The ‘Lakhtakia’ car as it was always called is not so anymore. As Tata re-opens the booking for the Nano, the company is hiking prices of the car due to obvious reasons such as rising input costs. The standard variant of the car with the BS 4 compliant engine is expected to retail at 1.4 lakh , CX at 1.66 lakh & the LX at 1.93 lakh (all ex-showroom Mumbai.)
The company has opened bookings in the state of Kerala in order to garner sales during the Onam festival, followed by Mumbai around the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi & then Gujarat just before Dussehra followed by rest of the country.
The Sanand plant is now fully operational & the company is aiming at producing 20,000 units per month & 2.5 lakh units per annum by the end of this financial year. Tata is also aiming at providing Nanos off the shelf to the customers starting January next year.
Tata had earlier stated that about a lakh of customers who had booked their Nano last year itself will be informed about the price they have to pay at the time of delivery. An official statement from the company on the prices is expected shortly.
With the main Sanand plant, which has an annual capacity of 2,50,00 Nanos, beginning its production in full-swing, Tata announced that the Nano would be readily available at showrooms and customers car walk into a showroom and drive out with a Tata Nano from August onwards.
When Carwale contacted Tata inquiring about this development, Tata (was playing safe) denied the fact that current bookings are open and the company has to deliver the Nanos for over 1,00,000 customers who are waiting for their Nanos. Tata has delivered around 37,500 Nanos till now and would be looking to clear its order backlog soon.
Contradicting Tata’s announcement, a Tata dealer in New Delhi says -
The base model is almost readily available. You can book today and take the delivery tomorrow. If booked today, the top-end model can be delivered in 15-20 days
When further questioned about how they can deliver cars to new customers when there over a lakh who are waiting for their Nano, the dealer said the new bookings are being done by ‘management quota’. That is, the new customer has to write to Tata requesting his/her Nano.
What we feel is that Tata is trying to balance between its customers who are patiently waiting for their Nanos and its new customers. Tata wouldn’t want prospective Nano buyers entering showrooms to get turned off by Tata’s inability to cater to new bookings. We think Tata while trying to clear its order backlog could also be letting out a marginal number of Nanos for new customers, who Tata can’t afford to lose.
Tata Motors says it will deliver up to 60,000 units of the ultra-cheap Nano, by July 2010, Touted as the world’s cheapest car, the Nano is getting its passport prepared to wade international waters after the mother plant Sanand reaches completion.
Ratan Tata said the new Sanand plant will be ready by the financial year end and it would have a capacity of 250,000 units per year.
The Nano is currently manufactured at the Pantnagar facility, where the Ace pickup truck is made, which has an annual capacity of 50,000 cars.
The company says the first 1,00,000 deliveries will be completed by October-December 2010 from both the facilities.
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