The edition was announced some time back, but now it has finally made its official debut – the Tata GoldPlus Nano, all Rs 220 million (US$4.6 million) worth of compact car, was unveiled in Mumbai yesterday.

Working on the idea that nothing succeeds like excess, the one-off Nano’s exterior is completely covered by 80 kg of 22-karat gold, 15 kg of silver as well as 10,000 semi-precious stones and gems. It’s all good enough to make the US$220,000 D.C. Design Nano a poor man’s choice. And let’s not even bother to count how many basic Nano‘s you could get for the price of this one.

Unfortunately, all that glitter can’t be bought – the car is to be used for branding and promotional purposes by GoldPlus Jewellery, which happens to be part of Titan Industries, which is a Tata Group company. GoldPlus happens to be the largest jewellery retail chain in Tamil Nadu.

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After the hype surrounding the Nano’s launch, demand was high and Tata collected 206,703 orders during the initial sales period last April. From this, 100,000 customers were chosen by a lottery. Deliveries of the cars began in July, and up till April 2010, 33,875 units have been accounted for.

The original dedicated Nano plant in Singur, West Bengal, was delayed after the automaker halted construction due to violent protests by farmers who originally worked on the land. Tata abandoned the near-complete facility in October 2008 and began building the Sanand facility on a 445-hectare plot.

One of the possible reasons Tata cannot take its own sweet time is that the ultra-cheap Nano will have some rivals soon. The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Bajaj Auto are teaming up for a $3,000 car that is projected to hit showrooms in 2012. They have earmarked a plant in Maharastra that will have a production capacity of 400,000 vehicles a year. Bajaj is a huge company that produces motorcycles and auto rickshaws.

The basic Nano, with one wiper, no radio or air conditioning costs $2,615 in New Delhi. A better equipped version will go on sale in Europe late 2011.

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Automotive component giant Bosch is banking on India’s booming auto market. The German company will invest Rs 2000 crore ($430 million) in India from now till 2012 and hopes to manufacture two million common-rail units a year by 2013.

How is this figure possible? A big chunk of that two million will be for the Tata Nano. Bosch has announced that it’s developing a common-rail diesel system for the Tata Nano. Called the Bosch CRS 1.1, it’s speculated to be part of a single cylinder unit sized about 550-650 cc, with 25 to 30 bhp and adequate torque, according to reports. So far Bosch has supplied Tata with the Nano’s front and rear drum brakes, starter, alternator and fuel injection system.

After Germany, India is the next biggest recepient of Bosch’s R&D funds, which totalled €3 billion in 2009. About 15 per cent of Indian made Bosch components are exported, mainly to Europe and South Korea.

Source

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A Tata Nano that’s more expensive than a Lamborghini Gallardo? As outrageous as that might sound, Mumbai based D.C. Design’s version of the world’s cheapest car is set to cost $220,000 or 10 million rupees, which is quite some distance away from the 100,000 rupee (1 lakh) price the Nano was designed to fulfill.

“We would like to keep the cost low but with the technology and the amount of work we will be putting into the car, the 10 million rupee price tag will be justified,” said Dilip Chhabaria, head of the specialist car refitting group that has worked for Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor

Much of D.C.’s Nano will be bespoke. The car’s basic silhouette will be retained, but everything else will go. The standard two-cylinder 624cc engine will be replaced by a 1.6-litre engine and the car will roll on 20-inch wheels. To accommodate the new engine, the rear seats will make way. D.C is targetting a top speed of 200 km/h.

“There will be a lot of tech wizardry in it, plenty of IT-enabled equipment. The idea is to give the world a feel of what India’s IT and automotive industries are capable of when working in synergy,” Chhabaria added.

The image above is of an earlier styling concept. The mega-money Nano prototype is expected in two months.

Source

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The Tata Nano was launched to great reception back in March, but around 15% of the 207,000 Indians who put down names in the order book have cancelled their bookings, as delivery of the “Rs 1 lakh car” is taking too long, according to Hindustan Times. 100,000 initial applicants were chosen randomly to be first for deliveries from July on.

“A number of those who expect to get their Nanos around March 2010 or later are cancelling bookings,” said Krishan Bansal, proprietor of Raghuvanshi Enterprises in New Delhi. “There are other new cars in the market for which people don’t have to wait,” said another dealer. “People don’t mind shelling out a bit more to get their car immediately.”

Tata shrugged off concerns, saying that some cancelled bookings was not unusual. “The capacity of our Pantnagar plant is limited but we plan to deliver 100,000 cars by the last quarter of 2010,” said a spokesman.

Indian consumers looking for a small car have plenty of options on the way. Honda will launch its New Small Concept and Toyota has promised a compact car for the upcoming India Auto Expo. Of course, there are also current favourites from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.

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The Tata Nano is officially here and on sale! Bear in mind this is the Indian domestic market version and not the larger, more well-equipped version that was showcased as the Tata Nano Europa recently.

The Indian version of the Nano will go on sale from the 1st of April onwards at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships and other select authorised outlets, available in 3 variants – Standard, CX and LX, with a 24,000km or 18 month warranty. The cheapest one is priced at 1 lakh as promised, but only when it leaves the factory, after that it gets some other costs tagged on including shipping, taxes and registration.

The Tata Nano has its engine mounted at the back, a 624cc 2-cylinder aluminium multi-port fuel injection engine mated to a 4-speed transmission. The engine produces 35 PS at 5,250rpm and 48Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, with a top speed of 105km/h.

Not much power, but the car weighs only 600kg. It can negotiate a maximum of a 30% grade incline. Fuel efficiency is rated at 23.6 km/litre, certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) under mandated test conditions – this is said to be the most fuel efficient petrol car in India.

The Nano measures just 3,100mm long, with a width of 1,500mm and a height of 1,600mm. Tata claims despite it having the smallest exterior footprint of any car in India, it is 21% more spacious than the smallest car available today.

The Standard is very bare, with 3 colour options, single-tone seats and a fold-down rear bench. If you notice, it doesn’t even have side view mirrors. The CX adds 2 more colours, climate control, two-tone seats, a parcel shelf, boost-assisted brakes, and a fold-down rear seat with a nap rest.

The highest grade LX model adds complete fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body-coloured bumpers and etc, fog lamps, an electronic trip meter, a front console cup holder, a mobile charger point, and a rear spoiler.

There is limited capacity at the moment, as Tata’s Sanand plant is not ready yet in terms of capacity. The State Bank of India will be managing the Nano’s bookings. Application forms will be sold at Rs. 300 from 30,000 locations in 10,000 cities – 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.

After one obtains the form, he can either pay the entire booking amount themselves or seek financing of the booking amount. Financing is available from 15 financial institutions, where a Nano can be booked for Rs. 2999.

After 60 days of the closure of bookings, Tata will use a lottery system to allocate the first 100,000 cars to be delivered in phase 1 of the delivery process. Deliveries will start in July 2009.

If you do not get selected for the first phase of delivery, unlike here where your booking fee gets stuck for ages if your car takes a long time to get delivered, customers will be eligible to interest on their booking fees – 8.5% for retention period between one year to two year and 8.75% for a retention period of more than 2 years.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Nano.

Related Posts:
The Tata Nano: how did they manage to make it so cheap?

[zenphotopress number=99 album=198]

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Tata has unveiled a more regularly-specced version of the Tata Nano that it intends to sell in more sophisticated markets such as Europe. It will be a car that has all the creature comforts that you’d expect, unlike the 1 lakh version that it intends to sell in India which will be stripped bare of even an air conditioning unit.

This high-spec version has been exhibited at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and is called the Tata Nano Europa. While the Indian Nano rides on a wheelbase of 2,230mm, the Tata Nano Europe has a stretched 2,280mm wheelbase and measures 3,290mm long and 1,580mm wide (the Indian Nano is 3,100mm by 1,500mm). It’s actually shorter both in terms of length and wheelbase compared to the Kancil but is wider. Powering the Nano Europe is an inline-3 fuel injection engine mated to a 5-speed automatic and it will also come with a power steering system.

[zenphotopress number=99 album=156]

Other features that the Nano Europa will get include ABS, ESP stability control and airbags, which already places it above many small cars in terms of equipment, especially the presence of stability control. Of course with all of this extra features the price will be far from the original pricetag that gave the Nano its “1 lakh car” nickname, but I doubt the European customer will accept driving something as bare as the Indian Nano. Who knows, we could even end up having this Nano Europa sold in Malaysia by the new Tata franchisee, whoever they may be.

Tata of course has other aces up its sleeve for Europe, and it begins to make sense why they acquired Jaguar once you see what else they are exhibiting at Geneva, coming soon right after this story.

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I think we now know why Maruti’s low cost car was revealed to the banks earlier this month, they were probably pitching it to the banks to see if they would grant loans for people who want to buy it!

Banks in India are saying that they would only grant loans to buy the Tata Nano to second time car buyers instead of motorcycle owners who are looking to upgrade to a car. “We will not look to finance the purchase of the Tata Nano for those who already own a motorcycle but are stretching their budgets to buy a car. We have faced numerous problems of motorcycle loan defaults,” said an unnamed banker in an interview with Business Standard in Mumbai.

Rates to finance the Tata Nano are also expected to be higher at 18 to 19% instead of a usual new car interest rate of 13 to 14%, although it is still lower than the usual used car interest rate of 22%. This is because usually low income owners that buy such cars usually have their finances stretched to the limits every month, especially in the wake of astronomical fuel prices. This is also why Proton cars usually have higher interest rates than foreign makes in Malaysia.

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Even used car values are affected, with cars like a 6-year old Maruti 800 dipping in value by 30% from 110,000 rupees to 75,000 rupees and a 5-year old Hyundai Santro’s 200,000 rupee value down to 165,000 rupees. Values of small cars that are usually purchased by budget-concerned buyers are generally hit the most, because of the fear of an impending rise in fuel prices. Some of these buyers would have to go back to bikes.

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The Tata Nano is a no-frills car, but one of the more well-equipped, pricier versions of the Tata Nano will feature dual front airbags. And with luck, they’ll only increase the cost of the car by a minimum. Autoliv IFB India on the request of Tata is trying to develop a US$10 airbag for the Tata Nano, less than 10 times the price of airbags in other compact cars which cost around US$150 per airbag.

Swedish-American company Autoliv currently supplies 28% of the world’s airbags. In our market, an Autoliv joint venture with a Japanese company called Autoliv Hirotako Sdn Bhd supplies airbags for Proton, and the upcoming Perodua MPV.

Given that even these normally priced airbags sometimes do not work completely as intended and may end up injuring or killing occupants rather than saving them, are US$10 airbags really safe to use?

Related Posts:
Tata Nano: how did they do it? Cost-cutting secrets exposed
Tata Nano: the name of the Tata 1-lakh car

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This is a series of 3 videos from the Delhi Motor Show – where the Tata Nano was unveiled for the very first time to the public. Watch the videos after the jump.

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 1

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 2

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 3

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The Tata 1 Lakh Car was unveiled recently and it was given the name Tata Nano. We know its small, egg-like and comes with a small two-cylinder engine, but what exactly did Tata do to achieve the now famous “1 Lakh” price?

• Base 1-lakh model has no radio, power steering, power windows or air conditioning.
• Instrument panel only has the basics – speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge.
• Its 12 inch wheels only need 3 lug nuts.
• Small 12 inch tyres are cheaper because they use less material.
• The 624cc two-cylinder gasoline engine only has a single balance shaft.
• Does not pass US emission or safety standards.
• Bosch’s 35 amp generator is lighter than the usual 40 amp model.
• Bosch used a motorcycle starter motor.
• Bosch Value Motronic ECU removes 700 of the Motronic’s 1,000 functions, and the chip and housing itself has been shrinked.
• ECU sensors are smaller and lighter and fewer – 4 instead of the usual 7 or 8.
• Throttle position sensor is half its usual size because the pressure plate uses more sensitive material.
• It looks like a hatch but isn’t a hatch – the rear is welded shut and cannot be opened, this means the engine bay which lies under the rear seats also can only be accessed from inside the car.
• Drum brakes all-round instead of front discs.
• The basic 1-lakh model does not even come with a brake booster or servo.
• Reduced NVH materials, instead sheet metal frequencies were designed to control boom and vibration.
• Seats have a built in headrest and do not recline.
• No glovebox.

That’s basically the laydown of what cost-cutting measures Tata have taken to bring the Tata Nano’s price down to slightly more than 1-Lakh. Would you buy the Tata Nano if it was available in Malaysia?

Related Posts:
More photos of the Tata Nano
Tata Nano – the name of the Tata 1-Lakh car

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Here are more photos of the new Tata 1 Lakh Car, the Tata Nano. The photos include some of the car’s interior, which is so basic that its seats do not have reclining functions, and the instrument panel lacks an RPM meter.

The red car in this post with the unpainted black bumper is the basic version, which does not include air conditioning. As you can see, its very basic with steel wheels and etc. The yellow car is the more “luxurious” version, if the word may be stretched this far. It includes alloy wheels, climate control and other features.

View all photos after the jump.

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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

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LATEST DELHI 2008 UPDATE: Tata has unveiled the Tata 1-Lakh Car and has named it the Tata Nano. Click here for the latest details on the new Tata Nano.

Artist’s Impression – Click to enlarge

This is a little bit of imagination going wild here… but something I think is interesting nonetheless. Most of you know that Tata is developing a 1-Lakh car (USD2,500), and we’ve seen an artist’s impression of it when I wrote about the car back in October.

Now, Tata currently has a JV with Fiat, and Fiat’s plant at Ranjangaon, Pune is making both Fiats and Tatas. Tata even uses Fiat diesel engines for its Tata Indica and Tata Indigo. Now, what if Fiat uses the Tata 1 lakh car as a baseline budget model, and a pure styling-enhanced Abarth model is created from it?

Seems like a long shot… but doesn’t stop the very generous Theophilus Chin from flexing his Photoshop muscles and creating something at a request from another paultan.org reader, who had this crazy idea in the first place.

Above is the result, along with a new artist’s impression of the Tata 1-Lakh car, looking alot better than the previous version I posted. The original 1-Lakh car is a 5-door, while the “Abarth” is a 3-door version.

Related Posts:
More details on the Tata 1-lakh car

The post Artist’s Impression: Tata Abarth 1-Lakh Car? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

LATEST DELHI 2008 UPDATE: Tata has unveiled the Tata 1-Lakh Car and has named it the Tata Nano. Click here for the latest details on the new Tata Nano.

Here are some supposed details of the Tata 1 Lakh Car (Rs 1 Lakh is equivalent to USD2,500) that is supposed to be ready by July 2008. A design sketch of the Tata 1 Lakh car has been shown to selected members of the media sometime earlier and is said to resemble a egg shaped car with a tall roof.

Now Overdrive reveals that the Tata 1 Lakh car will resemble a production version of Tata’s 1998 Zing concept car. It will be a 5-door hatchback but there will be very little space behind the rear seats for a boot. In fact, even rear bench space is expected to be at a premium, making the car a 2+2 of sorts.

Definitely a pure A to B city car with the distance between A to B limited to short journeys where you do not need to carry any luggage. Not a balik kampung car, definitely. The car will be built on a rear engine rear wheel drive platform and will be powered by a two-cylinder engine.

Two of these two-cylinder engines will be offered – a 660cc 2-cylinder petrol and the world’s first low-cost 700cc two-cylinder common rail diesel engine with a special low cost common rail system developed by Bosch. Bosch will also apply a fuel injection system called “value motronic” for the 660cc petrol unit.

Apparently in internal company tests, the petrol version managed to achieve a fuel efficiency of 26 km travelled per litre of fuel consumed. The diesel version is expected to be even better.

As for the car’s name – sources in Tata say the current most favoured name within the company is the Tata Jeh, named after Tata’s previous chairman, Jehangir Tata.

Related Posts:
Tata 1-Lakh Car to use Bosch Value Motronic ECU
Tata set to launch US$2,500 car in mid-2008
Tata Abarth 1 Lakh Car

Source

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While countries around the world are competing to see who will play host to the tallest building in the world, something similiar is happening in the automotive industry: with every new small economical car announcement the target price level is being set lower and lower, with the latest being Tata Motors Ltd’s planned US$2,500 (RM8,600) car.

Tata’s head of sourcing for this project E. Balasubramoniam says the new project will redefine the concept of an entry-level car and targets a million of these US$2,500 cars sold annually. Tata is still working on the car and a target launch date is July net year. Bala says the final price must be kept at the US$2,500 level or the business case for the car will collapse.

Previously, sketches have been shown to the media that seemed to resemble a small egg-shaped car with a high roof. These ultra-entry level cars are intended for developing countries and might even find a place in countries like ours – where the cheapest brand new car currently still costs more than RM20,000.

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