Ten to the power of minus Nine

There are and were quite a number of cars from Tata Motors' stable. Now and then I would like to discuss a few cars which made Tata stand out as a brand and raise the bar. Hopefully by now you would have guessed what is the car which am going to discuss now from my blog title.

It the world's cheapest car, Tata Nano. It gained media attention for its low price tag of 100000  (approximately US$2000). Tata motors began the development work back in 2003. Nano's nearest competitors' sales dropped 20% immediately after the unveiling of the car. It was announced that Nano would be manufactured in Singur, West Bengal and there was a big controversy about that. Read my previous post The Singur Song to know what went wrong.

Tata Nano Europa

So, how did they manage to make a car with such a small cost package. The Nano's design implements many cost-reducing measures.

• The rear hatch does not open, so Nano's trunk is only accessible from inside the car
• One windscreen wiper instead of the usual pair
• No power steering, unnecessary due to its light weight
• Three lug nuts on the wheels instead of the usual four
• Only one wing mirror
• radio or CD player can be fitted as accessories
• No airbags in any model
• 624cc rear engine has only 2 cylinders
• No air conditioning in base model

Even though it was announced and launched with a price tag of US$2000, due to rising material and labour costs its price was raised. As of the beginning of 2011 the Nano costs 140,000 (more than US$3000). Now, Tata has launched the 2012 version of the Tata Nano. Which has got certain features from its Europa Version.

Carl-Peter Forster, a former boss of General Motors Europe who took over as head of Tata Motors in February 2010, admitted earlier this year that he had to reinvent the Nano business model. There was no real national distribution scheme, very little marketing and advertising, and no effective system of consumer finance. Many rural Indians never got to hear about or had the opportunity to see the car that was supposed to help transform their lives. Which has helped a lot in improving Nano's sales in the past few months. With the announcement of the 2012 face-lifted  version, we can expect the sales to improve.

Tata Pixel

As Tata has already grabbed the attention of International auto makers, it was now time to get into the Global market. The export version of the Nano was unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show but has yet to go on sale. It was heavily upgraded to meet EU safety and emission standards, the car will have a number of improvements over the standard Nano, including an extended wheelbase, a new 3-cylinder engine, power steering, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and an improved interior and exterior. The Nano Europe will be more expensive, heavier, and less fuel efficient than the standard Nano with prices said to be around US$6000. At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show Tata unveiled the Tata Pixel, a rear engined, four passenger city car based on the Nano Europa platform.

Technical Specifications

Engine:	2 cylinder petrol with Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 33 horsepower (25 kW) 624 cc (38 cu in)
	bore × stroke: 73.5 mm (2.9 in) × 73.5 mm (2.9 in)
	Power: 35 PS (26 kW; 35 hp) @ 5250 rpm
	Torque: 48 N·m (35 ft·lbf) @ 3000 +/-500 rpm
Layout and Transmission	Rear wheel drive
	4-speed manual transmission
Steering	mechanical rack and pinion w/o servo
	Turning radius: 4 metres
Performance	Acceleration: 0-60 km/h (37 mph): 8 seconds
	Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)
	Fuel efficiency (overall): 23.6 kilometres per litre (4.24 litres per 100 kilometres )
Body and dimensions	Seat belt: 4
	Trunk capacity: 150 L (5.3 cu ft)
Suspension, Tires & Brakes	Front brake: 180 mm drum
	Rear brake: 180 mm drum
	Front track: 1,325 mm (52.2 in)
	Rear track: 1,315 mm (51.8 in)
	Ground clearance: 180 mm (7.1 in)
	12-inch wheels