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Overview
Finally the time has come - Tata Nano was launched on 23rd March in Mumbai with much fanfare. Over 100 media persons were present at the launch ceremony with over 1000 guests. The Tata Nano is a rear-engined, four-passenger city car aimed primarily at the Indian market. It was first presented at the 9th annual Auto Expo on 10 January 2008, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The sales of the Nano will begin in July.

It has been priced with a starting rate of Rs.134000.00 for the Base model and Rs.160000.00 & Rs.185000.00 for the CX & LX model respectively. It is cheaper than the Maruti 800, its main competitor which is next cheapest Indian car priced at 1,84,600.00 Rupees. Nano is 8 percent smaller in exterior size and has 23 percent larger interior space in comparison to Maruti 800. It is available in 6 shades and the top model LX comes fully loaded with AC, front power windows, fog lights, central locking, tinted glass, body colored bumpers and digital tripmeter.


Booking Amount & Procedure

The Nano can be booked at more than 30,000 locations in 1,000 cities across India, including Tata-owned department and electronics stores, with booking forms costing 300 rupees each. It will be available at just Rs. 2,999 down payment. Owners will be randomly selected from bookings made between April 9 and 25, and their prices will be protected. Initially, just 1 lakh Nanos will be produced. Delivery of the first lot of Nanos will be possible from July first week onwards.

As per the reports, more than 51,000 application forms have been sold so far. Tata Motors has entered into agreements with 18 preferred banks/NBFCs for financing 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 using their own funds or seek financing. Booking amount is:

For Nano Base - Rs. 95,000.00
For Nano CX - Rs. 1,20,000.00
For Nano LX - Rs. 1,40,000.00

Tata Motors 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).

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.

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.

Design & Style

Nano has been designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy. With a length of 3099mm, width of 1495mm, height of 1652mm and with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.

It's mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which sets a new benchmark among small cars. The main styling elements of Nano are centre crease on the bonnet, side scoops which not only looks sporty but also helps to keep the rear mounted engine cool.

Tata is also providing some add-ons like alloys, rear spoiler & sunroof to make Nano more stylish & attractive. From the rear it looks more or less like the Indica Vista with vertical tail lamps. The centrally placed exhaust pipe looks very cool.

First look at the Nano may not impress you in terms of dimensions but even though the car looks tiny and miniscule in images but it is only when you come up close to it that you can make out that its virtual length constitutes the very cabin space!

Interiors

Step inside and you will feel like you are entering a proper hatch. Nano has more space inside in comparison to the Maruti 800 and Alto. The top model LX comes with three spoke steering wheel while the base model & CX features rather simple two spoke one. There are many cost saving factors like the hazard warning light switch has been placed behind the steering wheel. The front power window switches have been placed on the centre console to save the wiring costs.

The dash of Nano has been designed in such a manner that they can easily produce left hand drive models as the instrument cluster is placed in centre of the dash and the design of dash is same on both sides. The legroom & headroom in Nano is more than sufficient. The rear passengers have plenty of legroom even if the driver & front passengers are six footers.

Engine, Ride & Handling

Nano has a rear mounted , all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 624 cc, multi point fuel injection petrol engine which develops maximum power of 34.5 Bhp at 5250 rpm with maxiumum torque of 48 Nm at 3000 rpm. This is the first time that a two-cylinder petrol engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Due to rear mounted engine the luggage space has been pushed to the front. Making the engine closer to the fuel tank has another advantage of increased fuel efficiency. Rear mounted engine also help in reducing the power loss during transmission. Nano has front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 17 plus kmpl in city and 20 plus kmpl on highway.

Riding on small 12inch wheels and tubeless tyres, the Nano rides surprisingly well. Most bumps are rounded nicely, but as the speeds climb the ride can get a little firm. The steering has a little vagueness around the centre position, dial in more lock; it feels direct and provides good feedback as well. Grip levels are decent but are limited by the narrow tyres. Straightline stability is also good, you can cruise comfortably at 80-90kph.

Safety

By adhering to the fact that less weight requires less power, Nano is made of light weighing steel. This has made the Tatas come up with a cheap alternative with out compromising on safety and performance.

With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.

Tubeless tyres further enhance safety. It exceeds current regulatory requirements with a strong passenger compartment, crumple zones, intrusion resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorage.

Variants, Shades & Price
Nano is available in following 3 variants (Prices are Ex-Showroom Mumbai):

•Nano Base/Standard/Basic - 134000.00
•Nano CX - 160000.00
•Nano LX - 185000.00
The Base model of Tata Nano features:

•Seat Belts.
•High mounted Rear Stop lamp.
•Only Driver seat adjust-sliding and reclining.
•Fixed front passenger seat.
•Folding Rear Seats.
•2-Spoke Steering wheel.
•Grey bumpers and interiors.
•Driver side Outside rear view mirror.
In addition to above features the mid variant CX features:

•AC.
•Tinted glasses.
•Metallic paint.
In addition to above features the top variant LX features:

•Tripmeter.
•Front Power windows.
•Central Locking.
•Front and Rear fog lamps.
•3-Spoke Steering wheel.
•Moulded door trim with fabric inserts.
•Floor console with glass holder.
•Anti-Glare inside rear view mirror.
•Sunvisors on both sides.
Click here for comparison of Nano Basic with Nano CX & Nano LX

All the models come with 18 Months or 24,000 kms warranty - whichever is earlier.

Tata Nano is available in following colors:

Nano Base - Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue.
Nano CX - Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver
Nano LX - Sunshine Yellow, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver