EXCLUSIVE!

To realise the Nano’s real potential, Tata Motors feels it has to take the car further upmarket and distance it completely from its current ‘poor-man’s car’ tag. Apart from cosmetic changes, Tata Motors is planning more powerful engines to further enhance the appeal of the car. “We have variants coming out with a three-cylinder engine developing 60bhp or 80bhp and we will also give the Nano larger tyres and wheels,” says Ratan Tata, company chairman, whose brainchild the Nano is. However, the timeframe for these upgrades is not clear. Tata says, “They won’t be coming out very soon, but it’s in our interest to get them out as fast as possible.”

Tata Motors is keen to stabilise the production of the current Nano first before launching new variants. According to company sources, there are no significant upgrades expected in 2012 and even a power steering option, which Tata is developing, won’t be market-ready before 2013. The diesel engine too is unlikely to be introduced in this calendar year as it could disrupt the demand for the current petrol model, which has only just found traction. Tata Motors is hoping that with more Nanos on the road and positive word of mouth, the demand for the Nano will reach a tipping point and accelerate exponentially.

Tata Motors also wants to appeal to women drivers, many of whom have never driven before. “There’s a whole customer base of women who say their husbands didn’t allow them to drive, and now they’ve bought a Nano with their own money. This is an interesting segment and something we should address,” said Ratan Tata.