gratitude to the people of India for according such a warm welcome to the Tata Nano, and to all its preferred financiers, dealers and partner companies in making the Tata Nano far more accessible.

Nano Homes - The “Bottom of the Pyramid”

2009-05-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Tata group has once again caught the attention of the world media with its announcement of the launch of a low-cost housing programme. Many global newspapers, from Business Week covered the news prominently. According to the Tata Group, the houses will cost less than Rs.4 Lakh. Even though many other property developers have also built affordable houses, Tata group got huge media coverage because of the spillover effect of the “Tata Nano Car”.

According to the “Telegraph” newspaper, this is what Mr. Brotin Banerjee, CEO of Tata Housing, said “This is a huge opportunity to serve those at the bottom of the pyramid. Our inspiration is the millions of Indians who cannot afford proper housing and live in shanties.” The newspaper also says that “millions of slum-dwellers are expected to jump at the chance to own a home in a proper building”.

Tata Group aims to achieve two things from this venture – first, fulfill its corporate social responsibility and second, make profit. This is precisely what Mr. C.K. Prahlad, the renowned management guru, has been advocating.

In his 2006 book “The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid”, Mr. Prahlad describes the people at “the bottom of the pyramid” as those 4 billion people living on less than $2 per day. He argues that “If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up” and “When the p oor are converted into consumers, they get more than access to products and services. They acquire the dignity of attention and choices from the private sector that were previously reserved for the middle class and rich.?”

Mr. Prahlad cites the successes of Nirma and ITC as two best examples of profitably serving the “bottom of the pyramid” customers. While Nirma succeeded by targeting lower income group with its affordable detergents (Hindustan Lever initially ignored it but later realized the huge potential in this market), the latter combined technology and the village “mandi” to generate profit for themselves and for the farmers by eliminating the middlemen.

Now it is the turn of Tata Group to effectively use the idea of the “bottom of the pyramid”. First they came up with Tata Nano. Now they are planning to repeat the success of the idea with its Nano homes. With this, Tata Group is once again setting a great example as a company that cares not only for profits but also for people. Will other companies follow suit?

The 'Nano Home'

2009-05-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

First it launched the Tata Nano – the world’s cheapest car. Now, the company that owns Jaguar Land Rover and Corus Steel is giving India the world’s cheapest home.

Dubbed “Nano homes” by the Indian media, Tata’s housing project will sell one-room, 283 sq ft flats, less than half the size of a squash court, for 390,000 rupees (£5,200) on the outskirts of Mumbai – a city where property prices compete with those in London or New York.

A more expensive option, for 670,000 rupees (£9,000) is 465 sq ft and has a living room and separate bedroom. The cheaper property costs just 1,378 rupees, or £18.50, per square foot, thought to be the cheapest urban real estate in the world. Like the £1,300 Tata Nano car, the homes are aimed at Indian families who could not normally afford to get onto the property ladder.

Millions of slum-dwellers are expected to jump at the chance to own a home in a proper building.

“This is a huge opportunity to serve those at the bottom of the pyramid,” Brotin Banerjee, CEO of Tata Housing, said. “Our inspiration is the millions of Indians who cannot afford proper housing and live in shanties.” Tata Housing expects a turnover of 1,000,000,000 rupees, £13.4 million, in the first phase.

“Parents don’t want their children to grow up in unhygienic shanties. It is the dream of anyone in the world to own their own house and that is what we are offering – brand new homes in clean, hygienic, well-built buildings,” Mr Banerjee continued.

The first complex of 1,000 homes is under construction in a town called Boisar, 60 miles from Mumbai. It will include a hospital, school, playground and gardens.

By the end of 2009, Tata Housing plans similar projects in Delhi and Bangalore. The group may eventually expand the model to Europe or the US.

Nano Vendors to Set up in the Premises

2009-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors has asked nearly 55 of its vendors to set up their manufacturing units in the land allotted for the mother plant. It has allotted land to its different vendors that supply auto components for its ultra-cheap model, Tata Nano.

Tata Motors has been allotted nearly 1100 acres of land by the Gujarat government at Sanand near Ahmedabad along National Highway 8. It readily connects the Tata Nano mother plant to Gujarat’s main ports like Kandla, Mundra and Dholera.

“Land has been allotted to vendors on May 5 and we have been asked by Tata Motors to start work immediately. Most vendors are now talking to banks and financial institutions for funds required to set up their units. Tata Motors needs to generate volumes at the earliest as it can now produce only 50,000 Nanos at its Pantnagar facility,” said a vendor, who is supplying the Nano chassis.

Although there is no official word from Tata Motors regarding the matter but according to one of the official Tata Motors spokesperson, each vendor has been allotted a definite timeline to set up its unit so that the production can be started in full swing at the earliest.

Submitted by Rish

Maruti to launch 'Ritz' on May 15 against Tata Nano

2009-05-06T02:34:00.000-07:00

After a Blast launch of Tata Nano by Tata Motors, India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday said it will launch its new hatchback 'Ritz' May 15.

"Ritz, which will be available in petrol and diesel variants, will be India's first BS-IV compliant car," the company said in a statement, referring to the Bharat Stage IV emission norms.

The car is positioned in the premium A2 market segment, which includes its compact offerings such as Alto, WagonR, Swift, Zen and the newly-launched A-Star.

"Ritz is the eighth new model within 48 months following the launch of Swift, Zen Estilo, SX4, Swift Diesel, Grand Vitara, Swift Dzire and A-star," the company said.

Ritz will be available with two different engine options: a brand new K-series of 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, 85PS petrol engine and a 1.3 litre, 16-valve, 75PS diesel engine, the company said.

To know More about Maruti Ritz specification and Performance Click Here...

Tata Nano debuts with 1 millon requests; watch out Toyota Corolla

2009-05-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

As the following lists detail, the best-selling vehicle in history is the Toyota Corolla, with more than 32 million units sold. The 50th best-selling car in history is the Peugeot 405 with 3.5 million units sold. The best-selling vehicle in 2008 was the Ford F-Series truck
with 515,513 units sold. It's also the second best-selling vehicle of all-time.

If the Tata Nano continues at its current initial popularity, how high could it advance on the all-time list?

The Top-10 Best-Selling Cars In History

1. Toyota Corolla - 32,000,000+units
Introduced in 1966, the Corolla is produced in five continents by Japanese automaker.

2.Ford F-Series - 30,000,000+units
Introduced 1948, it's the top-selling truck of all-time, remarkable since it's sold only in the United States.

3. Volkswagen Golf - 25,000,000+units
Launched by the German automaker in 1974, it's now in its sixth generation.

4. Volkswagen Beetle - 22,300,000+units
The first model was produced by German automaker in 1938 at the request of the Nazi government.

5. Ford Escort - 20,000,000+units
The iconic brand, produced 1968-2000 was particularly popular in Europe.

6. Honda Civic - 17,730,000+units
The value-priced Civic has been produced since 1972 and is now in its eighth generation.

7. Ford Model T - 16,500,000+units
Named the most influential car of the 20th century, it was made from 1909-1927.

8.Volkswagen Passat - 14,100,000+units
Made since 1973, the Passat is in its sixth generation and has been sold under seven names.

9. Chevrolet Impala - 14,000,000+units
Offered since 1958, it's considered the first luxury car for the middle class.

10. Ford Fiesta - 12,500,000+units
Sold worldwide since 1976, it's manufactured by Ford Europe, a Ford Motor Company subsidiary.

The Top 10 Best-Selling Cars of 2008

1. Ford F-Series: 515,513; 2. Chevy Silverado: 465,065; 3. Toyota Camry: 436,617; 4. Honda Accord: 372,789; 5. Toyota Corolla: 351,007; 6. Honda Civic: 339,289; 7. Nissan Altima: 269,668; 8. Chevy Impala: 265,840; 9. Dodge Ram: 245,840; 10. Honda CR-V: 197,279.

Tata Nano might just receive 6-8 lakh bookings

2009-05-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Market sources are now pointing out that Tata Motors might just get around 6-8 lakh bookings for their recently launched small car Tata Nano.

Experts had previously estimated that the company would be able to book around 10 lakh cars in the first round.

This would still be good enough as the company would collect over Rs 700 crore on bookings alone.

This would in addition to Rs 24 crore which are expected to be generated from the sales of the booking forms.

There is still hope that the numbers would be impressive as the company aims to start delivering the vehicles from July this year.

Tesla and Tata Race Into a Future They Could Dominate

2009-05-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

The big automakers are supposed to be in the business of telling us what we'll all be driving for the next 50 years, but they've had their (greatly diminished) thunder stolen over the past few weeks by radically new visions of how we'll be getting from A to B. A few weeks ago, Silicon Valley-based start-up Tesla Motors finally yanked the cover off its much-anticipated Model S, an all-electric sedan that will, after tax credits, sell for just under $50,000. Earlier, India's Tata Motors, part of one of the largest manufacturing entities in the world, officially launched its Nano "People's Car," which will go for $2,000, making it the planet's cheapest ride.

Tesla and Tata are the opposite poles of a mobile future that could look utterly unlike what we have today: Electric cars that burn no gas and produce no carbon emissions and "micro cars" that can run on different fuels (including battery power), achieve high mileage with low emissions, and are affordable to much of the world's citizenry tooling around on bikes, mopeds and scooters. In between, no more Pontiacs, Buicks, Mercurys or Chryslers.

Green luxury on one side and semigreen basic transportation on the other. These extremes could wind up defining our collective mobility choices. But will either Tesla or Tata survive to be part of this bifurcated destiny?

Unfortunately, both companies are grappling with significant business issues. Tesla's are more troubling. The nearly six-year-old firm is still playing catch-up on delivery of pre-orders for its debut 2008 model year, of its exotic $100,000-plus electric Roadster. According to the company, it has put 300 customers, out of 600 who pre-ordered an '08, behind the wheel of this very fast, very sexy car.
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Last year, before securing a round of investment, the company was running out of operating cash. However, $350 million in loans from the Department of Energy was (and still is) out there, like low-hanging fruit, reserved for alternative-energy projects. Tesla has latched on to these funds as a sort of virtuous bailout. (It's worth noting that the Detroit Big Three, pre-TARP, were also eyeing Energy loans to retool their plants for more fuel-efficient vehicles.)

Skepticism about the Model S has always run high. It remains elevated, although the gorgeous vehicle that chief executive Elon Musk unveiled last month did wow the media. At the moment, it's a prototype plus pictures. If Tesla fails to get the Energy money, Model S production, slated to begin in 2011, is uncertain. Yet Tesla must move forward with the Model S, even as it tries to pursue profitability through Roadster orders and a deal with Daimler to supply power trains for an electric version of the Smart car. The company needs to demonstrate viability -- an important concept these days in the car business -- to stay in the running for the loans. And to Tesla's credit, even though it's endured some setbacks, the company has managed to thwart the naysayers.

Tata has its own problems. Last year, the firm -- which made $126 million in 2007 but lost $52 million in 2008 -- bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. But as the global automobile industry has tanked during the financial crisis, Tata hit a wall on $2 billion in loans it took out to obtain the British brands. As has been widely reported, the Nano can't help the company out of its pinch because a Nano factory in Bengal ran into massive local resistance. A new plant won't be able to start building Nanos until next year, so Tata will have to piece together the first generation of the car using other manufacturing facilities.

Ultimately, Tesla is selling a more technologically revolutionary vision of the automobile and is under greater pressure to succeed. The company has been criticized by automotive prognosticators (myself included) who think the firm has been taking in deposits to fund expansion while stalling on deliveries and teasing the public with vaporware. Without the Energy Department loans, it may well be game over for the company unless Musk can persuade additional investors to pony up.

Tata has engaged in its own brand of spin with the Nano. Initial production may be far more limited than predicted, but that hasn't stopped chief executive Ratan Tata from presenting a European Nano at the Geneva Auto Show and later promising an American Nano. Both the Nano Europa and Nano Americano would require a lot of additional safety and emissions equipment, but even if they cost twice as much as the Indian Nano, they'd still be priced at half of the cheapest North American car that still has four wheels and a roof.

So a betting man would say that the Nano is inevitable and the Model S, given how much it costs to develop a new vehicle (the Toyota Prius cost $1 billion), is in deep, deep trouble -- as is Tesla. But what's potentially happening is a new kind of market segmentation as sustainable destiny. Tesla's goal is to build three vehicles: the Roadster, the Model S and a crossover-type family vehicle that could bring electric-vehicle ownership to the masses. Objectively, the company already has a competitive advantage over the big automakers; GM's Chevy Volt, which isn't actually a pure electric vehicle, won't arrive until 2010 and may be priced above the far more seductive Model S. Chrysler is entering Tesla's ballpark with its ENVI program, but, given its gloomy financials, it may never get its electric products off the assembly lines.

Electric vehicles will eventually become the iPhones of the developed world's personal-mobility consumers; just as buyers did with the Prius, they'll pay extra to do the right thing for Planet Earth. In regions where personal mobility doesn't involve an enclosed experience, the Nano is a game-changer. And although it runs counter to the argument that we don't need any more cars and horrifies some climate scientists, it's the best option for the developing world.

If our coming era is going to be one of frugality and green investment, and if they can make it through the next two years, Tata and Tesla could come to dominate the transportation world.

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Tata Motors’ debt worries

2009-05-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors that made an audacious buyout of Jaguar Land Rover two years back may have bitten off more than it can chew. Its debt numbers seem to be piling up and even as credit conditions have improved, the going may be tough.
Well, life is moving beyond the Nano for Tata Motors. The company's top management is thinking overtime to manage its multi billion dollar debt. According to sources, in the last few months the Tata group have been forced to raise money for the payments of Jaguar Land Rover, a firm they bought at the peak of the bull run.
Some analysts peg the debt figure at Rs 30,000 crore saying that the debt has been slowly rising over quarters for Tata Motors and averaging at the said amount.
Now, the group is in the market again to raise money, this time through bonds. Meanwhile, some analysts feel that the Tata group have no securities to offer and so a bond issue is the only option.

Mahentesh Sabarbad, Auto Analyst at Centrum Broking, said, “Today Tata Motors’ balance sheet is so stretched that it is apparent to me that they don’t have any securities to offer. So, they are going in for an SBI backed guarantee, which turns out to be a win-win situation for all the three parties.

The company’s current debt is double the equity of the firm and they have to not only payback bridge loan, but also worry about feeding working cap into JLR and have to take the next pension fund deficit call at JLR.

Meanwhile, struggling to find avenues to refinance the high cost debt taken to acquire JLR, Tata Motors is now hoping to tap into the increased appetite for corporate bonds. But questions over the company's ability to manage the huge debt linger.

Tata Motors fails to achieve one million booking of Nano car

2009-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors has failed to achieve one million booking of Nano car. It must have come as a disappointment for the company. Nano, the company believed would open the floodgate of orders from millions of Indians living in semi urban and rural areas for whom owning a car was just a dream.

The company is trying hard to make sure it doesn’t disappoint its shareholders, with an almost Rs 1,00,000 booking amount for its People’s Car TATA Nano they haven’t got as many bookings as they would have expected. Now TATA Motors is giving more options in terms of loans and also advising its financial arm to not to be too strict on loans.

Also one more factor which has prevented bulk booking of the Nano is PAN card, TATA Motors has announced that Nano will be limited to one car per PAN number. And PAN card is mandatory while taking delivery of TATA Nano.

Many of the brokers who usually buy newly launched cars in bulk are also cautious about the delivery time which could make their money locked with TATA Motors for upto an year without any interest.

There are reports that say that Tata Motors sees 6-8 lakh bookings overall as against the initial expectation of over 10 lakh bookings. Analysts say the company will mop up over Rs 700 crore on bookings alone. Tata Motors, moreover, will also collect Rs 24 crore through the sale of more than 8 lakh forms.

Tata Nano debuts with 1 millon requests; watch out Toyota Corolla

2009-05-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

What is so Thrilling in Tata's Nano ?

2009-05-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

Car ownership in India brings feelings of pride and freedom, which is why 350,000 people have entered a lottery to buy a Tata Nano

For his first meeting with the object of his desire, Rajesh Murthy, 32, clean-cut and handsome, gets a haircut, a new shirt, and a wad of cash. The resident of Ghaziabad, a low-income suburb of New Delhi, wakes up early, calls his boss at the restaurant where he runs the cash register to say he's taking a sick day, and then drives a half-hour on his motorcycle to a dealership in South Delhi. There, he stands in line with hundreds of fans, pushing through the crowd at every opportunity, eagerly craning his neck for a glimpse. "I can't wait," he says, his eyes darting around to look for an opening in the throngs of people. "I saw it once two years ago, and since then I have been dreaming of bringing it home, surprising my parents. Oh, my wife, she will be so happy."

Suddenly, the doors open and he is ushered into another crowded room. There, in the corner, just as he remembered it, is a pristine, white Tata Nano. Brand-new, the factory paint still shiny, a bright red ribbon crisscrossing its hood, its doors invitingly open, the car seems to beckon to Murthy. In the two and a half years since Murthy first saw pictures of a Nano prototype, the car has become an obsession for him and countless other Indians. He dreams about the $2,000 "People's Car," he tells me sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. "Quickly," he says, grabbing my hand, and together we half-run to the car.

Like 350,000 other people all across India, Murthy puts down an $80 deposit to enter a lottery. Only a lucky 100,000 winners will get to buy a Nano in the next 12 months. They have to take their chances, because Tata Motors (TTM), which dreamed up, designed, and then produced the cheapest car in the world, has a problem that General Motors (GM), Ford (F), and Chrysler only wish they had: far too many customers. Pressure from local politicians angry about Tata using farmers' land for its proposed factory in West Bengal forced the company last year to give up and start again in Gujarat, a state in India's west with a pro-business government. The new factory there won't be complete until late 2009, so for now Tata has to ration access to the Nano.

It is difficult for many Westerners to imagine what cars mean for Indians. For decades, Indians chafed under a controlled economy, choosing from two cars—the tank-like Ambassador, unchanged since the 1950s, with its sofa seats and lumbering engine, and the ladylike Fiat, modeled on the 1957 1200D, short and petite, with an awkward gearbox attached to the steering wheel. Few people could afford new cars, and secondhand, thirdhand, and even fourthhand cars were coveted.

Car Blessings

In the early '90s, the economy opened up, and suddenly there were choices, some affordable, most not. New cars, almost always the Maruti 800, designed by Japan's Suzuki (7269.T) and built by the Indian government, would be delivered to houses, their gleaming, factory-fresh bodies festooned with ribbons and flowers. With envious neighbors glaring, the new owner would gingerly drive the car to a temple, where a priest would crack open a coconut and say a prayer, blessing both the car and its occupants.

Then the neighborhood kids would pile in, and for weeks the owner would be obliged to drive them around, letting them honk the horn, sit in the driver's seat, and hold the steering wheel. "I felt so unshackled," says my father, a government employee in Kolkata, who in 1989 bought a three-year-old Ambassador for 70,000 rupees (approximately $1,400 today), an amount it took him years to save and borrow. The car, which we nicknamed the Black Beauty, was the first anybody in the extended family ever owned. "I could go anywhere," my father says. "In the rain, in the sun, whenever."

But for so many more Indians—not poor but not rich either, infuriatingly trapped between the lower-middle class and the middle-middle class—cars remained a marker of prosperity they couldn't reach. Just to afford a $1,000 motorcycle, they scrounged and saved, and then, with their wives and their children and sometimes a friend all balanced on the bike's narrow seats, off they went in the never-ending summers of India, balancing between life and death on the way to a picnic, dodging rich people's cars and poor people's cows. "Since the first time I saw the Nano, I started to hate my motorcycle," says Murthy, who has given me a ride to the Tata dealer on the back of his 100cc Yamaha.

The sight of a family of four struggling through the rain on a motorcycle, the story goes, is what gave billionaire industrialist Ratan Tata the idea to build the world's most inexpensive car. Many people sniggered. "It can't be done," they said. A newspaper editor I once worked for laughed at it, saying it would be a four-wheeled rickshaw, with rubber flaps for doors. "Will airbags be included? Will seat belts? There is so much that is not known about this car," Suzuki Chief Osamu Suzuki asked back in December 2007.
"The Impossible Suddenly Became Possible"

Still, the Nano is a car—a real, affordable car—and in the glare of the world's attention, it is undeniably Indian. The Nano "is a car that they don't have to be ashamed of," says Gautam Sen, editor of Auto India, India's largest car magazine. "This is the kind of car that kind of transcends class." After Ratan Tata first unveiled a prototype of the Nano in January last year, traffic in parts of central Delhi came to a halt as an estimated 300,000 people came to the car show to stare at their dream. For the next year, the Nano seeped into the national consciousness. A graphic novelist, Sarnath Banerjee, did a full-page cartoon for the Hindustan Times on the Nano, and as we sip coffee on his balcony in a tony Delhi neighborhood one day eight months after the launch, he tries to figure out what the car really means. "It's as if the impossible suddenly became possible," he says.

As they waited for the car to go on sale this month, people talked about the Nano nonstop, picking out colors and delaying other purchases to save for the car. In August when protesters, bitter over how the government had taken land from them before leasing it to Tata, surrounded the automaker's plant, many Indians hated them for forcing them to wait longer for their dream car. Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the protests, now sighs when I ask her about the car finally going on sale. "I don't know," she says in Bengali. "Things could have been worked out. Every time I see an ad for the car, I feel like Tata launched the car just to make me look bad."

Restaurant worker Rajesh Murthy, though, is mainly focused on just getting one for himself. As I go with him to the Tata showroom, he tells me he has cleaned out his bank account and is now carrying 120,000 rupees ($2,400) in cash, in the hope that maybe he can just put the money in front of some manager and persuade him to let Murthy drive the car right out of the showroom and right into his life. Patting the wad of money in the pocket of his new shirt, Murthy says he knows the chance of that happening is slim.

And sure enough, like everybody else, he has to fill out a form, get it stamped, and leave his $80 deposit. He also has to show papers proving he is employed and has paid his taxes, his lease from his small, one-room rented apartment he shares with his parents, an aunt, and his wife, and a passbook from a savings account that he has had since he was 18.

While Murthy negotiates the paperwork, I corner a salesman, V. Ramakrishnan. I want him to tell me stories of the wild crowds, surging toward a tiny car, but instead Ramakrishnan tells me of his little adventure. The cars in the showroom are only to be looked at and touched, not to be test-driven. However, to get the salesmen used to the car so they can make their pitches, the dealership's owner let them all take short spins. "Five minutes," says Ramakrishnan.

How did you feel?

"Amazing," he says. "Like a rich man."

Why sales 'not certain' for Nano

2009-05-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

Tata has denied reports that it has taken over 500,000 orders for the Nano, claiming that it will not know how many Nanos will be pre-ordered until several days after the booking process ends on Saturday, 25 April.

“We’re not sure how many orders we’ve taken yet,” said a spokesperson. “It’s going to be difficult to trace the final numbers quickly.”

The firm also said it didn’t know how many order forms had been sold as part of the booking process for the Nano, which involves potential purchaser buying an order form for 300 rupees (£4).

Tata said the scale of the ordering operation, taking place at over 30,000 locations across India including some remote rural areas, meant it was impossible to accurately keep track of the number of orders until the process was complete.

Tata Nano Reviews on Engine, Gearbox and Performance

2009-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Now for the part about our test drive report that is the most awaited of all. Unlike what was being rumoured, the Nano has a surprisingly refined and capable 624cc petrol engine. The engine does not sound like that of an autorickshaw or a genset and is also not too strained when pushed during heavy acceleration.

Of course, the two-cylinder, MPFI engine, with a rated peak power of 35 PS, is tuned and mapped for fuel efficient performance. Its top speed has also been limited at 105 kmph with the help of an engine-rpm sensor and fuel cut-off mechanism. The fuel is cut-off at 5,600 rpm and fuel delivery is restarted once the engine rpm fall below the 5,550 rpm level.

I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Nano with relatively smooth linear power delivery and impressive straight line acceleration that took the speedo all the way to the top speed, our test vehicle proved that it is a fully capable car. In-gear top speeds were about 60 kmph plus in the second gear, about 94 kmph in the third and a 105 kmph in the fourth.

The Nano felt stable and quite confident at high speeds and though frankly, it would be ideal to avoid high speed travel in such compact cars, the Nano is clearly more than a match in the entry-level segment.

Tata engineers tell me that the most work had to be done in quietening the engine, without affecting its fuel-efficiency and performance characteristics. The exhaust note of the Nano is just like that of a regular gasoline engine with a bit of a burble. That has apparently been achieved after a considerable level of compact packaging of the muffler, since the length and space available was short due to the position of the engine. The in-cabin noise level is also relatively low and it has been achieved with the help of very simple, low-cost insulation, padding and noise-dampening materials.

The Nano’s engine has been mated to a four-speed cable-operated synchromesh gearbox. The gear stick is a bit tall in keeping with the seating position and the precise throw and clear shift quality of the gearbox came as a surprise to me. There is no notchy, sticky shift feel to this gearbox and the overall experience is quite pleasant and will be appreciated by first time women drivers.

Higher Claims and Reinsurance on Nano - Review

2009-04-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Higher loss claims and the possibility of non-proportionate reinsurance being factored into insurance policies taken for the Tata Nano, cannot be ruled out. This may necessitate the five insurance companies insuring the Nano to review the annual premiums that are currently expected to be in the range of 2.5 to 3 per cent of the insured declared value (IDC) of the model when it rolls out from the factory.

First time drivers graduating from two-wheelers, a larger expected commercial usage of the vehicle due to its low-ticket value, may increase the accident frequency. This may raise the possibility of higher loss claims accruing to insurers and consequent higher overhead expenses due to the low price of the Nano.

“Accident impact, availability of spare parts to replace those damaged, driver’s profile, the acquisition cost of a customer and the administrative cost of the insurer will vary from one insurance company to another.

If the combined ratio including claims and expenses of a company is about 95 per cent, then an insurer can make a margin or remain cost neutral. Otherwise he will suffer a loss,” Director of KPMG India, Shashwat Sharma told Express.

“The Nano will be used as a family car and not for commercial purposes. Hence, its risk profile will be attractive to insurance companies,” clarified Head-Motor Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, Easwaranatarajan N.

ICICI Lombard is one of the insurers for the Nano.

While ruling out the possibility of a proportionate reinsurance due to the low-ticket size of the car, Sharma felt that nonproportionate reinsurance needed to be factored into the insurance policy. This would raise the premium cost to about 3.5 per cent of the IDV of the car.

But since most of the motor vehicles on the roads already carried insurance policies inclusive of non-proportionate reinsurance, oblivious to the policyholder, this was on expected lines.

A non-proportionate reinsurance cover encompasses all catastrophic events such as a flood, riots or an earthquake with the second insurer sharing the risk in case of a mass damage, to about 200 vehicles for instance, insured by the original insurer. In reinsurance, an insurance company passes part of its risk to another insurer if it is unable to absorb the entire risk itself.

But industry experts differed stating that reinsurance was expensive and not necessary for the Nano. Others felt that the insurance sector survived on the likelihood of unforeseen events occurring.

While not ruling out the possibility of reinsurance in case of Nano, Director, Crisil Ratings, Pawan Agrawal said: “It is primarily large industrial installations with huge risk exposures which take reinsurance cover. Even in the automotive sector, for a higher priced model like the Mercedes Benz it is viable, but Nano carries no large risk. Moreover, all the owners are not going to meet with an accident together.”

source:Expressbuzz.com

Tata Nano Exterior Reviews

2009-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

There are few examples of an automobile that is as sharply focused on one issue as is the Nano on frugality - of manufacture, of acquisition and of regular maintenance.

And so, every single part of the car was approached with a fresh intent and without the pre-fixed notion of how it already exists in other cars. The idea was to keep the weight of the car low, so that it can offer high fuel-efficiency, meet emission norms and be capable of being manufactured within the pre-defined cost. These points were also important to ensure that the theme of frugality can be extended to include low cost of ownership.

To meet these targets, first Tata engineers chose a hybrid-monocoque chassis for the Nano. Compared to the conventional monocoque chassis used in most modern cars, in the Nano, the light-weight frame and sub-frame, together with long members for additional rigidity have been welded to the monocoque body shell. This has helped keep the Nano’s panels lean and light-weight, without compromising the small car’s safety record. The Nano meets front impact and side impact collision requirements.

Tata engineers have also used other innovative low-cost/ low-weight features like the ribbed panel for the roof and the stiff cross-member located just behind the driver and co-driver seats for improved rigidity and side-impact protection.

Some of the other parts that were compacted or miniaturised include a specially developed tiny fuel pump, a smaller than average 80 cc, rotary-vane compressor for the air-conditioner and a compact outside rear view mirror. The mirror itself is fixed to the door mounted stalk using a simple ball and socket joint so that it can take knocks on our crowded streets without breaking up.

The Nano’s frugality focus has also meant that every ounce of efficiency has been squeezed out of every part. That has been the reason for the choice of 12-inch light-weight steel wheel rims, tubeless tyres because they offer lower rolling resistance and are nowadays only as expensive as ‘tubed’ radials, and that has also been the reason why the fuel tank capacity of the Nano has been kept at a compact 15-litres. Small cars like Chevrolet Spark, Hyundai Santro and Maruti 800 have a turning radius of above 4.4m and in the case of Spark and Santro, even aided with a power steering. Nano has a tighter turning radius of 4m, so most drivers will not miss power steering in the Nano.

The compact size of the Nano has not meant that its payload capacity is compromised. It is rated to carry four adults and luggage weighing a total of 300 kgs. Fully loaded, the Nano is only slightly heavier than the unladen Santro. The Nano is not offered with a few features like the left hand side outer rear view mirror. It is an optional dealer-level fitment even in the CX and LX variants.

But, one of the features that it has managed to do away with again due to ingenious frugal engineering is the need for a headlamp-levelling system. It would have led to added costs. By fine tuning the suspension dynamics to ensure that there is no change in the angle and alignment of the headlamp beam due to uneven distribution of weight in the car, Tata engineers have ensured that the Nano be exempt from incorporating headlamp-levelling.

With a rear-mounted engine, the Nano also features some very unique positions for key, heavy parts to keep the weight distribution within a 40:60 ratio between the front and rear. As a result, the battery is located right below the driver’s seat and the fuel tank is located below and just behind the co-driver’s seat. Further, to ensure that the stability and handling of the Nano is not compromised, the car has been given wider 155/65 tyres at the rear, compared to the 135/70 at the front.

Tata to Announce 1 Million Reservations for Nano in India

2009-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors Ltd., the largest manufacturer of trucks in India and innovator of the soon-to-be available Tata Nano, is set announce the number of reservations it has received the world's cheapest car.

According to newspaper reports, the Tata may have received as many as one million orders for the estimated $2,000 vehicle. The official announcement is expected April 28.

Tata allowed reservations for the Tata between April 9-25. Orders won't be completed for more than a year and the automaker is guaranteeing the initial price of the car for only the first 10,000 vehicles sold.

Conceived in 2003, discussed for several years and six months delayed from its originally scheduled debut, the Tata Nano specifications are unique: It's a four-door, five-seat, 10-foot automobile with a 2-cylinder, 33-horsepower, 624cc engine.

It will have a five-speed (four forward) manual transmission. Buyers are first expected to take delivery in July.

Priced at 100,000 rupees (approximately $1,950), the base model Nano is available in red, yellow and silver and does not include airbags, air conditioning or power steering.

Tata Nano Take Congestion to Tier II & III

2009-04-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tata Nano is the much awaited car to be launched in India and when the ‘mini car’ was launched earlier this year, credit rating agency CRISIL estimated Tata Nano could expand the Indian car market by 65% and increase car sales by 20% over previous year.

As per the data collected by KPMG from the society of Indian automobile manufacturers (SIAM) and CRISIL shows that in the landmark year of 1998-99, when a bevy of other auto-companies entered the small car segment, Maruti 800, the first and only A1 small car model, held a 58% market share.

Later with the introduction of a range of A2 compact car models - larger than A1 and a good Rs.2-5 lakh more expensive - the share of Maruti 800 fell to 5.8%, to be replaced in popularity by A2 cars whose share had increased to 72% by end of 2008.

Mr. Krishnan said "The A2 models created a metro-based upwardly mobile market segment." "But, the Nano, actually an A0 car, moves further down the pyramid, where the market is also wider." By bringing down the cost of ownership to less than three times that of a two-wheeler, it captures the aspiration, but cost sensitive market in tier II and III towns.

Dr N S Srinivasan, former head of the transport and transportation division of the Central Road Research Institute, estimates the growth of car traffic in central business districts (CBDs) of cities alone was six per cent during that period. Talking about the crowded roads he said "Whereas, the capacity of roads in CBDs to handle such volume has grown only negligibly”. "This is because, it is not possible to widen city roads owing to building constructions, and there is a limitation to construction of flyovers."

Nano Booking Over - Still Counting Nano Booking Numbers

2009-04-26T05:44:00.001-07:00

The booking for the world's cheapest car Nano launched by the Tatas has ended but the numbers are still being counted, a Tata Motors spokesperson said. The market estimates on the bookings vary from as few as a couple of lakhs to over one million.

Tata motors itself has not given any information so far. The spokesperson said the company is still compiling the number and the exercise may take a few days.Enquiries with some of the banks with which the company has tied up for booking and financing of the car also failed to reveal any information on the number of bookings. However, carwale.com, one of the websites which accepted online booking for Nano, said it has done 10,000 bookings of Tata's Nano car. "We have secured 10,000 bookings of Nano across 500 cities," carwale.com Vice-President Tufail Khan told PTI.He said 50 per cent of the booking has been done through credit cards and the rest through cheque payment.

About 55 per cent of the bookings have been for the top- end version of the Nano, 25 per cent for the middle version and the remaining 20 per cent is for the base model.

Source: indiatimes.com

Tata Nano Interiors Review

2009-04-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Much has already been written about the Nano’s vital statistics in terms of interior space compared to its nearest rival – the Maruti 800. But, it still does take you by surprise when you get to sit inside the Nano and personally get a feel of the space that has been leveraged out of a tall, relatively narrow outer shell.

There is considerable headroom and the fact that there is no engine under bonnet in the front helps the Nano offer deep foot wells and so lots of legroom for front passengers. At 1,652mm, the Nano is about 6 cms taller than the Hyundai Santro Xing, the tall-boy of small cars and it is also wider than both the small cars.

With the engine being positioned at the rear and just above the rear axle, the extremely stubby, short bonnet only houses the spare wheel and tyre, the air-conditioner condenser, air-conditioner’s air intake (in the LX and CX variants), the fuel filling point, and the tanks for the windscreen washer fluid and the brake fluid. There isn’t anymore space there and so no other storage option has been provided.

The Nano is a two-box car and is not a hatchback in the conventional sense of the term, since there is no hatch door to open out at the rear. In fact, though the rear of the Nano looks like it has an integrated hatch door, there are actually two parts – the rear glass and the rectangular, curved metal panel below it, both of which are fixed and bolted on. Access to the rear luggage storage area of 130 litres is via the back seat. Fold down the rear seat and the parcel tray fixed to it and you can reach the luggage area. It is pretty simple to do, but is likely to be one of the points that will be most criticised. The process has to be repeated and another floor panel fixed with the help of six wing nuts have to be removed to gain access to the engine of the Nano.

So, for a regular top-up service or even simple diagnostics, the rear engine bay can be reached only this way. But, the rather awkward process has to be tolerated, since the Nano’s focus on low costs means many of these features that are taken for granted in other hatchbacks cannot be carried forward in the One-lakh car.

Test Driving the Tata Nano Review

2009-04-26T01:44:00.000-07:00

Before allowing me behind the wheel of a Tata Nano test car at Tata Motors’ engineering research center and high-speed testing center here two hours south of Mumbai, a team of engineers told the story of the car’s gestation.

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, envisioned a safe, affordable and all-weather form of transport for Indian families that couldn’t afford a car. The vehicle Mr. Tata dreamed of would have a starting price of only 100,000 rupees ($2,000).

The engineering team was never short of ideas, said David Hudson of Tata Motors. For instance, they considered the use of plastic body panels and, in one case, having only one door on the driver’s side, he said.

But the fact is, the Nano is actually frighteningly conventional in its design, Mr. Hudson said. The Nano’s body and chassis are steel, while the bumpers are plastic. Only 122 inches long, the Nano is the shortest four-passenger car on sale in India, though it looks bigger than it is because of its height and wide stance.

The Nano has a 32-horsepower, 624-cc, 2-cylinder engine mounted in the rear. Access is given to the engine via a removable panel underneath the foldable rear seat. Despite being a fraction of the size of most economy-car engines, the all-aluminum engine provides reasonable pep. Engine noise is also far less than one might imagine given the size and simplicity of the Nano.

Acceleration is hardly neck-snapping. An informal timed run from zero to 50 miles an hour took 16.4 seconds; a Tata engineer said the company’s testing time is about one second faster.

The steering lacks power assistance but directs the car nicely. The turning circle of the Nano is undoubtedly one of its best parlor tricks: With a turning radius of only four meters, the Nano is nearly capable of doing a 360-degree turn in its own tiny shadow. Three models are available in India: the base, midlevel CX and the LX. With taxes and fees, the base runs about $2,200; the fully equipped LX is $3,360.

The majority of cars Tata provided for testing purposes were LX models, with features like air-conditioning, power brakes, and fancier seat and door-panel trim. On a 93-degree day, the A/C was much appreciated and had little measurable impact on acceleration.

The Nano is capable of seating four adults, but five hopped on board for a short run to gauge the performance difference with nearly 700 pounds of people on board. The Nano itself tips the scales at only 1,322 pounds, so acceleration naturally suffered. Yet the ride remained stable and comfortable.

Perhaps the most crucial test of the Nano came when Tata allowed a brief drive through the neighboring town of Pimpri. Weaving the Nano between lumbering trucks, auto rickshaws and pedestrians (not to mention the occasional goat and stray dog), the Nano didn’t miss a beat. Many fellow motorists took notice of India’s “People’s Car” out for a spin. A group of children cheered and waved as the Nano rolled through town.

HIGHLIGHTS

Only 122 inches long, the Nano is the shortest four-passenger car on sale in India, though it looks bigger than it is because of its height and wide stance.
Despite being a fraction of the size of most economy-car engines, the all-aluminum engine provides reasonable pep.
Engine noise is also far less than one might imagine given the size and simplicity of the Nano.
The turning circle of the Nano is undoubtedly one of its best parlor tricks: With a turning radius of only four meters,..
The steering lacks power assistance but directs the car nicely.

By Nick Kurczewski

Tata Motors to introduce A Car That Runs on Air

2009-04-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Landrover-Jaguar deal, then the world's cheapest car and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on air, compressed air to be specific.

In 2007, Tata Motors licensed the rights from MDI for $28 million to build and sell Tata-branded air cars in India. Tata has not confirmed if it will build one of the MDI prototype cars or, more likely, install the MDI technology in one of its existing cars like the light weight Nano (shown here). The Nano is Tata's $2,500 "scooter replacement" people's car that recently made headlines. While sought after in developing countries, this inexpensive car clearly won't meet federal emissions and safety requirements in the U.S. and other regulated markets around the world. Still, the addition of air power to an already inexpensive and efficient model would be quite appealing in the Indian market and others where fundamental transportation is in demand, and air pollution could be a serious challenge as exponentially greater numbers of vehicles make their way to the highway.

With fuel prices touching nearly $150 per barrel, it is about time we heard some breakthrough! India's largest automaker Tata Motors is set to start producing the world's first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula
One engineer Guy ½gre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine's pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August of 2009.

The Air Car, called the MiniCAT could cost around Rs. 3,50,000 ($ 8177) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($ 2). Tata motors also plans to launch the world's cheapest car, Tata Nano priced famously at One lakh rupees.

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc. There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from
your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 105 kmph. Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.

As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours. Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 litre of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000Km.] The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power

Nano Bulk Orders Placed as Company Incentive by firm

2009-04-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

Nano fever has gripped the corporate world as well. Companies like Shree Cement, Linc Pen have placed bulk orders for Nano. These Nanos will be offered to employees as an incentive or as rewards for their performance.

Shree Cement has booked 1000 Nano cars attributing fuel efficiency as its main reason rather than the price factor. “I decided to book Nano not because it is a cheap car but due to its fuel efficiency. We want to burn minimum fuel. I too intend to leave my golden silver BMW and ride the first Nano which drives into our office. Of the total 1,000 cars booked, we hope to get about 200 cars between July 2009 and June 2010. The balance 800 cars will be allotted to us later.” “The cars will be given to the employees as part of the company’s HR strategy,” said Shree Cement managing director HM Bangur. The company intends to upgrade employees’ two wheeler allowances and the employees will have to fulfill Nano eligibility criteria to get the cars as incentive.

The IT sector has been hit by recession and the IT employees have also taken their preference towards Nano model. Linc Pen is the second company that has placed order for 11 Nano cars for its employees.

Submitted by Satish Kalepu
Source:cartradeindia