[fine69]

I have only 2 questions for the gurus who are good at speculating -
1. When does this come out?
2. How much is it going to cost me?

I had already prepared my mind to spend 1-1.2 lakh on a second hand Alto for my wife in the next 1-1.5 years but if an AMT Nano comes out it could be a no-brainer (subject to the response of my 2 questions of course).

[isiv]

Wont 67 bhp be a bit over the limit for that kind of wheelbase and tyre size? I mean if 67bhp (k10) in the alto pushed the brakes, tyres and general shell capability to its limits, what will happen to the nano with that kind of power?

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

In the present Nano, radiator comes in the rear and the A/C condenser comes in the front.

And hence my line of comments! Thanks anyway.

Originally Posted by isiv

Wont 67 bhp be a bit over the limit ...

You can never be too thin or too powerful.
Where did the 67 BHP figure come from?

Regards
Sutripta

[1100D]

Originally Posted by isiv

Wont 67 bhp be a bit over the limit for that kind of wheelbase and tyre size? I mean if 67bhp (k10) in the alto pushed the brakes, tyres and general shell capability to its limits, what will happen to the nano with that kind of power?

Should an enthusiast complain. I wouldn't mind a 200bhp Nano.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Should an enthusiast complain. I wouldn't mind a 200bhp Nano.

I have always wanted a very powerful, very compact, sporty and goodlooking hatch for personal transport.

I would not mind a 100 BHP Nano, with great (bigger) alloys and fatter tyres, ABS/EBD/Airbags, luxurious, elegant and useful interiors, lowered roofline.

I have driven a Fiat 500 with 165 BHP on tap and I know the feeling

[wartikars]

This would be a wonderful automobile product. There would be a paradigm shift in the automobile market in India. Hope TATAs get this thing in market ASAP and are not late as always. This car can either eat into 2 wheeler market or give time to other small cars if this comes up for a price upto INR 3.25L (on road).

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Should an enthusiast complain. I wouldn't mind a 200bhp Nano.

What good is bhp to the car if rest of the mechanicals don't complement it?

Originally Posted by fine69

I have only 2 questions for the gurus who are good at speculating -
1. When does this come out?
2. How much is it going to cost me?

I had already prepared my mind to spend 1-1.2 lakh on a second hand Alto for my wife in the next 1-1.5 years but if an AMT Nano comes out it could be a no-brainer (subject to the response of my 2 questions of course).

Can you really get a good condition Alto at that price point? the AMT version should be atleast 40-50K more than regular variant I suppose. But I think, 1.2L would be too less a budget for the Nano AMT.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Can you really get a good condition Alto at that price point? the AMT version should be atleast 40-50K more than regular variant I suppose. But I think, 1.2L would be too less a budget for the Nano AMT.

A 2005-06 model should be easily available around 1.2 lakh. I wouldn't really need the car in mint condition as it would be kept for 1-2 years hardly.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What good is bhp to the car if rest of the mechanicals don't complement it?
.

Doesn't matter. There is no such thing as too much power. Lack of power, yes! As long as ARAI is there to deem it fit for the market (it wont fall apart).

The American muscle cars from the era, that we so worship these days, were born out of that premise.

As for me. I have driven a powerful 1600cc Beetle and was smitten by the quirkiness. That's character. Nano, being rear engine rear wheel drive, with a little more power, will have the ability to break traction at the rear end, the more the power, the more the prospects of seeing that happen.

After writing all this, now I am certain that I am buying a powerful Nano.

[isiv]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

You can never be too thin or too powerful.

How about a 25 bhp engine on a bicycle frame? Hope my point is clearer now.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Where did the 67 BHP figure come from?

The starting post.

Originally Posted by 1100D

Should an enthusiast complain. I wouldn't mind a 200bhp Nano.

And I wouldn't mind it even if it went up to 600bhp But safety in design is more important IMO...

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by isiv

How about a 25 bhp engine on a bicycle frame? Hope my point is clearer now.

An average human being produces 0.1 HP. If you increase power 250 times, there will be some problems.

In the case of the Nano, I don't see any problem in handling 67 (or even 80) BHP. Essentially wheels and brakes will need upgrading. No real changes to the chassis.

What top speed increase do you expect from a bump to say 70 BHP?

Regards
Sutripta

[1100D]

Originally Posted by isiv

And I wouldn't mind it even if it went up to 600bhp But safety in design is more important IMO...

I had already mentioned below.

Originally Posted by 1100D

As long as ARAI is there to deem it fit for the market (it wont fall apart). .

As long as there is a governing body to certify it to be fit for the market, why should we complain.

But if we must do so, please start by eradicating our roads of the "Jugaad" (In whatever form)

[isiv]

At the risk of sounding argumentative (Of course, I'm not trying to do that...), I'm going to put down a few points:
1. How do we know that problems will start only when we increase power by a factor of 250? How do we know problems will not start at 1.005?

2. Honestly, I'm neither qualified nor do I have the data to determine accurately how much power/torque or max speed the nanos' chassis is capable of handling safely. But I do realize there's more to making a car go faster than just stuffing in a bigger/powerful engine.

3. Given the fact that the nano was built with one major goal - low cost, it shouldn't be a surprise if the chassis was built to handle exactly the power/torque that the current two cylinder produces and not one bit more. The same applies to the tyres, brakes & suspension.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

In the case of the Nano, I don't see any problem in handling 67 (or even 80) BHP. Essentially wheels and brakes will need upgrading. No real changes to the chassis.

I'll be grateful if you could share some info on how you arrived at that.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by isiv

Given the fact that the nano was built with one major goal - low cost, it shouldn't be a surprise if the chassis was built to handle exactly the power/torque that the current two cylinder produces and not one bit more. The same applies to the tyres, brakes & suspension.

Nano was designed as a global car and there were plans to introduce the same in US and Europe markets with bigger engine. So chasis was designed with a higher capacity engine in mind. Agree, brakes and suspension need improvement to handle the added power.

[sadsack]

Originally Posted by VinodDevil81

Tata Nano Twist Active AMT -Wow! Such a big (and funny) name for such a small car? Wonder who is coining these names in these car companies? I hope Tata would'nt mind, if for convenience sake we call it "TNT A2"?

So sometime later if they launch the diesel variant, I bet it's name will be "Tata Nano Twist Active AMT Intercooled TurboDiesel".

On a serious note, if they really want to re-position nano as a more upmarket car, I feel it would be better to do away with the nano name altogether.
The name Nano is linked with cheapness and Tata themselves are responsible for that.Their initial marketing strategy as the "World's cheapest car" did this harm to that name.

I thought that they have woken up from their slumber when they decided to finally give up the "Indica" and "Vista" names on the new bolt hatchback. But I have my doubts now. Tata is always Tata. Much like a government establishment. So hard to bring about radical changes.

Sarcasm and all is okay, but I think that what has been trying to kill (apart from some insane advice from marketing Sage Al Ries) is the attitude that we Indians have cultivated towards the car. My post is repetitive simply because come what may the Nano bashing with the same set of arguments continues.

I have a Nano. I am very, very happy with it. It performs exceedingly well and is reasonably well put together. It is a proper car, which can be improved on but I believe that hiking the price by adding useless features to it will not make it up market nor will it become desirable. If anything, such attempts will only serve to hasten the death of the car which is on life support anyway, while in reality there is no necessity for that.

Tata has been bashed quite a bit, for lacking in quality to continuing with the names Indica, Indigo and Nano. I guess some of that is deserved but not all. Tata I think has shown a commitment to the Nano which is admirable. Despite all the negative publicity surrounding it, Tata seem to have gritted their teeth and have been continuously upgrading the car with features and with each upgrade there also has been an attempt at better QC. The power steering bit was needed, it has been given in the Twist. I have been canvassing for a CVT and now the car is being tested with AMT. As long as costs are not pushed up terribly any kind of auto transmission which is reliable will do.

I have seen that this is a car that is an aspiration for women who have learnt driving a little late in their lives. The biggest problem that they face is the discomfort with the manual transmission of the car. I have seen that they feel intimidated by the necessity to change gears will still not being perfect at steering control. The Nano is now reaching that phase where the really fundamental and necessary changes are being carried out. So it looks like somebody in Tata has their eyes and years open.

Having incorporated the two really necessary ingredients in the Nano, what Tata needs to do is ensure that the car does not become too expensive or have quality issues. If this is adhered to I still see the Nano becoming a car on which Tata can build a reputation and not just sales. I feel heartened when I hear Carlos Ghosn say that the idea of the Nano is sound and that the failure in the market is for reasons other than that. Recently Gordon Murray has also showered encomiums on Tata for the Nano idea. All Tata needs to do is shut out the unnecessary bedlam from their minds and just concentrate on building the Nano as a better car and a better brand. Believe me there is huge market out there.