Indiantelevision.com Team

(23 March 2009 11:25 pm)

MUMBAI: Tata Motors will ride to the market with three variants of the Nano - priced between Rs 112,000 and Rs 170,000 at Pantnagar, the place where it is produced.

The makers of the cheapest car of the world expect to drive in volumes with special financing schemes, availability of the product across 1,000 towns, and a big marketing push.

The auto market, currently dominated by Maruti, is set for a tectonic shift as Tata Motors hopes consumers to move up the lane from their two-wheelers.

"Six years ago, we took the decision to conceive and produce more cars that would give the people of India, who rode with their families on two-wheelers, an affordable all-weather transport at a price that is within their reach," said Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, while addressing the press here today.

The marketplace has changed since then. Ratan Tata, who built his autombile empire with indigenous products like Tata Indica, Tata Indigo, Tata Safari and Tata Sumo, set his sights on Jaguar Land Rover which it acquired last year for approximately $2.3 billion.

"Ratan Tata dreams of grabbing market share across all the price points. While he has competition in his other models, the launch of Nano will give him space to create a whole new mass segment that Maruti continues to dominate even now," says an auto expert who has been tracking the progress of the Nano project from the start.

The Nano will also be about a social revolution, much as Maruti did with its base model. "The success of Nano will depend on how big the aspirational movement is from the lower middle class consumers who are climbing up the ladder," says an industry expert.

The base model, Tata Nano Standard, will be available in three colour options, single-tone seats, and fold-down rear seat.

Up the chain will be Tata Nano CX, launched in five colours with heating and air-conditioning (HVAC), two-tone seats, parcel shelf, booster-assisted brakes and fold-down rear seat with nap rest.

Tata Nano LX, the top segment among the three variants, will be made available with features of CX in addition to fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body coloured exteriors in three premium colours, fog lamps, electronic trip meter, cup holder in front console, mobile charger point, and rear spoiler.

While customers will have to pay approximately Rs 95,000 to book the base model BS II and III, they will have to shell out Rs 120,000 for the mid-range model and Rs 140,000 for the top model.

As part of its marketing initiative for Nano, Tata Motors has launched a gamut of co-branded accessories and merchandise including alloy wheels, body kits, decals, Nano phone, Nano watch and T-shirts, amongst others.

These products will be made available to customers online at tatanano.com. They will also be available at all Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships along with Westside and Croma outlets.

"Tata Indicom too will market the Nano phone, and Titan the Nano watch," says Tata Motors passenger cars division president Rajiv Dubey.

Nano will be on display across the country at Tata Motors' passenger car dealerships and other select authorised outlets from 1 April onwards.

Initially, one lakh applicants across 1,000 thousand cities will be allocated randomly wherein the company will start delivering Nano to customers from July onwards.

Building the Nano on a project cost of Rs 20 billion, Tata Motors has set up 380 sales outlets and 150 service outlets as part of its distribution network.