Tata Motor's Pantnagar plant all set to roll out Nano

Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), Mar 19 (ANI): The Pantnagar plant of Tata Motors in Uttarakhand is all set to roll out the Nano, the 4-seater, 100,000-rupee price tag super-cheap car for the masses.

In a recent announcement, vehicle maker Tata Motors said that it would launch its Nano on March 23 and accept bookings from the second week of April.

The car, expected to be priced around 100,000 rupees, was unveiled in January 2008. It was scheduled to go on sale last October, but problems with the main plant location delayed the launch.

Car dealers say there is a huge craze for the Nano with people regularly visiting them in an attempt to buy the car in the first lot.

"There is a lot of hype in the market. People are crazy about it. They are waiting for Ratan Tata's dream car. We are getting a lot of queries. We have got a good response. We have got over 2000-2500 booking already," said Ankit Aggarwal, dealer, Tata Motors.

Experts, however, say that Tata is worried that the current economic downturn and production constraints may spoil the success of the world's cheapest car.

The price tag has created a lot of excitement among people."I am coming here to enquire for the second time. I want to buy it," said Manoj Singh, a prospective customer.

Only 50,000 cars will be available in the first year from Tata facilities in Pune and Pantnagar. Tata is waiting for the 250,000-unit capacity in Gujarat to come onstream to meet public demand for the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the venture of Renault/Nissan Motor with Bajaj said their 2,500 dollars car is on track to launch in 2011, while Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor, the No.1 and No.2 carmakers in India, are unlikely to cede ground to Nano without a fight.

Volkswagen, Toyota Motor, Honda and Fiat have also said they are keen to build low-cost cars, although the slowdown may temper their investment plans. (ANI)