Tata Nano may cost more

We told you a few days back that the Nano is going to be available directly off the shelf without the need for a prior booking. However, the car may not cost the same anymore. This is because Tata Motors seems to be contemplating a price hike for the Nano. If incorporated, the hike will range between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 15,000 depending on the variant. This comes in as no surprise, since Tata, during the launch of the Nano, had hinted towards a probable price hike once they deliver the initial one lakh orders. With the deliveries of these bookings likely to be completed by July end, the Nano may boast of a higher sticker price in order to increase the earnings for the component manufacturers.

The Nano was undoubtedly a challenge for the OE industry which the succeeded in achieving but it barely gives them any margins. As Tata puts it, ‘though the vehicle manufacturer manages its cash flow well, its the supply chain that takes a big hit’. Also add to this the fact that the raw material prices have gone up yet again, forcing most carmakers to hike their pricetags for the fourth time this year! In fact, Maruti Suzuki, Ford Motor India, Toyota Kirloskar and Mahindra & Mahindra are all set to announce a price hike for their vehicles in the coming week.

So you see, the common man’s vegetables like onions and potatoes are not the only ones going through a price hike, its the common man’s car that will face the brunt too. Probably Tata should indeed chop off the Nano’s roof to save metal costs and launch a cheap convertible version of the Nano.

Nano EV revealed in Geneva Motor Show

The world’s cheapest car is now on its venture to become the world’s cheapest and greenest car. The Electric version of the Tata Nano was revealed by Tata Motors at the Geneva Motor Show. Cosmetically, the Nano EV will carry the skin of the regular Nano. But within the skin will be an electrically driven heart that can easily accelerate from stand still to 100 kmph in just 10 seconds. The battery run motor when fully charged can commute an entire range of about 160 km.

Present at the launch were Mr. Ravi Kant (Vice Chairman), Prakash Telang (Managing Director – India Operations) and Carl-Peter Forster (Group CEO). Mr. Ravi Kant stated, ‘Electrification will be an integral part of our initiative to launch environment-friendly vehicles. The Indica Vista EV will be introduced in select European countries, beginning this year. We will progressively introduce electric vehicles in all relevant markets.’
 
Earlier, when the Tata Nano was introduced, it helped the economically backward to afford a car. After this, the Tata Nano EV will now help keep the environment green. In a country like ours with a high rate of rise in pollution, a car like the Tata Nano EV would prove to be a gift to the environment. So let’s sit back and hope that the Nano EV makes its to our good old Indian streets.


Images: India Automotive

Undisguised - Tata Aria Spotted Near Pune

One of motoroids regular readers sent this scoop shots of the Tata Aria doing its final testing rounds while being completely undisguised. Though we have already seen the MUV in flesh at the 2010 Auto Expo, we hadn't seen the vehicle running on road in its final production form. As per our friend who caught the Aria on cam, the vehicle was extremely quiet even when doing speeds of 130 km/h! On a few bumps in the road surface on the Pune-Mumbai highway, the vehicle seemed to have quite a significant bounciness / body roll. Later the vehicle pulled over to a roadside hotel, where the reader further followed it. As per his observations, even at idle RPM, there is hardly any diesel clatter as compared to the similar engined Safari DICOR.

According to other sources closer to the development of the Aria, the vehicle is in its final component-testing phase before it goes on sale in March. We are expecting the Aria to be priced between the Xylo and the Innova with the top end model slightly crossing the Rs. 10-lakh mark.