Speculation is rife about Tata Motors investing in Jucu, near the Cluj-Napoca area of Romania after a report emerged on news service MediaFax. The county’s council chief Alin Tise said meetings were held with Tata officials but declined to elaborate on the matters discussed between the two parties. The investment value or the number of jobs stipulated is not yet known, it could run into millions of dollars.
What we do know is Tata’s trying to spread its wings with the Nano project. We’ve told readers how Bangladesh and Indonesia could get assembly lines for the Nano soon after the performance of the imported models is gauged.
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If you recall two years ago DC Design set off on designing a custom Tata Nano expected to retail for over one crore rupees. You won’t hear that everyday – no wonder it made headline news around the world. Newspapers in India ran the story days before the Auto Expo. Some publication went as far as reporting on an Auto Expo unveiling. It was not to be and all we got was the odd-ball body kits through Carnation outlets.
A recent report on The Hindu BusinessLine provides more insight on this elusive creation. DC silently finished the project last year adding goodies such as a drive-by-wire system akin to cars many times its actual price, LCD touchscreen and shipped the one-off Nano to a buyer in England who runs a company that supplies components to the Nano (did he mean Caparo?).
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After keeping their word to the Indian common man, Tata Motors think it’s about time to entice Indonesian masses with the launch of its home-grown hero, Nano. As per the reports on local newspapers, Tata Motors have already set up an office in Jakrata and intend to launch the car for the Indonesian market, sometime later in 2012.
At the initial sales stage cars will be imported directly from Tata’s Sanand plant in India. Later as the sales drive up the demand Tata Motors plan to assemble the Nano in Jakrata. The decision to build an assembly line will be taken only when Tata senses growing demand.
After Sri Lanka and Nepal, it is destination Bangladesh for the Tata Nano. The Bangladeshi distributor for Tata vehicles Nitol Group has addressed the local media after the deal was finalized. The first lot of 200 cars arrives in February. The target volume is 2,000 units a year and the target customers are not only in the capital city of Dhaka but in the outskirts where lower-middle income groups reside in large numbers.
The distributor is counting on the Nano to deliver big. Over the next four years the sales target is 12,000 units a year. Through local assembly, the prices are brought down and achieving this figure is a lot easier. The decision on an assembly line is pending as the response to the car can be verified only after the launch.
The price of the Nano will start at 4.08 lakh rupees (650k Taka). Tata has not elaborated on the export plan for Nano but a top company official has told Wall Street Journal, without being explicit, that the Nano will be exported to South East Asian countries. Countries like Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia don’t have to wait very long before the Nano reaches their shores.
We were fresh off the Toyota Etios recall, and we have more recall news – Tata Motors has officially announced that it will recall all Nanos on the streets (except for the 2012 models) to replace the starter motors with the updated version fitted to the 2012 model. There were many instances of the starter motor failures in the previous Nanos and thus the company has taken this decision.
Read an in-depth review of the 2012 Tata Nano
The starter motor, as the name suggests, is responsible for kick starting the engine’s operation from dormancy. This is the second major recall for the Nano, the previous one being done to install safety protection after the ‘catching-fire’ fiasco.
The recall applies to all previous generation Nanos irrespective of date of production. The whole process of replacing the starter motor will be done free of cost. The company’s spokesperson stressed on the fact that ‘it is not a safety concern’. The operation could cost Tata Motors around 1.1 billion rupees.
So if you got a Nano, contact your dealer soon!
The offtake of Tata Nano cars stood at an impressive 6,401 units when you consider the measly 509 units it managed in November 2010. These are signs of the Nano recovering from a slump it was in during the early part of 2011.
Tata Motors has introduced 2012 Nano with new colors, higher fuel economy and better-appointed interiors without a price hike. A new television commercial, as good or better compared to the first one, and a new marketing campaign highlighting its features are efforts to mend its image, tarnished by fire cases and misconceptions about its capabilities.
As an improved overall package, the Nano should garner more numbers in the coming months.
Tata is working on a highly fuel efficient two-cylinder diesel engine that is expected to touch down in 2012. Although the Nano was conceived as an ideal upgrade for families on two-wheelers, many of its customers own cars. The base variant, priced closest to a two-wheeler accounts for the least sales.
Tata is understanding the target customer of Nano and making necessary adjustments to meet their expectation.
Unless you have been vacationing on the moon, you must know that the Tata Nano has received upgrades. But surely the question on your mind is What’s New? Looks pretty much the same ain’t it?
You’re right and to some extent wrong as well. The looks haven’t been changed much. But there is more than what meets the eye.
Oh yes! Tata Motors obsession with the number ’25 kmpl’ has rubbed over the Nano as well. The boffins at Tata Motors have squeezed 25Kmpl from Nano’s tiny 624 cc engine.
While increasing the mileage, somehow Tata Motors have also managed to increase the power rating on the engine. Earlier, the engine used to produce 35 PS but now its produces 38 PS of POWER!
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A report on DailyNews Sri Lanka says that about 1,000 Tata Nano cars have been sold since its introduction in Sri Lanka in early 2011. Even though the Nano costs twice as much in the CBU form, private and fleet customers in equal measure took a shine to the world’s cheapest car.
Tata vehicles distributor DIMO offers 24X7 assistance for Nano customers and identified new target groups including taxi cab operators amongst whom the Nano is a big hit. The Nano’s outstanding fuel economy is cited as a main reasons for the car’s sales success. The Nano draws interest from Sri Lankans regardless of their financial status. Incidentally it is also Sri Lanka’s first car offered with a four year/90k kilometers warranty.
Back home, Tata Motors have dispatched an improved version to the dealer yards. The launch of the new series is expected to take place in the coming days.
Speculation is rife about Tata Motors investing in Jucu, near the Cluj-Napoca area of Romania after a report emerged on news service MediaFax. The county’s council chief Alin Tise said meetings were held with Tata officials but declined to elaborate on the matters discussed between the two parties. The investment value or the number of jobs stipulated is not yet known, it could run into millions of dollars.
