Is Tata Motors planning to bring back the iconic Nano in an electric avatar? Well, the company may be considering a resurrection of the car in an electric version with a substantial revamping, including changes to its suspension and tyres, according to automotive industry sources.
Tata Motors may be considering the revival of Nano and a platform upgrade as part of its aggressive footprint expansion in the electric mobility segment and to sweat existing investments in the Nano project, sources said, as per TOI. However, a Tata Motors spokesman said ¡°Tata Motors doesn¡¯t comment on speculation and forthcoming vehicles.¡±
Earlier this year, Ratan Tata had taken delivery of a custom-made Tata Nano EV which was built by his startup Electra EV.
Tata Motors¡¯ electric vehicle (EV) ambitions were recently highlighted by chairman N Chandrasekaran. At the 77th AGM, he said that the company sold 5,000 EVs in FY21 and 19,500 in FY22. In the current fiscal, the target was to sell 50,000 EVs, hitting 100,000 by FY24. Already the company has sold over 24,000 EVs in the April-November 2022 period ¡ªa sharp jump over the FY22 tally of 19,500 units.
Tata Motors¡¯ electric lineup includes the Nexon EV, Tigor EV, Tiago EV and the Xpres-T EV. The company has already showcased its EV concepts Curvv and Avinya and has announced it will roll out 10 models in the next five years, as per the report.
It was way back in 2008 when the Tata Nano was launched with its aggressive pricing and was positioned as a people¡¯s car. About four years ago, Tata Motors stopped producing the car in May 2018. Sources in the industry said if the plans to ¡°productionize¡± a new Nano EV does kick off, the company could also restart its talks with the Tamil Nadu government regarding the acquisition of the Ford plant in Maraimalai Nagar, the report mentioned.
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In 2011, Tata Nano was given a massive makeover which skyrocketed its value to Rs 22 crore. The car's body was made with 80 kg 22-carat solid gold, 15 kg silver, precious stones - including diamonds, rubies - and other expensive gemstones, an official had said.
The Rs 22 crore Goldplus Nano Car was unveiled by Ratan Tata.
The official stated that the valuable and fully functional car was not for sale, and was rather a unique branding and promotional initiative by Goldplus Jewellery, part of Titan Industries, a Tata Group company.
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The Goldplus Nano Car was billed as the world's first-ever gold jewellery car and celebrated the 5,000 years of the jewellery-making industry in India.
"As many as 14 techniques of jewellery making have gone behind the effort -- from the intricate filigree work to the delicate and colourful meenakari work, the stunning kundan to the traditional naqashi, marking the convergence of diverse and culturally distinct jewellery making techniques from around India," the official had said.
The Rs 22 crore Nano unveiled by Ratan Tata was reportedly a one-off showpiece that would tour Tata-owned jewellery stores across the country.
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