Tata Nano Unveiled

It's here folks! Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Motors today unveiled the Nano at the Auto Expo. The car, which had created quite a buzz even before the unveiling, was presented to a packed house. Ratan Tata himself drove the car on stage. He was also his candid best, answering all his detractors and critics.

He said there were suggestions to name the car 'Mamta' or 'Despite Mamta' taking a dig at Mamta Banerjee. The screen also flashed O.Suzuki's quote that the car was 'not feasible'.

The car itself looks quite cute. It’s a four-door five-seater hatch back. According to the company the car is 8 percent smaller than a M800 on the outside and about 21 percent bigger on the inside than the 800. The car sports a 624cc petrol engine placed at the back. There are air scoops behind the rear doors to provide air to the engine. The car will go 20 plus kilometers to a liter of petrol. The car features a 4 speed manual transmission with a top speed of around 90 km/h.

The car meets the Euro 4 emission norms and also the frontal and side on crash test requirement.

The base model of the car would retail at a price of Rs. 1 Lakh not including the VAT and transport charges at the dealership. This also does not include the registration and insurance costs.

There will be a luxury variant as well which will feature air conditioning. The car will go into production by the middle of the year and the bookings will open by June.

Lets hope the car is not a let down as far as the quality levels go. Also performance for such a small engine will be an issue, which is sure to take a beating with the air conditioning on.

More info and pictures from the Auto Expo in a few days.