The start of the year was not all that encouraging for the Tata Nano as it kick started 2013 with the second lowest monthly sales of just 1,504 units.
The car managed over five folds the previous January. The worrisome sales performance of the little hatchback has put Tata engineers into overdrive to bring a refreshed Nano as well as the CNG and diesel versions.
Without a price increase, Tata had refreshed the Nano for the 2012 model year with significant improvements and the 2013 refreshment is also expected to improve Nano by a few notches. The Nano 2013 would be feature rich and could move slightly upmarket.
Speaking to PTI, Mr. Karl Slym, Managing Director of Tata Motors said, "The Nano still has a long way to go but we will be introducing the 2013 model of the car in the first half of this year as part of the plan. The new Nano will have a lot more additional features, which would enhance the positioning of the car as an aspirational vehicle."
We expect the Nano 2013 to have disc brakes up front, a proper hatch door, column mounted electric power steering and subtle changes to the exterior and interior.
Mr. Slym also told that the CNG version of the Nano will be launched "very soon". He added that the diesel version is also being readied but an exact time frame has not been set for the launch of the oil-burning Nano.
Tata Motors is hoping that the refreshment and the addition of CNG and diesel variants would make 2013 an year to remember for the Nano.
[Source: Mydigitalfc.com]
