All About Tata Nano

After all sorts of drawbacks in the last 18 months, world’s most awaited car— Tata Nano, has been officially launched in India. Finally! Priced at 1 Lakh, or 100,000 Indian Rupees ($2,000), the company expects to produce some 350,000 units, but for 2009 only 100,000 will meet their new owners. As for how they’ll reach their new owners … Tata taking registrations for an application fee of Rs. 300 ($6), with a deposit costing Rs. 3000 ($60). Although the car doesn’t meed safety requirements for most countries— they plan an improved version of the Nano for Europe though, it’s a very good solution for regular Indian people.

A little back in history....Tata had to move the projest from Singur, West bengal to Sanand, Gujrat following continued protests from Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banarjee to get back the farm land alloted to Tata for the Nano project. While the Sanand unit might take another year to start production, Tata chose to launch the car in March 2009 with phased production in Pantnagar,Uttarakhand. The same has been the producing the Tata Ace mini truck.

Tata had first presented the idea of a low cost car (Concept Zing) way back in 1998 when the Indica was launched. A model of the car was shown in the Auto Expo same year. Though the project was not finalized, Tata always worked on a possibility of the car. The target price was set to be Rs. 1 lac but still be a complete car and nothing less. Many industry leaders had dismissed the chances of a car at that low a price point saying that it will not make money or cannot be made at that price. However , the genius that Mr. Ratan Tata is, he set to work on a car with the price tag for at least the base version of the car. The design and looks of the car were accorded importance and the right bits added to make sure that it does not look cheap.

The final product was unveiled at the Auto Expo in January 2008 in front of the media and industry bigwigs. " A promise is a promise..." were his words as Mr. Ratan Tata declared the price of the car to be Rs. 1 lac ex-showroom. There were three versions unveiled. More on that below.

Design and Style

The egg shape of the Nano is deliberate...to maximize space and minimize size. Its 8% smaller than the Maruti 800, but 21% more spacious. Designed at the IDAE in Italy, where the Indica was designed, only few changes were made to the final product. Some parts have been glued using industrial adhesives to cut down on bolts and other such components.

Nano is all about cleaver packaging. The engine lies below the rear passenger seats, fuel tank below front seats, and space saver spare wheel in the bonnet along with the fuel and fluid fillers. As a result, even six footers can sit comfortably in the car. Contrary to rumors, the body is not made of plastics but sheet metal. The same has been precisely engineered to minimize weight while also giving good levels of rigidity. So much so that the Nano has 34 patents for manufacturing techniques. A cleaver amalgamation of space frame and monocoque designs gives it rigidity while cutting down on weight. Interior plastic quality is not bad for the car considering the price. Things look build to last and better put together that even the Indica. The car gets a two spoke steering for the base and three spoke steering for the two higher variants.

The Nano has some design highlights like clearlens front headlamps, towering taillamps like the Indica, engine breather inlets behind the rear doors and front quarter glass, all of which add to the charm of the cute looking car.

Engine

The Nano is powered by a 623 cc, twin cylinder petrol engine. Though not very powerful, the 33ps power and 48 NM torque generated will be enough for the desired application. A claimed fuel efficiency of 23kmpl of petrol make it one of the most fuel efficient car. A diesel engine will be put to use by 2010-2011. It runs a compression ratio of a lowly 9.5:1 and transmission is handled by a four speed manual gearbox. Though Tata cars are not known to have great gearboxes, the shift quality on the Nano is slick and precise.

Emissions have been taken care of , with the Nano confirming to BS2 and BS3 norms. The engine is Euro 4 ready. Its much less than the emissions given by two-wheelers, Indian norms being the srtictest in the world. So the effective emission of the nano with 4 people in it will be lessthan that of a two wheeler.

It runs a 0-70 kmph dash in a little over 13 secs, slower than the M800, but zippy enough to tackle city traffic. Maximum speed is 106kmph. The engine has been limited to 5500 rpm. The turning radius is small....less than 4 meters.

Suspension is McPherson struts in the front and coil springs at the rear. Braking duties are handled by disc in the front and drums behind. The car rides in 12 inch wheels with tubeless 135/70 front and 155/65 at the rear tires. The ride is good over decent roads.

Space and Safety

As mentioned earlier, the Namo is smaller that he Maruti 800 but much more spacious. The drivers seat is adjustable. The passenger seats have been preset at a comfortable level.

Safety was given importance while designing the Nano. It not only meets the Indian safety norms, but work is also underway to meet European safety requirements. It has side beams, intrusion panels in the doors and crumple zones to absorb crash energy. Seatbelts as mandatory have been provided for all the seats.

Handling

With the small turning radius, the car is easily maneuverable in traffic . The suspension setup and the chassis, combined with the tyres give it good road holdings and cornering ability. Being a rear wheel driven car also helps in the near neutral character of the chassis.

The car is fun to drive and you feel like playing with the car, taking sharp turns and yes, the car sounds sweet too.

Sum it up

The Nano is a brilliant effort from Tata....its better than what was expected at the price. While nothing less than what a Maruti 800 is acceptable today, the Nano gives more than the Maruti at almost half the price for similar specs. Definitely the best value for money and the most economical car the world has seen in a long time.

Colours:

Nano Base: Bright Red, Ivory White, Summer Blue

Nano CX: Bright Red, Ivory White, Summer Blue, Champagne Gold, Lunar Silver

Nano LX: Champagne Gold, Lunar Silver, Sunshine Yellow

		Fuel	Engine	Price (Rs.)
	Tata Nano CX	Petrol	624 CC	1,60,322
	Tata Nano LX	Petrol	624 CC	1,85,375
	Tata Nano Base	Petrol	624 CC	1,34,249

Bookings

Second of April, forms available 7 days before the booking date is announced and forms will be available only for 14 days.

Dealers will sell the car for 100,000 rupees but customers will pay slightly more than that due to taxes and other charges.

Booking forms will be available at:

• SBI
• westside
• croma store
• 400 tata motors dealers across the country

Cost of forms: Rs 200-300 online booking also available Expected: 90% booking from dealers Only one form per customer (in his name) will be accepted. No more than one form in the same customer's name will be accepted. NO ECS REFUND. Booking amount: 70-80% of the car's ex-showroom cost. After booking closes, allotment will be done on the basis of random number lottery where the lucky customer's name will be declared along with the name of the dealer from where he/ she can take delivery of the car along with date and time of delivery will also be specified.

New Mahindra Xylo

If you have been regularly traveling on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, you might have seen a vehicle that was heavily camouflaged. Speeding away out of vision. And you rack your brain hard to make out which vehicle it is.


Back then it was called the Project Ingenio. Mahindra has tested over hundred prototypes of the car for over millions of kilometers to put its engines, chassis, suspension and overall reliability to test. The platform has cost Mahindra over 550 crore rupees and they have made sure that the Xylo is a major step up when it comes to quality and build.

The Xylo is a proper MUV from Mahindra and will compete in the segment currently dominated by the Toyota Innova and the Chevrolet Tavera. To make any dent in their sales, the Xylo will have to prove itself. Let’s see if it lives to the hype.

STYLE:

The styling of the Xylo is sure to turn heads. While the Scorpio was styled in a way not to offend many, the Xylo’s in your face frontal treatment might not be to everyone’s liking. However, with the Santro and the second generation Honda City, the Indian market is known to accept a bit of weirdness for practicality and utility.



The front of the Xylo with its large Mahindra signature grill and comparatively smaller headlamps strikes the eyes. It might seem like an after thought or proportions gone wrong, but that’s not the case. The grill was that way right from the design stage. The side profile though pleasing, you cant stop comparing it with that of the Innova. Unlike other UVs from Mahindra, the Xylo has a smaller engine bay, which allows a longer cabin in the given wheelbase for more legroom. More on that later. The rear profile is quite similar to the Tata Sumo Grande. It looks good with the vertical wrap around tail lamps. Also with the width, it creates enough space for three adults in the rear bench seats. A range of color is on offer. The pick of the lot would be one in Toreador red, the one that appears in the adverts.

The build quality, as mentioned earlier, is better than any other Mahindra product. Its better than the Tavera, but the Innova is still a tad better assembled. The doors shut with a nice thud sound, assuring a solid structure. It’s a body on frames construction; it meets front crash worthiness and side crash safety norms easily. At over 1.8 tons the Xylo is a tad heavier compared to the Innova.


ENGINE:

The Xylo is powered by the 2.5 ltr CRDE engine from the Bolero, tuned for more power and torque. So in the Xylo, it makes 112 ps power and over 240 Nm torque. Though enough for most applications, it would have been better to see the 2.2 ltr MHawk engine from the Scorpio. Apart from obvious power and Torgue benefits, the engine is 80 kg lighter.

A drive in the demo car from the Mahindra dealer confirmed meaty torque spread from the engine. The gear shifter is quite stiff, not as slick as in the Innova. However, the engine is highly refined, even better than the Scorpio.


INTERIORS:

The Xylo comes with 8-7 seats options. All front facing seats provide superb thigh and lumber support for excellent comfort. The front bucket seats are become flatbeds in a matter of minutes, a feature seen in the much expensive Mitsubishi Pajero. There are other bits like individual reading lights, mobile and laptop charging points, which add to the convenience factor. Theater style seating and lights add to the luxury feel. Also Surround Cool Dual AC ensures superb cooling in the spacious interiors.

Doors come with puddle lamps for ease of access in dark. The Digital Drive Assist System (DDAS) has an on board computer to flash information like estimated mileage. It also alerts you in case the seat belts are not used or the handbrake is engaged. If you travel a lot, the barometer will also come useful. And that is also included.

The top model E8 comes fully loaded with following features:
• Surround cool dual AC's with Roof mounted vents
• Body colored bumpers
• Electrically adjustable rear view mirrors
• Front & Rear Fog Lamps
• Alloy Wheels
• Body Colored Side Cladding
• Digital Drive Assist System (DDAS)
• Mobile charging points
• Fold able flight trays
• Intelligent reverse assist System
• Power window express up/down (driver side) with anti-pinch
• Double DIN Music system

DRIVE:

The Xylo is confidence inspiring in the corners. Though not an excellent handler, it handles better than the Scorpio, thanks to the five link independent rear suspension. The tires also provide good grip. The longer wheelbase and wider tracks make it stable at high speeds. Talking of high speeds, it can hit a top speed of 160kms/hr given the right road. Fuel efficiency is expected to be around 10-14 kmpl range. Slightly better than the Innova.


SUM IT UP:

The Xylo is loaded with features and also comes at a 1.5 lacs lesser than similar features for the Innova. If it beats the Innova sales, only time will tell. But, the team at Mahindra have done a great job with the Xylo and is a great alternative for those looking for a cheaper alternative to the Innova.


Prices in lacs:

E2 - 632500
E4 - 669500
E6 - 732500
E8 - 769500

Save on Fuel Tips

The rising cost of fuel is bad news. Even the recent reduction in prices left us wanting for more. But this can be an opportunity for you to get some personal advantage from it. For instance it can give you an excuse to buy that motorcycle that you always wanted to buy. Or say a new super-efficient small car that came into the market. Now it might take a long time to recover the initial cost, but you at least saved in the long run with reduced fuel bills.

So, what are the fuel-saving options that we have? Let’s consider a few of those:

1. If you can do without the car, another option would be to use a motorcycle or a bicycle. There are obvious health advantages with a bicycle.

2. If you have to drive a car, then downgrade to the smallest car possible. Small cars generally are much more frugal than a big car. For example, if you downgrade from an SUV (9 kmpl) to a small car (15 kmpl), you will save enough fuel and hence money to recover the cost of the small car.

3. Keep the engine in proper state of tune. An engine with its tuning gone awry will waste fuel. It will not make any usable power.

4. Check the spark plugs. The condition of the spark plug tip is also an indication of the engine’s health.

5. Keep the injectors clean. Clogged injectors will lead to power loss and even engine knocking if the engine does not get proper amount of fuel. So you throttle harder for more power.

6. Consider engine modifications for economy. A free flow air intake will allow more efficient combustion of the fuel. So you have more power and economy with complete combustion of fuel.

7. A carburetor allows better fine tuning than a fuel injection system. So you can re-jet your carburetor for economy. Remapping the fuel injection system for lower end torque also helps.

8. There is that classic modification- changing the final drive ratio. A higher ratio will spin the wheels more for every revolution if the engine crank. But don’t go too high. A few teeth less than the current number of gear teeth should be good enough.

9. Cruising at slower speeds will save a lot of fuel, especially with diesel engines. Shift up the gears at lower engine speeds. Accelerate gently and coast down if you see a traffic light ahead. Also tire life will increase and will avoid any accidental tire bursts.

10. Maintain proper tire air pressure. Monitor the same regularly.

11. Keep unnecessary weight out of the car.

12. Do not install magic gadgets that claim to save fuel. They simply add weight to your car. If they really worked, the manufacturers would have got those fitted in their cars first.

That’s all for now. Lets try to implement these and set our own fuel efficiency records. Keep posting your views about the same. If you have any more tips, we will be glad to try them out.