Tata has unveiled its 1-Lakh Car at the 2008 Delhi Motor Show, and its officially been christened the Tata Nano. The model at the motor show was powered by a 33 horsepower 624cc two-cylinder gasoline engine mated to either a stepless CVT transmission or 4-speed manual transmission. A diesel version will soon follow. The car will initially available with the manual, with the CVT to be available later.
The 4-seater (5 if you squeeze) Tata Nano uses 5 litres of fuel per 100km and meets all Indian local crash test and emissions guidelines. It was also designed to pass international side offset and side crash tests as well as Euro 4 emissions tests. It has a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres
The two-cylinder engine, which uses Bosch’s Value Motronic fuel injection and engine management is mounted at the rear of the car together with the battery. There is a small boot at the front where a person would normally expect the engine bay to be.
The car has no power steering, but being so light I don’t think you’d really need one anyway, plus at its 1 Lakh price point you really can’t complain. It also lacks an RPM meter, with its instrument panel consisting of only a speedometer, a fuel gauge and an oil light. The car will be priced at 100,000 Indian rupees, or 1 Lakh, but customers will pay slightly more than 1 Lakh at the dealers because of taxes and other charges.
This 1 Lakh price tag is for the standard car, which does not have air conditioning. The two deluxe models will cost more. 1 Lakh Indian Rupees is roughly RM8,350.
Tata expects to sell 500,000 units of the Tata Nano, and the car will go on sale in the second half of 2008.
Previous Posts on the Tata 1-Lakh Car:
Tata 1-Lakh car to use Bosch Value Motronic ECU
Artist’s Impression: Tata Abarth 1-Lakh Car
More details on the Tata 1-Lakh Car
Tata set to launch US$2,500 car in mid-2008
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
wah look like mitsubishi i-car,.can cruise 80kph with that tiny wheels?
looks ugly but then it’s shape looks like smart for two
huiyooo! p2 will suffer if this cute mute car enter malaysian market soon. heheh! no aircon ar??? hehe. better forget it lor.
add here add there than the price will same like kancil…
this kind of car should never come to m’sia…it would only cause more road accdnt…is it half the size of kancil?or is it no bigger than a caddy car?
Tata nano, Tata shuffle, Tata photo, Tata touch.
lolz
This is a good upgrade for motorbike users to a basic 4 wheeler. No doubt it is safer than a bike.
Problem is that if this comes in, our traffic condition would worsen. More cars on the road as a result after motorbike to car conversion.
No air condition? Thanks, but no thanks.
1-Lakh Car – good luck!
water or air cooled.?
looks like the peanut im eating
we malaysians are smart enough to choose a car which either has air conditioning or not rite? its 21st century come on… don expect us to smell the black smoke from trucks?
@HMMaster
Nano have air conditioning. But no power steering or electronically controlled windows.
The two deluxe models will have alloy wheels, airc-con. , power steering etc etc.
It will do _above_ 50 mpg (around 20 kmpl) in City driving condition.
Remember Prius does around 44 mpg.
Airbags? ABS? Safety?? Life????
Hei, dont look down on this car.
“It was also designed to pass international side offset and side crash tests as well as Euro 4 emissions tests”
Does any proton car pass the international side offset and side crash tests for such a cheap price RM8,350?
It even have a CVT gearbox. I think this car is design for Indian ppl use like kancil in the first place in Malaysia. Is better then 2 wheels…
@DrA
Their Deluxe model may have all that. But look at the price.Osamu Suzuki, Chairman & CEO of Suzuki said that this car is not feasible at that price.
While price of every single material going into his car have risen, even then they have kept the promise of its price.
And remember this car have passed full frontal and side crash test.
So please get off the high horse. This car is a big achievement for Tatas.
if it air cooled, i presume its cheaper , no water pump, no radiator, lighter engine, ,,,?
Before you blast this car for no having airconditioning, this is only for the standard. The deluxe or luxury version has it.
It is not strange to have the bare minimum for the entry level. Even cars in Europe and Australia offer cars with air-conditioning as an option. If not mistaken, there was once Kancil was offered with air-con as an option too.
indian safety test…
hmm…
wat test is dat i guess…
hahaha !!!
wow… is that CF roof?? lol
the side vent looks so lotus elise. hehehe
no wonder it uses CVT. CVT is for lower speed drive while conventional auto transmission is for higher speed drive. just like new honda jazz did for conventional one. summore, most of the time they don’t speed over 100km/h, or maybe 80km/h.
Oh man~~ no air cond in india~~ u got to be kidding me.. will be damn hot wei. LOL
for the price you pay this is what u get…actually not bad for indian market…especially this car is suitable for city driving…i heard india city road suffer more worse traffic jam then us at big city like KL. I think for easy and short distance ride this car is suitable but if use it to balik kg it will be a nightmare…good luck tata
wow…without aircond…this car will be a 1 lakh microwave oven!
anyone want to buy this car in msia?..maybe not..hahaha
anyone want to buy this car in msia?…maybe not kot..hehehe..
Frankly speaking I’m surprised they put plastic trim on the A, B and C pillars instead of leaving it bare metal or with vinyl trim. The platform with 2-cylinder rear mounted engine is PERFECT for a Fiat 500 body, or in this case perhaps an Abarth 695SS body would be better? Someone please design an authentic Fiat 500 body for this car … PLEASE!
anyway, it gonna knocks out a lot of competitors with that price,
especially proton who tries to enter the india market.
With the surge in oil prices,petrol price will certainly increase again.What happen if it reaches RM2.20 – RM2.40 per litre?With this Nano,I am really giving it a serious thought,people.This might be one solution.Cannot stand laa going to and fro ( 168 km per day ) using motorbike laaa….
oh my god! the tyres are so small!
I think this will be a big hit big time.
Imagine all the guys on those little bikes and bicycles can now add another two wheels and a roof at a fraction of Logan’s price!
And the prospects of 1/2 billion people needing transportation. Just imagine!
Perhap if this Nano is available in our market, the Mat Rempit nos. will be reduce as most of them are able to upgrade to car.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080110.004/mini7/usd2500-tata-nano-revealed-at-auto-expo-in
3/4 view
Masuk m’sia boleh jual ka?? Can fight with blm, viva?? price lagi murah….which one you will vote??
Wah, well done Tata, just for price of 2 Modenas Kriss (less than RM10k), can get this Tata Nano…if launched in Msia, sure sell like hot cake. Quite a lot of people will trade in their motorcycles for this one (no more hiding under bridges during rain)…Modenas, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Proton and Perodua will be in serious trouble.
hmm…. the car is nice, but omg what is the tyre size???
if mat rempit use this car…just imagine how it would be…2 lane become 6 lane..
park everywhere..cut que..overtake from the left..nah..no need la TATA here..
tata..bye..bye
critics say this will worsen the traffic in India, more cars means more air pollutants… our earth is dying fast!
rm8000?
they’d problably tax it to 16000rm
while i dont like this car i think it is revolutionary and will spur others to follow suit. just like VW. toyota could problably undercut any of them if they deem it feasable.
china definitely will do thier own. since thier idea is to carbon copy other peopls idea.
good for motorcyclist or scooter people. it is impressive for the price though if it is safer than a scooter and a bit more secure. i think improve that can be made is the engine. a little stronger may help fuel consumption. 5/100km is a little high.
5L/ 100KM is ok….my kelisa give me 5L/ 70KM…when i drive normally la..if drive fast n like fastn furious, only manage to get 50KM….=)..
the question is, Isit safe?..
No air cond? Nevermind,can fit a small fan inside..safer than riding motorbikes .but after whatever test it had undergone, I still find this car unsafe…
If it comes to Malaysia maybe RM16-20k?
Who will buy this car?
Don’t expect much for the cheapest car in the world.
“Eat Rice But Don’t Know Rice’s Price” haha
topgunthang said,
china definitely will do thier own. since thier idea is to carbon copy other peopls idea.
hey, watch your words there… you think china will carbon copy everything? don’t simply say stuff, just because of their cr-v and x5 look-alikes in the past, now they are changing fast…
wow… very tall and have small tire laaa… not steady… no air cond, panas laa…
8 k is basic model only…..add everything the price will be double…
buy kancil 660 better
New Naza car in da future .. :p
Why Malaysians knock this car is beyond me. Its not like we are spoilt for choices oursleves.
Its cheap, back to basics motoring. At that price, it replaces motorcycles which can’t be anymore safer than this car.
This is a basic car not unlike the Base Kancils that were selling at RM24k not too long ago, that had a 4 speed manual, no glovebox, only one sun visor and no hatch cover….
This looks to be the same size, same engine size (missing one cyc) and cost 1/2 of that kancil, possibly even a/c.
ah ha,…some wisecrack would point out that it will cost more than the Kancil because the government will slap a 300% tax on it to make it uncompetive in Malaysia.
I wont be surprised seeing it sold here, but than of course no one will buy it because Malaysian standards are too high.
Look like a mutated Viva except the price is many2 lakh.
Well, I’m not surprised that most of you here whom are filthy rich/born rich like to make fun of the car but I wouldn’t.
The main purpose of Tata building this car is to offer an oportunity the Indian people whom most of them wrapped in poverty to at least own a car for their family.
These kind of people move around town with their wife and 2-3 kids on motorcycle on daily basis. They couldn’t afford to buy a car at all.
As Mr. Tata himself realize this, he finally came out with a solution that won’t even return a profit to their company as he knows his responsibility to help his own people.
Do you think Proton and Perodua would do the same thing?
Yea, Keep on laughing.
Wonder why they still ifx a side mirror on the car…Lots of car in India dont have lor.
if it sell in Malaysia i personally think it
wont revolutionary replace motorcycle..
ppl use motocycle for reason..
i hv car and really need kapcai too for avoid traffic jam+ saving fuel bla3..
no helping lower income nonsense here just making money lorr
jimbet said,
January 11, 2008 @ 7:49 am
Well, I’m not surprised that most of you here whom are filthy rich/born rich like to make fun of the car but I wouldn’t.
The main purpose of Tata building this car is to offer an oportunity the Indian people whom most of them wrapped in poverty to at least own a car for their family.
These kind of people move around town with their wife and 2-3 kids on motorcycle on daily basis. They couldn’t afford to buy a car at all.
As Mr. Tata himself realize this, he finally came out with a solution that won’t even return a profit to their company as he knows his responsibility to help his own people.
Do you think Proton and Perodua would do the same thing?
Yea, Keep on laughing.
—-
FYI.. Even 1lakh car..
not many of their citizen can afford it. It doenst help much.
Since most of them still suffer daily income below USD20 / month!
well.. the rich go richer… the poor getting worse..
even to eat not as easy as us here..
If some1 had 2,3 kid.. but they can afford a car?
There’s nothing wrong with the car price.. But there’s something wrong with THAT PERSON.
well then can they afford to maintain the car? toll? parking?
its not just about the price of the car..
there r still pros n cons
rasa cm xselamat je?
mgkn lebih sesuai utk jd test-car utk sekolah memandu…
i am a noob
Tony Fernandez shud venture into this lucrative industry. Even Tata will say bye-bye to its world’s cheapest car if he really sets his mind to it. NOW EVERYBODY CAN DRIVE (wether they’ll reach their destination is anybody’s guess though…)
If this car come here… i guess some people will buy la… if this cost RM9000 also, some underpaid people like me will consider this car… but i already own a kelisa…
CNN commented that this CAR will give enviromental impact
with this price i would rather buy a 2nd hand iswara or kancil, you can get a 7-year old Iswara at approx. RM10K. I’m pretty sure that this car will cost than more if it’s sold here maybe more than RM20K.
I can understand that some people will not give up thier kapchai (I used to have an EX5 before I moved on to sportbikes) even if they can afford a car, it make sense for those that have a family. I still see many with a kid sandwiched in-between.
The problem with bikes are that you don’t get many second chances when things go wrong. Its something I find the convenience (parking, jams, cheap costs) to safety tradeoff a little difficult to swallow. It takes a moment of distraction (or someone elses’) to make life very horribly living for you and your family. As a bike rider, I’ve had my own share of close calls.
Not everyone pays toll on thier way to work, and insurance and roadtax is very cheap for a car like that.
While I agree that the car will still be beyond the reach of the poor of india, I’m sure that some could afford it. Think for a second that if a Kancil costs 10k, I think many will trade in thier bikes for it.
@farghmee said,
January 11, 2008 @ 9:47 am
rasa cm xselamat je?
Its no different from a Kancil…..in fact, it should be even safer as there is no engine in the front to crush you in a head-on.
Maybe practical in India,but here we can still get a good secondhand below 15k,which is bigger and more practical…
topgunthang said,
January 10, 2008 @ 11:49 pm china definitely will do thier own. since thier idea is to carbon copy other peopls idea.—————————————————————
Can we avoid using Made in China products nowadays? I don”t think so….even in Europe and America is flooded with China made stuffs…
This car is RM8.5k consider super cheap for us already..But in India 100k rupee or 1-lakh may not be cheap but reasonable and still not every single Indian citizen can afford to buy. We’re laughing at this..but in UK sub-compact below 1L like Kelisa is selling around 5k, damn cheap if we earn in pound sterling..so does when we earn in RM but spend in rupee..
Hmmm, I wonder what the final retail price will be as this is 1-Lakh without taxes and dealer profit right (according to The Star’s Reuters report)?
That’s A BIKE or A CAR?
Can’t imagine if you take a ride at MALAYSIA, the car migth ROLL OVER! TOO light and not stable. GOOD LUCK TATA….Don’t design the car as the BRAND sound like TA-TA means BYE-BYE.
smart for 4 … nano for more
do u all know this nano ideas come from tut tut (motokar 3 tayar) popular kat
indonesia, thailand and also in india.
After pondering for a while about this Nano,I was wondering,what if,if the Nano,coming to Bolehland,like the one being photoshopped by Theophilus Chin,last December?
I really like the second scheme,a Two Toned Silver with Big Red Stripe at mid section of the body,front to rear.For me,it was very very impressive..
And what if, this Nano,being Malaysianized ( by whosoever..) cost around RM9 – 11K..?A good buy,isn’t it?With the coming petrol prices shooting up “interestingly” just round the immediate corner,there’s a gain.Not all of us is like someone who said an increase by 40 sen is still bearable by the people…
To have an economical car is JUST the most important thing people need by then.
So Nano……could be a BIG help from a small car!!!
People ride bike not because they can’t afford a car, but it’s mainly because they want to avoid traffic jam. Imagine the traffic condition if all the bikers start driving their cars to work….
nothing better to replace the bikers than a public transport…
P1 & P2 no need to worry…we not welcome this car in msia…
only thing..gov just need to improve the pub trans become more efficient…
wong said,
January 11, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
topgunthang said,
January 10, 2008 @ 11:49 pm china definitely will do thier own. since thier idea is to carbon copy other peopls idea.—————————————————————
Can we avoid using Made in China products nowadays? I donâ€t think so….even in Europe and America is flooded with China made stuffs…
———————————-
WOW!. i didnt know that. God, have to put that up in discovery channel. Spread the wisdom.
At least TATA nano car is in response to their market expectation, and cater to the low income group.
Public transport? It is super duper inefficient.
It’s okay if below 10k,good for short distance driving…..not the car to go outstation…
only the look is nicer then p2′s kancil,other all ………………..
looks like proton savvy’s backside
In India, if anyone owned Civic consider to be so…rich.
But i wonder how this car are gonna survive highground are such as cameron highland… boleh naik tak…
I have 2 say welcome to the cheapest rear engine rwd car.
nmh said,
I have 2 say welcome to the cheapest rear engine rwd car.
maybe it can be one of a car in drift movie
just kidding…so many pro n con for this car especially to nowdays polluted environment
even kereta sedan on the road if one big car vrommmmmmmm fast behind dah goyang apa lagi tata can say bye bye la on the safety part.