Tata Nano: The People's Car Hit's Indian Roads!

Looks & Dimensions of the Nano

Keeping in mind the young age group, the Tata Motors has strived well to give the Nano a contemporary and stylish look. The snub-nosed small car derives inspiration from Fiat 500 and Nissan Micra. As far as dimensions of the car are concerned, Nano is 3.1 metres (10.23 feet) long, 1.5 metres wide and 1.6 metres high and can accommodate four to five people.
Trunk capacity: 150 L (5.3 cu ft)

Rear mounted engine

The small car sports a two cylinder 623 cc, 33 horsepower rear mounted multi-point fuel injection (MPFi) petrol engine. Tata claims that the car can touch the top speed of 105 kms. The use of a rear mounted engine to help maximize interior space makes the Nano similar to the original Fiat 500, another technically innovative "people's car".

Performance

- Acceleration: 0-70 km/h (43 mph): 14 seconds
- Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)[1]
- Fuel economy (combined City + Highway): 20 kilometres per liter.
- Pollution: Against the criticism and concerns of the environmentalists, Nano surpasses Indian regulatory requirements and Euro IV emission norms. In fact, Tata claims that the small car is less polluting than most of the bikes on Indian roads.

Safety

Tata says that they have tested the small car extensively for front, rear and side collisions and come out with a product that exceeds current regulatory requirements. The safety features of the Nano include a strong passenger compartment, intrusion resistant doors, front seat belts, sturdy seats and anchorage.

Other Specifications

Tata Nano has two models - Deluxe & Standard. Deluxe version will have fitted A/C but both the models wont have power steering.The car has a single windshield wiper and no rear seat belts.



- Rear wheel drive, 4-speed manual transmission
- Steering – mechanical rack and pinion
- Front brake: disc
- Rear brake: drum
- Front track: 1,325 mm (52.2 in)
- Rear track: 1,315 mm (51.8 in)
- Ground clearance: 180 mm (7.1 in)
- Front suspension: McPherson strut with lower A arm
- Rear suspension: Independent coil spring
- 12-inch wheels

Price

The base model of the car sports a price tag of Rs 100,000 (Rs.1lakh i.e approx. 2,500 dollars) which excludes taxes and transport costs. The high end/deluxe models will include air-conditioning and other features to be incorporated based on suggestions of the common people.