The Nano, slated to be the world's cheapest car, will finally go on sale in April after months of delay caused by problems at its main production plant.
Tata Motors, India's largest vehicle maker, said on Thursday it would formally launch the Nano on March 23, and buyers could start ordering the model by the second week of April.
"The cars will be on display at Tata dealerships from the first week of April," the company said in a statement.
The Nano, expected to be priced at around 1 lac(also known as 1 lac car), was unveiled with great fanfare at the Delhi autoshow in January 2008, and should have gone on sale in October.
The car will be available in standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colors, and other accessories so that the car can be customized to an individual's preferences.
Stylish, comfortable
- Designed with a family in mind, the Nano has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room.
- Can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.
- With a length of 3.1 meters, width of 1.5 meters and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.
- Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.
Fuel-efficient engine
- The Nano has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminum, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.
- The lean design strategy has helped minimize weight, which helps maximize performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency.
- Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.
Meets all safety requirements
- The Nano's safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.
- Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.
Environment-friendly
- The Nano's tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today.
- The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.
