We have always felt that the Tata Nano is the most ambitious project ever by the boffins at Tata Motors. However, the initial buzz that the astonishing price-tag generated was soon to be replaced by a lot of censorious nods due to the ‘fire-catching’ incidents. Also, the Nano ended up being unintentionally marketed as a ‘poor man’s’ car and all this has led to the car being as good as a dud seller, something even the facelifts and huge discounts at dealer-end haven’t managed to cure.
It has now emerged that Cyrus Mistry, Ratan Tata’s successor, has some big plans for the the world’s least priced car.
If everything goes as per these plans, the Nano would soon find itself re-positioned as a ‘Smart City car’ that will boast of some “intelligent features”. These features should make the car more appealing to the city dwellers, especially to the elderly and the women, who would surely appreciate a power steering setup among others. The Nano could also get improved exteriors and interiors.
These features could be launched following the introduction of the eagerly awaited CNG version of the Nano and might debut on the much-talked about upcoming Diesel variant. Powering the Tata Nano Diesel would be an 800 cc oil burner that has a max power output of 40PS. The engine is currently the smallest diesel engine in the world to have a turbocharger. The engine’s turbocharger comes from Honeywell and it is being said that the motor could have an ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure of around 40kmpl!
Source Firstpost