Tata is a brand that usually showcases its new products at the Auto Expo, going on to launch them somewhere in the latter half of the year, around September-October. From the chatter that was floating around amongst us otoring journos, many shared the view that the Tata Nano Diesel could be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo.
Over the past couple of days, even the mainstream print media seems to think that Tata would unveil the Tata Nano Diesel at the exposition. So, there indeed could be some basis to these rumors although Tata Motors for its part continues to remain as mum as ever, as it has always been about its future launches. That said, the Nano Diesel is what the Nano franchise desperately needs to salvage the scene at the hustings.
The Nano, although a very competent car suffers from a dowdy image making it a no-go for many folks buying their first car. The Nano Diesel however could be a game changer in the fact that it would be powered by diesel, a fuel that is much cheaper than petrol currently. This would make the Nano Diesel a terrific value proposition even if Tata manages to price it around 50,000 rupees more than the petrol version.
With the latest versions of petrol Nano small car selling with ARAI certified mileage figures of 25 Kmpl, we wouldn’t be too surprised if the Diesel Nano is good enough for 30-35 Kmpl. At that mileage figure, the Tata Nano could finally become a compelling alternative to folks riding about on economuters like Splendors and Passions of this world, the target market that the Nano was originally intended for.
Source: ICB
