FEATURE: Nano hits the road

The car slated as 'the cheapest in the world' has starting rolling out of two factories in India.

Despite some significant setbacks, the Tata Nano has moved into production, and there's a growing waiting list for prospective buyers.

Michael Coggan

Last Updated: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +1100

The first production models of Tata Motor's long-awaited Nano have been officially launched in an event triggering excitement among India's aspirational car owners - who are hoping for a chance to buy one of the first super-cheap four seaters to hit the showroom floors.

Ankit Aggarwal, a Tata motors dealer says there is a lot of hype in the market.

"People are crazy about it," he said. "They are waiting for Ratan Tata's dream car.

"We are also working towards it. We are getting a lot of queries and we have got a good response. We have got over 2000-2500 bookings already."

Experts say the economic downturn could take the shine off the launch, with Tata Motors recording it's first quarter loss in seven years.

The Nano has a two-cylinder 623 cc, rear-mounted engine with a top speed of 105 kilometres per hour.

And the Nano's price tag - around $US2,000 for the basic model, is a strong draw card for buyers like Manoj Singh.

"I am coming here to enquire for the second time," he said.

"There is a lot of craze among the people. Even I want to buy it."

The car was officially launched with great fanfare more than a year ago, and was due to go on sale last October, but a dispute forced the closure of the main production plant for the Nano.

A lottery system has been set up to choose the first Nano owners, because low production capacity means only 30-50,000 Nanos will be built in the first year.

The arrival of the Nano is expected to intensify competition in the cheap car market, adding to serious traffic congestion in Indian cities.

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