Bookings for the world’s cheapest car Tata Nano, failed to live up to hype. Tata recorded 2.03 Lakh (203,000) bookings till date, which equates to one-third of the total number of forms issued and is way less than the company’s expectation of half a million bookings. Nevertheless, Tata Motors has managed to get richer by Rs.2500 Crores ($0.5 Billion) in a very short span of time.
With these bookings and especially the money, the company hopes to refinance a few debts and keep the Nano production line engaged till mid 2011. Tata’s Pantnagar plant in UP will produce around 50,000 units/yr while the new plant at Sanand in Gujarat, will boast a production capacity of 2.5 lakh units/yr, when it goes online in 2010.
Unusual pattern in bookings
According to Tata Motors, the top-end variant LX has been the customers’ favorite. The base version accounted for 20% of the bookings, the mid-level CX variant at 30% while the remaining 50% was swept by the top-end LX variant.
Prospective owners to be selected by lot
100,000 persons would be chosen from among the applicants through a computerised random selection procedure, and the announcement of their names will be made by June 2009. Deliveries will start in July 2009 and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2010.
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Kunal Suryavanshi, an avid Indian Autos Blog reader, pleasantly surprised us by sending Tata Nano‘s official product preview in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. This very presentation he said, was meant only for the Tata officials to peruse in order to have themselves equipped for the Nano’s launch on March 23rd.
The entire presentation contains huge volumes of info about the Nano. Only the most important slides have been displayed in the form of images.
Be warned though, it conveys only Tata’s part of the Nano story.
The Tata Nano arrives Tata Motors today announced the commercial launch of the Tata Nano, keenly awaited across India since its unveiling on January 10, 2008. The Tata Nano is BS-III* compliant and comes with an all-new 2-cylinder aluminium MPFI 624cc petrol engine mated to a four-speed gear box and will be available in three variants. The cars will be on display across the country at Tata Motors passenger car dealerships and other select authorised outlets from April 1.
* Engine and Transmisson- Cradle and Sub assembly, 32 bit MPFI with five sensors, SOHC, water cooled type.
* Torque- 48 Nm @ 2500 rpm
* Power- 33 hp @ 5250 rpm
* Gearbox- 4 forward and 1 reverse
* Brakes- All-round Drum brakes
* Top Speed – 105 Km/hr
* Mileage – 23.6Kpl
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The first units of Tata Nano will roll out from Tata’s Pantnagar facility by the end of February this year. While the engines and gearboxes for the Nano will be built at Tata’s plant in Pune, the final assembly will take place at the Pantnagar plant upon shipment.
