Template:Future automobile

Tata Nano
‎
Overview
Manufacturer	Tata Motors
Also called	The People's Car
Production	2008 — present
Assembly	Singur, Pantnagar & Pune
Designer	Girish Wagh, Justin Norek of Trilix, Pierre Castinel[1]
Body and chassis
Class	City car
Body style	4-door kei car
Layout	RR layout
Powertrain
Engine	2 cylinder petrol Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 623 cc (38 cu in)
Transmission	4 speed synchromesh with overdrive in 4th
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,230 mm (87.8 in)
Length	Template:Auto mm[2]
Width	Template:Auto mm[2]
Height	Template:Auto mm[2]
Kerb weight	580 kg (1,280 lb)-600 kg (1,300 lb)[3]
Chronology
Predecessor	none

The Tata Nano is a proposed city car — a small, affordable, rear-engined, four-passenger car aimed primarily at the Indian market — first presented by India's Tata Motors at the 9th annual Auto Expo on January 10, 2008 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India.^[4]

Newsweek identified the Nano as a part of a "new breed of 21st-century cars" that embody "a contrarian philosophy of smaller, lighter, cheaper" and portend a new era in inexpensive personal transportation — and potentially, "global gridlock" ^[5]. The Wall Street Journal confirms a global trend toward small cars, which includes the Nano.^[6]

With the car itself currently under final development, ongoing difficulties at the Nano's proposed manufacturing plant in Singur have put construction of the plant on hold, delaying the project indefinitely.^[7]

The prefix "Nano" derives from the Greek root 'nanos', meaning dwarf — as with nanometre. "Nano" also means "small" in Gujarati, the native language of the Tata family,^[8] founders of the Tata Group.

Some individuals have alleged that the West Bengal "state government was subsidising the Rs 1-lakh car to the extent of more than a quarter of its cost" through a "secret" agreement that Tatas have tried to block via a court-case from being accessed freely by the people^[9].

The project to create the world's most inexpensive car began in 2003, under the Chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata, ^[10] inspired by the number of Indian families with two-wheeled rather than four-wheeled transport^[11]. The Nano's development has been tempered by the company's success in producing the low cost 4 wheeled Ace truck in May 2005.^[10]

Contrary to speculation that the car might be a simple four-wheeled auto rickshaw, The Times of India reported the vehicle is "a properly designed and built car".^[12] The Chairman is reported to have said, "It is not a car with plastic curtains or no roof — it's a real car."^[10]

To achieve its design parameters, Tata has refined the manufacturing process, emphasized innovation and sought new design approaches from suppliers.^[12] The car was designed at Italy's Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering — with Ratan Tata requesting certain changes, such the elimination of one of two windscreen wipers.^[10]

The Nano has 21% more interior space and an 8% smaller exterior, when compared with its closest rival, the Maruti 800. The car will come in different versions, including one standard and two deluxe variants. The deluxe version will have air conditioning, but no power steering. The car is expected to be produced in the Singur plant in West Bengal, which is under construction. The initial production target set by Tata Motors is 250,000 units per year.

Tata initially targeted the vehicle as "the least expensive production car in the world"^[13] — aiming for a starting price of 100,000 rupees or approximately $2300 US^[14][15] despite rapidly rising material prices.^[16]

As of August, 2008 material costs have risen from 13% to 23% over the car’s development,^[17] and Tata now faces the choice of introducing the car with an artificially low introductory price, raising the price of the car, or foregoing profit on the car — the latter an unlikely proposition.^[17], while an increased price on the Nano will likely decrease demand.^[17]

According to Tata Group's Chairman Ratan Tata, the Nano is a Template:Auto PS car with a 623 cc rear engine and rear wheel drive, and has a fuel economy of 4.55 L/100 km (21.97 km/L, 51.7 mpg (US), 62 mpg (UK)) under city road conditions, and 3.85 L/100 km on highways (25.97 km/L, 61.1 mpg (US), 73.3 mpg (UK)). It is the first time a two-cylinder non-opposed petrol engine will be used in a car with a single balancer shaft.^[18] Tata Motors has reportedly filed 34 patents related to the innovations in the design of Nano, with powertrain accounting for over half of them.^[19] The head of Tata Motors' Engineering Research Centre, Girish Wagh has been credited with being one of the brains behind Nano's design.^[19][20]

According to Tata, the Nano complies with Bharat Stage-III and Euro-IV emission standards^[21]. Ratan Tata also said, 'The car has passed the full-frontal crash and the side impact crash'.^[22]. Tata Nano passed the required 'homologation’ tests with Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).This means that the car has met all the specified criteria for roadworthiness laid out by the government including emissions or noise & vibration and can now ply on Indian roads. Tata Nano managed to score around 24 km per litre during its ‘homologation’ tests with ARAI. This makes Tata Nano the most fuel efficient car in India. Nano will be the first car in India to display the actual fuel mileage figures it recorded at ARAI’s tests on its windshield. According to ARAI it conforms to Euro IV emission standards which will come into effect in India in 2010.^[23]

The use of a rear mounted engine to help maximize interior space makes the Nano similar to the original Fiat 500, another technically innovative "people's car". A concept vehicle similar in styling to the Nano, also with rear engined layout was proposed by the UK Rover Group in the 1990s to succeed the original Mini but was not put into production.^[24] The eventual new Mini was much larger and technically conservative. The independent, and now-defunct, MG Rover Group later based their Rover CityRover on the Tata Indica.

Tata is also reported to be contemplating offering a compressed air engine as an option ^[25]

• Engine:
  • 2 cylinder petrol with Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 33 horsepower (25 kW) 624 cc (38 cu in)
  • Value Motronic engine management platform from Bosch
  • 2 valves per cylinder overhead camshaft
  • Compression ratio: 9.5:1
  • bore × stroke: 73.5 × 73.5 mm
  • Power: Template:Auto PS @ 5500 rpm^[26]
  • Torque: 48 N⋅m (35 ft⋅lbf) @ 2500 rpm
• Rear wheel drive, 4-speed manual transmission
• Steering: mechanical rack and pinion

• Acceleration: 0-70 km/h (43 mph): 14 seconds
• Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)^[2]
• Fuel efficiency (overall): 20 kilometres per litre (Template:L/100km)^[3]

• Seat belt: 4^[27]
• Trunk capacity: 15 L (0.53 cu ft)^[3]

• Front brake: disc^[28]
• Rear brake: drum
• Front track: 1,325 mm (52.2 in)
• Rear track: 1,315 mm (51.8 in)
• Ground clearance: 180 mm (7.1 in)^[3]
• Front suspension: McPherson strut with lower A arm
• Rear suspension: Independent coil spring
• 12-inch wheels^[29]

Singur car factory land dispute arose as Tata's planned manufacturing unit for the car in Singur, West Bengal, where the state government of West Bengal had allocated 997 acres (4.03 km²) to Tata Motors.^[31] The construction of the car factory on that tract of land began in January 2007 on fertile agricultural land and the expropriation and eviction of approximately 15,000 peasants and agricultural workers. The affected farmers have fears that they will receive inadequate or no compensation and therefore lose their livelihoods.^[32]

Activists near Kolkata, where Tata's manufacturing unit is located, burnt the car effigy.^[33] In New Delhi, a group of six women protested wearing T-shirts bearing slogans that said, "The Rs 1 lakh car has Singur people's blood on it." ^[34] The Trinamool Congress alleged that Tata motors usurped the agrarian land for the construction site and have threatened to stall the manufacture of the car.^[35]

With the Tata Nano project in jeapordy in West Bengal, there is now a race between other Indian States to become the new location for the Tata Nano project, with each state trying to entice the Tata Motors Group to their particular location.^[36].

On 2 Sep 2008, Tata Motors officialy announced that they were pulling the Tata Nano project out of Singur and " 'evaluating alternate options' and considering relocating the plant and machinery"(i.e. to another state). Thus, Ratan Tata came through with his threats that he would rather pull out of Singur than expose his staff and machinery to attacks.^[37].

A 65-year-old farmer committed suicide by swallowing pesticide in Singur in connection with Tata's Nano project^[38][39]. The real-cause is being investigated^[40].

Business Standard reported^[41]:

Tata Motors today moved Calcutta High Court against the State Information Commission to prevent it from releasing “secret” sections of the commercial agreement signed between the company and the West Bengal government to set up the Nano factory at Singur, 40 km from here.

A few days ago, the commission and the state government had released the basic part of the contract that had revealed that Tata Motors had received a Rs 200-crore loan at 1 per cent, tax breaks and subsidised land and electricity and had been promised refund of VAT and central sales tax on the car.

The opposition Trinamool Congress (TC) had been alleging for weeks that the “secret” portion of the contract contained a list of further benefits that had been promised by the state government to Tata Motors.

“The Tata action in the Calcutta High Court supports our worst fears,” a TC leader told Business Standard.

“The benefits promised under the portion of the contract already released prove that the state government was subsidising the Rs 1-lakh car to the extent of more than a quarter of its cost,” the leader alleged without substantiating on the calculation system used by the TC.

The commission, working under the Central Information Commission, was set up by the state government with a chairman and member nominated by the chief minister, and with the leader of the opposition also serving on it.

“The information commissioner is a statutory authority under the RTI Act and is a quasi-judicial authority,” said a leading lawyer in Kolkata.

"The talks between West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday evening to settle the Singur imbroglio failed to bring out any positive results," Economic Times^[42] reported and others^[43] reported.

Whilst Indian business community is upset about the whole episode^[44] and has advised the Tatas to either relocate to Pantnagar or a nearby facility in Uttar Pradesh as requested by Amar Singh in 2006^[45], Lakshmi Mittal of ArcelorMittal said: "Whilst India has been a big part of my past, it is sure to be a big part of all our futures. It does not give us nightmares. And we will not revisit our plan in India because of Singur episode."^[46]

It is widely believed that due to these increasing disputes, in which one or more land-loser farmer(s) committed suicide even (including a 65-year-old farmer who committed suicide by swallowing pesticide)^[47][48], and Tata's recent stand, Nano might well come out of either:

• The Tata's plant at Pantnagar, or
• Out of nearby new-plants constructed in a SEZ in either Uttar Pradesh (Ghaziabad or Noida or others) or Uttarakhand (Pantnagar or Roorkee)^[49][50].

Mr. Ratan Tata might well take such land-marks steps to avoid the harm being caused to Tata's reputation and brand-image at Singur.

Amar Singh, then Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh state’s Industrial Development Council had even invited Tata in 2006 "offering to accommodate the small-car plant in Uttar Pradesh". "I admit that as chairman of the Uttar Pradesh development council, I had invited Tata Motors to set up the Nano factory there,” Amar told The Telegraph^[51] .

"Tata Motors if booted out of Singur might make their way to the state of Uttar Pradesh," The India Street reported. Others have also reported similar strategies and decisions^[52][53].

The Times says^[54]:

India has 8 per cent of the world’s vehicle fatalities and less than 1 per cent of its cars, with more than 90,000 people killed on the country’s roads every year. Introducing a million Nanos into the mix may bring more – and unwelcome – headlines.

Tata, which has the only crash-test facility in the country, said that the Nano “exceeds current regulatory requirements”. And while it is not a deathtrap – it has crumple zones, seat belts and strong seat anchors – it is worth bearing in mind that total vehicle crash testing (rather than just frontal impact), airbags and antilock braking systems are not mandatory.

Without these, the Nano would not even be considered for approval in Britain. Adding them would double its price in India, which is why they have been omitted.

It's believed that Tata will offer a version of the Nano with these safety-features, including an airbag system in its electric version.

As the Nano was conceived and designed around introducing the automobile to a sector of the population who are currently using eco-friendly bicycles and motorcycles, environmentalists are concerned that its extraordinarily low price might lead to mass motorization in countries like India and therefore possibly aggravate pollution and global warming as well as increase the demand for oil^[55]. Rajendra Pachauri, an Indian and chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said he was "having nightmares" because of this car and added that the car represents bankruptcy of India's environmental policy. The ecology focused German newspaper die tageszeitung feels that such concerns are "inappropriate" as the Tata Nano has lower emissions compared to the average Volkswagen, and that developing countries shouldn't be denied the right to motorized mobility when industrialized countries should be looking to reduce their emissions and usage of cars.^[56] Die Welt reports that the car conforms with environmental protection, and will have the lowest emissions in India.^[57]

In crowded metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Ratan Tata has conceived a scheme to only offer the Nano to those individuals who do not have an automobile already. The Nano will also replace many overloaded and worn-out two-stroke polluting vehicles, both two and three-wheeled. In the current policy and regulatory framework, Centre for Science and Environment consider that the economy cars will be disastrous. ^[58]

This can change if renewable energies are used. Steps which Tata Motors is already taking:

Tata Motors is working with a French firm on using compressed air as fuel^[58] which is eco-friendly and revolutionary in itself for a car of such large-scale.

Tata is also believed to be making an electric version of the Nano (reportedly with attached or sideby solar panels as well)^[59] which might prove to be a boon for the society and the world, both in terms of cost and technology, as it might well turn out to be the "world's cheapest electric car"^[60] which is more eco-friendly and has many enthusiasts for its support. It's supposed to be as cheap as the conventional gasoline version. Tata is making the Nano compliant with export market regulations^[61] and plans to export such a car world-wide, particularly to the UK and the rest of continental Europe^[62][63], the US^[64], and Australia^{[65][66][67][68]}.

The Nano is alleged to have severely affected the used car market in India, as many Indians opt to wait for the Nano's release rather than buying used cars, such as the Maruti 800 (a rebadged Suzuki Alto), which is considered as the Nano's nearest competitor. Sales of new Maruti 800s have dropped by 20%, and used ones by 30% following the unveiling of the Nano. As one automotive journalist summarises; “People are asking themselves – and us - why they should pay, say, 250,000 Rupees for a Maruti Alto, when they can wait and get a brand new Nano for less in a few months’ time, a car that is actually bigger”.^[69]

India's recent cut in excise tax small cars has encouraged several manufacturers to draw up plans for small cars. ^[58]

The Economic Times reports^[70]:

Bengal is coming with Tara Tiny, a car which could give the Nano a run for its money, literally. And, to top that, it’s a battery-operated green car which will cost just around 50-70 paise for every km. Tara International, an arm of the Bengal Enamel, is coming out with the world’s cheapest car with a cheeky Rs 99,999 price tag. Tara has teamed up with China’s $1.5-billion Aucma, a leading player in the electrical vehicles and appliances segment, to source components for this dream car.

An article entitled Electric Tara Tiny Steals Tata Nano’s Position as World’s Cheapest Car says:

There’s been a lot in the news recently about the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car, which also has a lot of green features. However, just recently, Tara International announced that it will be selling two electric vehicles for even cheaper than the Tata Nano.

These two cars will be priced at approximately 99K Rupees (2,475 USD), and are built in partnership with a Chinese company named Aucma. To compare, the cheapest Tata Nano comes in at just about 100k Rupees. Not much of a difference on the face of it, but the Tara vehicles being electric compared to the Tata’s gasoline powertrain would make you think the Tara would be much more expensive.

More after the break!

These cars will be able to travel between 80 and 100KM after an 8 hour charge (but a 220 volt, 15 amp socket is necessary for the charging). Tara will also be selling electric bikes with a similar range that charge more quickly and require less beefy plugs (just 5 amps).

But what’s the biggest disadvantage? The speed. The Tara Tiny can only reach speeds up to 50 KM/H.

Rediff in an article titled Tara Tiny @ Rs 99K is the world's cheapest car says:

Speaking to rediff.com, Ganguly played down the competition-with-Nano line. He categorically stated that neither he nor his cars have any intention of taking on the Tata Nano. "Nano is a Rs 1-lakh car. In its case, it is the cost that is the centre of attraction." "But the cars that I have conceptualised are 'green' cars. Therefore, the question of comparing these (environment-friendly cars) with the Nano doesn't arise at all," he said.

"The only note of similarity between the two happens to be the price, while the Nano is a Rs 100,000-plus car, my Tara small cars are priced approximately at Rs 99,000," he said.

Another weblog quotes^[71]:

With its battery power, the Tiny will have a top speed of 70 km per hour (43 mph) and a range of 100 km (62 miles). The operating costs is 60 paise for every km, about one-fifth to one-tenth the cost of using gas. The Tiny is expected in the next three to five months along with three other electric cars tentatively branded: Tara Titu, Tara Micro and Tara Mini.

Bajaj Auto-Renault-Nissan ULC (no prototype has yet been presented) ^[72]

Bajaj Auto says its $2,500 car, which it is building with Renault and Nissan Motor, will aim at a fuel-efficiency of 30 km/litre, or twice an average small car, and carbon dioxide emissions of 100 gm/km. ^[73]

The Bajaj venture will have an initial capacity of 400,000 units, while Tata expects eventual demand of 1 million Nanos.

Rival car makers including Fiat, General Motors, Ford Motor, Hyundai and Toyota Motor have all expressed interest in building a small car that is affordable to more middle-class consumers in emerging markets. The bulk of demand there is for small cars because people are much more sensitive to fuel prices.^[73]

Honda and Toyota are leading the way on so called cleaner gasoline-electric hybrids, and some environmentalists argue getting prices down on these technologies is where efforts should be concentrated.^[73]

• Tara Tiny
• REVA
• Automobile industry in India
• City car
• Girish Wagh
• Kei car

• Official website of the Tata Nano
• A photo gallery of the Tata Nano launch from Auto Expo 2008
• Launch video of the Tata Nano
• Can the world afford the Tata Nano?, The Independent, 11 January 2008
• World's cheapest car unveiled, The Independent, 11 January 2008
• Tata's one-lakh car Nano: Western media on overdrive The Economic Times, 11 January 2008
• Why critics of the Tata small car are barking up the wrong tree Domain-b.com, 10 January 2008
• Specifications of 'People's Car' - Tata Nano [AutoIndia.com]
• Tata Nano Specification, Interior, Colors & Features [Infibeam.com]
• Analysis: Nano Hypocrisy? [ENN.com]
• The People's Car...Or Not?
• Designing the Tata Nano, BBC, 2008-06-05, BBC's Chis Morris took an exclusive look inside the Tata with Girish Arun Wagh