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!
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