Nano being fine-tuned

The world’s most affordable car is due for some small but significant upgrades within the next six months, following market feedback.

Tata Motors is working towards improving the performance of the Nano by raising the very conservative 5000rpm rev limit to 6000rpm to quicken its acceleration, especially in first and second gears. The company is also considering a five-speed gearbox, but this may be ruled out for India as Tata does not want to increase the top speed (currently limited electronically to 105kph) for safety reasons.

According to a Tata Motors engineer, “With a top speed of 105kph, five gear ratios are unnecessary and could result in excessive gear changing for the driver.” However, it is understood that for the European version of the Nano, a five-speeder is definitely on the cards.

Other changes for India include a modified outside rear view mirror (ORVM) assembly, which is ready to be introduced, but pending ARAI approval. In the current ORVM, the entire unit has to be moved, while the new design is less cumbersome, with movement of the mirror within the housing. This design will lend itself to electrically-powered mirrors in the future. Small niceties like a ‘check-strap’ to limit the door opening will also be introduced.

The other significant improvement expected in the coming months is a tail-gate that can be opened — the Nano currently features a sealed rear glass unit. The only way to access the small luggage area is from inside the car, by folding down the rear seats, causing inconvenience. Tata Motors’ engineers have now designed a tail-gate that meets with Ratan Tata’s requirement for a design that does not feature exposed hinges, to maintain the purity of the Nano shape.

Tata Motors is taking advantage of the limited capacity in its Uttaranchal plant to tweak the Nano before production is shifted to the upcoming main plant at Sanand in Gujarat, which should be ready by end-2010. At that point, production could jump from the current 4,000 units to 20,000 units a month.