Launched in the year 2009 with great expectations, Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, has not lived up to expectations of its manufacturer. Nano was brought into the market to attract price sensitive buyers who wanted to own a new vehicle. For a while now, sales of the Nano have been low and the firm is planning to revive its fortunes by launching diesel and CNG versions, sources have claimed. While the CNG variant is expected to hit the market this October, Tata Nano diesel could be introduced in India in 2014.
The automobile market has been stuck with a downward sloping graph for the past few months, mainly due to low demand and the prevalent financial crisis. Therefore, companies have had to cut down on the production cost of vehicles in order to boost profit margins. Industry experts feel that during such times, Nano diesel could succeed due to its aggressive pricing and high mileage. Sources close to this development have claimed that the company is adding a number of features to attract buyers and boost sales figures.
Karl Slym, the Managing Director of the company, recently, talked about the launch of diesel Nano this financial year. It is speculated that the car would be launched by the end of March next year. It is also expected that Tata Nano diesel could also make an appearance in the 2014 Auto Expo, scheduled to be held in February 2014 in Greater Noida.
Reports suggest that the diesel version of the Nano will be equipped with an 800 cc three-cylinder turbo charged unit, which is said to be from Tata Motors DICOR range. According to sources, this is going to be the smallest engine ever developed by the company. The power ratings haven't been divulged yet but it is speculated to be of higher torque as compared to competitors. Rumours have surfaced that its fuel efficiency is going to be quite high. Tata Motors is known for good quality interiors, which is likely to be included in the new version of the Nano as well. Exteriors of the Nano Diesel are going to be slightly different from its petrol version because of the company's effort to provide a better cooling system.
This move by Tata Motors is an attempt to boost sales of Nano and bring in customers who were never too keen on buying this compact vehicle. Tata Motors is going to market this vehicle for youngsters and people living in cities. According to sources, Tata will be launching CNG as well as diesel variant of Nano with low prices to attract a high number of buyers. They also have plans to capture the attention of the youth for which they would soon be launching a few campaigns as per sources. The base variant of Nano Diesel is expected to be priced at 2.4 lakh and the highest of this range would be priced at around Rs. 3.25 lakh. Industry experts believe that the research and analysis put in by Tata Motors is likely to come good and the Nano has good chances of performing well.
