Tata Nano Twist to get power steering on middle and top variants

After giving you the scoop that the power steering-equipped Nano will be called the Nano Twist, we now have a few more details to reveal. The middle and top end variants of the Nano Twist will get the ZF-sourced electric power steering system.

 

The middle variant of the Nano Twist, equivalent to the existing CX, will become the XE, while the top variant of the Nano Twist, equivalent to the current LX, will become the XT model. The Tata Nano Twist is expected to be launched on January 15, 2014. 

 

The Nano Twist will also be offered in a purple paint shade option for the first time and the EPS version will be approximately around Rs 15,000 more expensive than the equivalent non-power steering Nano (which is expected to be sold alongside the EPS version). The biggest grouse against the Tata Nano has been its heavy steering, the result of a flawed steering geometry that Tata hasn't quite got right on this 630kg, rear-wheel drive car.

 

Manoeuvring the small car through traffic and parking was a bit cumbersome and to counter this, Tata gave a larger steering diameter in the upgraded 2013 Nano, to make it easy on the triceps. But this was just a half measure.

 

 

Now, the Tata Nano Twist could overcome one of the car's major drawbacks. 

 

The ZF electric power steering has taken about a year-and-a-half in development and Tata engineers have fine-tuned the calibration of the hatchback to give a good balance between low effort and road feel, according to company sources. 

 

Since its launch in 2009, sales of the Tata Nano have been a fraction of what Tata Motors hoped for. Although Tata has upgraded the interiors and exteriors of the Nano in a bid to entice buyers, the stigma of the world's cheapest car has kept many buyers away.

 

The ZF-sourced electric power steering system on the Nano Twist marks the first mechanical upgrade for the Nano since its launch. This upgrade is a part of Tata Motors' new Horizonext strategy which seeks to improve existing products, sales and service to combat the recent slump in sales.