Tata’s much talked about Nano diesel will not see light of day as the company has dropped plan to bring forth Nano in diesel avatar. The decision has been taken in tandem with shift of customer preference to petrol powered cars and advanced technology. Scrutinizing these factors, launch of Nano petite hatchback with a diesel heart did not seem feasible in the domestic market.
Unlike the hype Nano had created since the day of its inception, the hatchback failed to garner as many sales as the company had expected. Tata Nano sales fell to an all time low by 61 per cent at 21,129 in last financial year as against the previous year. Despite various efforts put in by Tata Motors, Nano sales flunked to pick up. Nano made its debut in 2009 and within five years of its launch in India the company has sold around 250,283 units of the petite hatchback.
Sources close to development have also hinted at the bleak chances of Nano diesel launch. Nano was launched in petrol variant, equipped with 624cc motor, the hatchback was expected to deliver high fuel efficiency. A viable price tag ranging between Rs 1.41 lakh and Rs 2.58 lakh made Nano preferred choice in entry level hatchback segment, however the expectations built around the car went in vain as the car received lukewarm response from customers after a initial hype.
Of late the wide gap between petrol and diesel prices shrank substantially, fluctuation in petrol and diesel prices will remain uncertain in future as well. Looking at the erratic trend in diesel price change, customers have now started opting for petrol cars with affordable price tag. Hence, company feels that bringing Nano in diesel variant does not make sense specially after validating to the BS IV emission norms.
Nano diesel was likely to come powered by 800cc DOHC two-cylinder mill, taking the price tag up to Rs. 3 lakh. Speculations also suggest that the newly developed 800cc DOHC two-cylinder motor could be seen in some of the commercial vehicles of Tata.
However, Tata NanoTwist that comes affixed with power steering has been roping in good response from the customers. Company is eyeing to improve visibility of Nano brand in the entry level hatchback segment, launch of an automatic variant sporting spruced up interiors is expected to happen soon. Besides this, the company is also contemplating to offer Nano in various fuel line options. Hopefully, the new AT variant will help to pull up Nano’s sales volume in India.
Source: ET
