Tata Nano is planning to make a production hub for South East Asian market possibly in Indonesia. The plant will start its assembly by 2013 with famous 100,000 Indian rupees. 100,000 Rupee is equivalent to RM7,000 only.
March this year, Tata offered to work with Proton, which was require more detail study an technical between both parties. It was conveyed to Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during his visit to Mumbai by Tata Group Chairman, Ratan Tata himself.
Back to main topic, now, based on Tata Motor official, it might be produce in Indonesia under the tie-up with PT Astra International, Indonesia's leading automaker. The plant will be production hub to Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. The volume for those markets will be 50,000 units.
Few fascinating facts about Nano are:
#1 It only has one side mirror on driver side
#2 It is rear wheel drive!
#3 The engine is located at the back
#4 Spare tire is located at the front boot space
#5 The engine is Euro-IV compliance ready
#6 It uses CVT!
(Remark: The above facts are based on India market. The spec might be different for others due to market regulation)
Below are some explanation of the Tata Nano design and concept to achieve low-cost car.
It is also said that Tata Nano did pass the Europe NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme), but the rating is not mentioned in the website yet. It might not be 5-star, but it passed! Tata can sell this car legally in the Europe.
Below are the photos and video of the frontal crash test (high speed).
Looking at the sticker attached to the front door, it has been done in MIRA, a test centre under supervision of UK VCA regulatory body.
In term of usage, it is very fuel saving for city driving at low speed. however, it is not advisable to drive at high speed because it has constraint on wheel durability. Below are few selected videos of Nano test drive session.
How much it would be in Malaysia will depends on our regulation on exhaust emission, safety regulation, ELV (hazardous material) compliance and so on. It is expected the price to be higher than the Indian price due to the tighter regulations and compliance.
Furthermore, there is a spin-off model from Nano, intended for Europe market, TATA PIXEL. Pixel is at just over three metres in length, the most package efficient four-seater in the world, comfortably accommodating four adults, unlike a typical city car which is either a two-seater or can accommodate two adults and two children only.
The Tata Pixel's ability to manoeuvre and park in the tightest of spaces is made possible by its Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT), which assists rotation of the outer rear wheel forwards and the inner rear wheel backwards, while the front wheels turn at acute angles. The result is a turning circle radius of just 2.6 metres. The 'scissor' doors rotate upwards from the front to allow passengers to effortlessly enter or exit the Tata Pixel, even in the tightest of spaces. A 1.2 litre three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, positioned at the rear of the Tata Pixel, gives lively performance. The engine is a low-friction design, featuring variable coolant and oil pump and rapid warm-up technologies.
With optimised aerodynamic drag, low rolling-resistance tyres, stop-start technology, and intelligent battery charging, the Tata Pixel returns European combined cycle (NEDC) fuel economy of 3.4 l/100km and CO2 emissions of just 89g/km. A forward sweeping roofline, with minimal front and rear overhangs, accentuates the youthful styling. The Tata Pixel is also designed to provide a high level of connectivity. Key functions are controlled by the driver's smart phone, running 'My Tata Connect', the first integrated human-machine interface (HMI) concept from Tata Motors.
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