Tata Nano Catches Fire Yet Again

India’s cheapest car to own is in news yet again and for reasons which Tata Motors absolutely detest. Yes, another Nano caught fire recently. This time the incident took place at Vadodara’s Subanpura locality. The car belonged to Mr Mayank Doshi and according to the Fire Officials the engine of the Nano caught fire near the Samta police outpost in Subnapura locality gutting down the front seat.

We have reported to you in the past such incidents where the Nano was engulfed in fire. Till date there are 7 such cases and it is surely not a small number. Tata should look forward and work towards what really goes wrong as these cases are increasingly becoming common with the Nano. What’s more, even Motoroids have been exclusively reported about a car catching fire by its owner. We will bring you more news on this, once we have some concrete evidence.

We’re still not able to figure whether the car that caught fire was ‘mended’ by Tata Motors for additional safety. It would be prudent to recall that Tata Motors had asked all its customers to bring the Nano back to the service stations so that the company could make some changes to the vehicle for additional safety against fire. If the car that caught fire rolled out after the recall exercise, or if it was already treated for better safety, then it should be a serious concern among current and prospective Nano buyers.

We’ll try to get in touch with the owner, and bring you more information. Stay tuned.

Tata Nano diesel to deliver 40kmpl efficiency

Tata Motors have a knack for creating some of the most fuel efficient diesel cars in the country. Their recently introduced Indica eV2 hatch has been rated at 25kmpl efficiency by ARAI, and lays claim to being the most fuel efficient car in the country. Tata Motors are now keen to take the efficiency game to a whole new level with the introduction of the Nano diesel. According to some sources at Bosch, one of the largest global component manufacturers, who are developing the diesel engine of the Nano, the new car may go as much as 40km on every liter of diesel.

The car will be powered by a 700cc twin cylinder diesel engine. Small in size, and reasonably torquey, the new engine should make the Nano, dream to own for the economy conscious. Tata Motors wish to take the fight directly to the Maruti Suzuki Alto, which is by far the largest selling car in the country, and doesn’t have a diesel option.

It’s notable that the prices of petrol have been spiraling through the roof in the recent past. The disparity between the prices of petrol and diesel is swinging the balance majorly in favour of diesel powered cars. Suddenly diesel car sales are accounting for 50 percent sales for models which offer both engines as options. Add to that the better efficiency offered by a diesel car and the dirty fuel suddenly turns into one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Tata Motors plan to launch the Nano diesel in 2012. Expect it to change the rules of the game once and for all!

Tata Nano diesel, CVT coming soon

Tata Motors is reported to be planning to launch a diesel variant of the Nano by September 2011. The turbocharged diesel engine will displace close to 700cc. The engine will be a two-cylinder common rail system. The new engine would feature the smallest turbocharger in the business and would probably be the tiniest common rail diesel engine ever. While the power and torque output have not been revealed, we expect the power to be in the region of 30-40bhp with more than 100Nm of torque. Fuel efficiency too would quite naturally be very high and we won’t be surprised if the diesel Nano comes with an ARAI certified 30kmpl efficiency.

We expect the diesel engine car to be priced somewhere in the region of Rs 2 lakh for the base model. The car should cost a little more than that OTR. That whould be a fab price for a diesel car, as there is no other option available in that segment. In fact you’d have to spend of couple of lakhs more than the quoted price if you are looking for a diesel car today.

As expected with the upgrade, the diesel Nano will also come with better features such as power steering, adjustable seats and 5 speed transmission. Apart from the diesel engine, the company is also reported to be working on a CVT auto transmission for the car. Tata Motors is in talks with a Canadian company for the project.  C-tech, a Montreal-based auto component maker is reported to be the company in question. Tata is expected to launch the CVT version of the Nano by November, however, knowing that the project is still not in a very advanced stage, there may be some delays.

Tata receives prestigious GOOD DESIGN award

The Tata Nano has received the prestigious GOOD DESIGN™ Award for 2010, which is conferred annually by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The Nano won the award this year for in the category of transportation.

The GOOD DESIGN award was founded in Chicago in 1950. The award recognizes new, visionary, and innovative product concepts, invention and originality. The award is given for stretching the envelope beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design. In 2010, GOOD DESIGN celebrated its 60-year anniversary as the world’s oldest and most prestigious awards programme for product and graphic design.

Nano heading to Taiwan?

What started as an idea of providing a better means of transport to the Indians may soon find a place in the automobile market of Taiwan.

Indian Autos Blog’s latest post says so. Theodore Huang, Chairman, Teco Group of Taiwan has shown some interest in introducing the Nano in the Taiwanese market. During an event arranged by Tata Motors in Taiwan, he said that he was really interested in working with Tata Motors. He also believed that the car even if imported from India would cost lesser than the cheapest one available there.

The car will have to be reworked in order to make it acceptable for the stricter emission and collision norms in Taiwan. Well, Tata engineers have made a car once considered impossible come to reality, the reworking bit shouldn’t be a problem for them.

We hope that they make the car ready for it new market soon so that Nano makes us proud again.

Thanks IAB for the news.

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MOTOROIDS

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.