In a move that will help clear backlog, Tata Motors has opened a new plant that will build the “world’s cheapest car” in the western Indian state of Gujerat. The Sanand factory will initially produce 250,000 units of the Tata Nano per year, with plans to eventually ramp up annual production to 350,000.
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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NAZA should import this Tata Nano thing. Good for moms to send/fetch kids to/from schools. ;)
in this plastic body car?
Better than kapchai.
Not really cuz the kapchai is made of metal even if it just has 3 wheels
at least Nano can cover mom’s from a rain…
it is better than kapcai in a sense of it can safely carry a family of 4 or 5. because in india, a kapchai carries 5-6 person. thats bloody dangerous.
what this car means, is that to help make india roads a bit safer. and lower the risk of commuting for a family of 5. or 6.
of course the body material is essential because in the event of collision, the weaker material would be getting the harder bargain of them all. but india speed is quite low particularly due to the congestion in their cities and towns.
3 wheels? That’s bajaj or tuk-tuk.
The basic Nano, with one wiper, no radio or air conditioning costs $2,615 in New Delhi
No air cond? wow.. it must be damn hot to drive in that car.. hahaha
wind down the window laa…
It will be still better then directly under the sun and rain, plus you can install ciggy plug fan. And $2615?
200K orders! If proton is smart enough to play open market policies and penetrate international market…anyhow, its history.
200K orders are really a joke.
Tata has been making the Nano since 2008. Up until now, only around 28,000 units have been sold…..Shy!
See they can make cheap car why can’t we?
Unbelievable! The full spec one just cost around 13k…
I think kancil should be priced around 15k-17k only… :(
Produce what customer want is important………for sure most of the low income in india appreciate this ……
however if the same specification in M’sia……maybe the response is not that good…due to M’sia people already been nurture or condition (mind set) to have air cond car…
eventhough in India the heat temp reach 40 degree C….
the interesting is – 100,000 customers were chosen by a lottery :)
many have mis-understood the role of Nano and why it is invented in the first place.
this is the people’s vehicle which will help to make the commuting in india safer. Tata wants the india people who been regularly riding a bike with 3-4 people on it, abandon their traditional way of dangerous commuting, get into a car that can carry 4 people without much trouble to others.
the car is the perfect medium of getting the message through to the people of india. and with such requirement, Tata went to drawing board and make such car.
i believe our requirement is different. we dont see a family of 4 riding a motorbike in KL or in towns, which is a daily sight if u are in cities in india. we are abit safer in that department. in malaysia, the most high consideration of our people is to have a car that has a boot. or a cheap MPV.
to be honest, i wouldnt buy a Nano even somebody offer 1ringgit for it. never. i dont want to get cramped. or crippled.
Unfortunately, there ARE families of 4 or 3 riding kapchai, maybe not in KL, but in smaller towns, there are. It’s much safer for these people riding in a 4-wheeler.
When I say Naza should import Nano, I was just saying it in a jest. Not sure whether there’s a REAL market for it locally. Maybe the kapchai users want to ‘upgrade’ to a safer alternative.
But then, if your family can only afford a kapchai, safety in not the first thing on your mind :(
Very common to have families riding 1 kapchai in KL/PJ. Just visit Pandan, Ampang, Kg Baru, Damasara……
In india you can see 3-4 person kapchai, but with nano, don’t be surprised if you see them sardine 8 people in the car and 3 more on the roof.
nice little car ,good price on all basic spec.If it available on Malaysian soil surely some people will intend to look around..
Cheap price car would only cause more traffic issue in Malaysia,especially in metrocity like kl,penang and jb. Thats why cars and bikes in singapore selling rather expensive,yet there are still many traffic issue anywhere.
My monthly salary is only RM3000.. therefore I can afford to buy Nano if it priced below RM10000… else I prefer Public Transportation.
Yes agree!!rili hopefully naza can bring in tis cuties nano cum in malaysia..naza i knw u can make it!!gambatee…