Has the Tata Nano started showing signs of its dark side this early?
I’m having second thoughts on writing this article.. This isn’t the first time Tata’s initial batch of cars have shown signs of trouble.
I have witnessed a brand new Indigo XL, from the first batch of cars, arriving from production line, making a noise that scared the day lights out of me. The timing belt had cut itself loose. The same was the case with the DICOR versions of the Indica when launched, which too had its share of engine faults. Everyone knows the story of burned clutches on the Safari Dicor 3.0s. The initial lot back in 2005 had so many premature clutch failures, which, I’m told, forced Tata to order a retro-fitment.
The list isn’t ending there, as the Tata Nano has also joined the much-talked about roster. Why are there so many issues in the initial batch of Tata cars? Don’t they test vehicles properly before sanctioning them to the production line? There’s no point in making different kinds of vehicles from the production lines governed by shortfalls and failed procedures. Tata, I guess, isn’t willing to change this aspect in its cars.
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The Tata Nano has a strong tendency to attract heated debates and arguments from environmentalists and politicians. It is by far the hottest car launched in 2009, a global phenomenon, and the heat isn’t willing to escape from the Nano’s vicinity.
A newly purchased Nano, parked in the comfort of housing society parking area in Ahmedabad, burst into flames yesterday morning. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident. Sources place responsibility on a faulty battery for the culprit behind the fire.
But the flames or the company representatives who arrived at the scene immediately to put it out don’t make this story interesting. The Nano’s owner, who did not want to go down without a fight, is this story’s real hero.
After the incident, he went to the Tata dealership that sold him the car and demanded a compensation of 5 lakh (500,000) rupees!
Wait, the story isn’t over yet -
When the dealership officials refused, he demanded the Fiat Linea or a Tata Safari as a replacement to his charred vehicle. And you thought shiny new cars on display only attract customers.
The cherry on this stale pudding -
The much awaited Tata Indigo Vista will be set afloat next month for a price tag displaying 5-lakh rupees or more. The car will be put together in the Ranjangaon plant where Fiat manufactures all its cars for India. The engine options include the 1.3-liter Multijet and 1.4-liter FIRE petrol engine.
If you have a love for the engine, the word Multijet should make your heart beat faster. Well, it’s the award winning engine that’s doing all the thermodynamics under the bonnet of the Swift, Palio, Indica Vista and 500. GM could use this engine in the future, and all of the Indica’s and Indigo’s in the future will latch on to this technology, not to mention the ever-enlarging Fiat line up.
A technology that will compliment Fiat’s already-fuel efficient engines, has been introduced by Fiat at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. It’s termed Multiair technology is similar to a VTEC or VVTi, which deals with variable valve timing for better engine response and lower fuel consumption/emissions.
