[VeluM]

Originally Posted by needforspeed88

India is not so advanced as yet that most families can afford two cars for different purposes . Nano is strictly , by that i mean very strictly a city car.The wheel bearings are rated to a speed of 72 kmph . The 15 liter fuel tank , the non existent boot , lack of power steering , i can go on and on .Indian families make small often trips across highways for various purposes. Maruti 800 became the national car because of its frugal nature , reliability and versatility. Even in those days with the carbureted it was capable of use in the city as well as highway jaunts . What Tata have to do is uprate the components so that it is at-least capable of going on the highways occasionally and not strictly limited to the city . Add a diesel engine and price it accordingly . It will still work out cheaper than any other diesel car in the market. Now people will ask me , you must be mad to take such a small car on the highway but these days many Indian families want a personal mode of transport for short-trips at-least in emergencies . It is the strict city limitation of the Nano that it has failed to take off. I know Tata has not marketed it well but plonk a diesel engine , increase fuel tank capacity , uprate thecomponents like wheel bearings , provide a rear hatch and price it accordingly

The news about the components not being rated to anything more than 72 kmph is from that extremely flawed Canadian news story. I would disregard it. Just last week I saw a Nano loaded with 5 people sprinting down the airport road (new) doing around 90kmph. It got to that speed in a hurry too.

What Tata needs to do is do away with the extreme Cheap image associated with the Nano. Which is probably easier than doing away with the lack of reliability associated with Tata's generally or combustibility image of the Nano. Not unachievable though. I think the new Nano might do that, if they start a marketing onslaught along with the new launch, and pay a lot of attention to smaller cities with the new low down-payment scheme.

[needforspeed88]

Originally Posted by VeluM

The news about the components not being rated to anything more than 72 kmph is from that extremely flawed Canadian news story. I would disregard it. Just last week I saw a Nano loaded with 5 people sprinting down the airport road (new) doing around 90kmph. It got to that speed in a hurry too.

What Tata needs to do is do away with the extreme Cheap image associated with the Nano. Which is probably easier than doing away with the lack of reliability associated with Tata's generally or combustibility image of the Nano. Not unachievable though. I think the new Nano might do that, if they start a marketing onslaught along with the new launch, and pay a lot of attention to smaller cities with the new low down-payment scheme.

Its a well known fact that the Wheel bearings are rated for 72kph and anything over which they would wear out fast. It was reported in several Indian auto magazines .Nano has a top speed of 105 kph so its not surprising to see people driving at 90 kph. The smallest fuel tank in the passenger car segment of 15 liter is a clear indication as to how Tata wanted to prevent people from using Nano for longer drives.If you go to the rural areas you will see goods rickshaws being used to ferry people and that too 12-15 of them at a time but that does not mean they are rated to carry so many people.

I am not saying about all the components being cheap-rated .I just said the non existent boot , small fuel tank , and wheel bearings rated to 72 kph [over and above which
their wear would be much quicker ] are clear deterrents for people intending to use it as their only car

[silverado]

Originally Posted by needforspeed88

Its a well known fact that the Wheel bearings are rated for 72kph and anything over which they would wear out fast. It was reported in several Indian auto magazines .Nano has a top speed of 105 kph so its not surprising to see people driving at 90 kph. The smallest fuel tank in the passenger car segment of 15 liter is a clear indication as to how Tata wanted to prevent people from using Nano for longer drives.If you go to the rural areas you will see goods rickshaws being used to ferry people and that too 12-15 of them at a time but that does not mean they are rated to carry so many people.

I am not saying about all the components being cheap-rated .I just said the non existent boot , small fuel tank , and wheel bearings rated to 72 kph [over and above which
their wear would be much quicker ] are clear deterrents for people intending to use it as their only car

Wheel bearings deteriorating over 72kph?
KKMohannan ( Apologise if i am wrong with the handle ) has crossed 20k in his nano, we need to ask if he has reported anything like this.

My nano is close to 5k now, it has been used for 5-6 highway high speed trips when i have touched 100 at times and have been consistently above 80kph

Also since we are mostly 2 on board, i manage to get her to 80kph easily on good roads.

I would be intrested to know if they (about people who are raising doubts about Nano ) have driven it over a good amount of time?or even had a chance to ride in one.

Just by reading and looking at someone else's car you cannot make accurate judgements, IMHO.

Finally, i am glad NANO PLUS is coming with better seats

[needforspeed88]

Originally Posted by silverado

Wheel bearings deteriorating over 72kph?
KKMohannan ( Apologise if i am wrong with the handle ) has crossed 20k in his nano, we need to ask if he has reported anything like this.

My nano is close to 5k now, it has been used for 5-6 highway high speed trips when i have touched 100 at times and have been consistently above 80kph

Also since we are mostly 2 on board, i manage to get her to 80kph easily on good roads.

I would be intrested to know if they (about people who are raising doubts about Nano ) have driven it over a good amount of time?or even had a chance to ride in one.

Just by reading and looking at someone else's car you cannot make accurate judgements, IMHO.

Finally, i am glad NANO PLUS is coming with better seats

You , the owner is in the best place to comment . Nano is a wonderful product let down by Tata [ bad marketing and positioning] .Why did they skimp a rear hatch or a
large fuel tank or PS. Why did they market the car as a cheap one ? Everybody cannot own every car we can only go by reviews and based on the opinions of people who
own them [like yourself ] to know the long term ownership issues . I myself do not know how far it is true but it was mentioned in a couple of indian magazines at the launch of Nano.

[kaks15]

Well I gave a constable lift on my way to work, on the way i was chit chatting with him when i learnt he did not own a vehicle. I jokingly told him about nano upgrade, he said I would not buy a Nano because :

1) Its a toy meant for kids and not a car, its like one of those things we see in a mall (he meant electric toy cars giving rides in the mall to small kids)

2)The vehicle no doubt has space inside but what would I do of a vehicle for which I might not be able to find a mechanic in the market, its better to go for an alto which is acquainted fairly well to the local auto mechanics

3)no cng, no diesel, not electric, how do i run the vehicle at 70-80 rs/l petrol

4)only way i will drive a nano ever is if delhi police plies these vehicles and allocate us one each with a red beacon! red beacon on nano , cute

upgrade or no upgrade , perceptions need to be modified if they were to sell this vehicle.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by needforspeed88

You , the owner is in the best place to comment . Nano is a wonderful product let down by Tata [ bad marketing and positioning] .Why did they skimp a rear hatch or a
large fuel tank or PS. Why did they market the car as a cheap one ? Everybody cannot own every car we can only go by reviews and based on the opinions of people who
own them [like yourself ] to know the long term ownership issues . I myself do not know how far it is true but it was mentioned in a couple of indian magazines at the launch of Nano.

I agree about the marketing part gone horribly wrong.
I myself was skeptical about Nano untill i did a good TEST drive twice.

My purpose on buying the car was to have a Tallboy AC car for atleast 2-3 years after which i intend to buy a premium hatchback.

Long term ownership, 25000k mark in 2-3 years should give a clear picture.

As mentioned earlier we already have one long term report @ 22K from one of our bhpian.

[sidindica]

The refreshed nanos have reached dealers and deliveries have started.

LX gains:

• beige and silver panel dashboard
• beige and black door trims
• new improved cushioned seats
• LHS OSRVM
• wheelcaps

CX gains

• black and silver panel dashboard
• black door trims with new fabric design
• new improved cushioned seats
• LHS and RHS OSRVM (gloss black touch)

The NVH has also been lessened. No other changes, and the best part: No price increase. Overall the car feels better now.

[man_and_machine]

What happened to the CRDi/e discussion? Is that the next gen Nano?

[CRtorquefan]

That's a good piece of Info Sid.
Nano with Beige interiors, looks cool & is a lesson to many expensive cars too.
But have asked the Dealer about the changes done against Multiple fire engulfing cases ?

& What's about its battery placement ? Is it still under driver seat or is relocated anywhere else ?

I do see a addition of a Rear Spoiler to LX variant.

IAB have also featured Nano upgrade on their Homepage http://indianautosblog.com/2011/11/tata-nano-upgrades

[manojas]

The cheap car image of Nano is really hurting it. My sister wanted to buy a car and even though they had the money only to buy a nano, they took a loan and bought an i10. What i realize is, the people who are buying a car in the entry segment is too conscious about the image of the car and hence will not buy the nano. The upgrades never help to change that image.

I also image a nano, with superior quality and all modern features with auto transmission as my city car, which is smart and cute.

[fx45]

This will hit badly on used Nano prices as well, in Mumbai one can get a base Nano used for only 5,000km going for as low as Rs 1.05 lakh. and a top end one for as low as Rs 1.3 lakh

[ACM]

Good bit of news Sid, Thanks.

Yes this sorts out the immediate issues in the current petrol varients. Beige on the Dash could reflect a fair bit on the screen - hope they have not created that problem, i guess they would have checked.

Diesel version also awaited.

[akhilesh51]

Launch Date
November 21, 2011

Model
Nano 2011



Tata Motors has been planning upgrade to its little wonder for quite some time now and various new technologies have been experimented with in the past including 3-cylinder engines and even a diesel powerplant with mind-boggling FE figures.

At the same time, enthusiasts too have been waiting for some major changes to the product which took world by storm but well... just turned out to be all dust but no fire (pun intended ). There have been talks of power steering, Nano Europa styling, even Tata Pixel has been a contender for second iteration of Tata Nano.

So, the time has come and TATA have folded their sleeves to provide an all new refreshed Nano or rather NANO 2012.

The feature list is as follows:

1. If it isn't 25, it isn't enough
Tata has had a fixation with this quarter century mark for quite some time now. It all started with the Indica eV2 and now there is no looking back. I still wait for the time when they will include UV vehicles in their 25kmpl brigade. Guess then, a lot will be pardoned on the quality front.

Well, as the news goes, Tata Nano is now the most fuel efficient Petrol car in the country as per ARAI certification.

2. Its still not power steering but it is lighter
Tata have incorporated some serious changes in the steering column and ride and handling of the car to make the steering "much-much" lighter and anyone owning the old nano would instantly fall in love with the nano 2012.

Again, not truly up to customer expectation a la Power steering but, TATA has looked into the issue and come up with ingenious, and cost effective solution for the time being.



3. No more hang on tight on turns.
Tata have introduced a Anti-Roll bar on this edition to dramatically improve ride and handling of the vehicle. Further, suspension has been tweaked for a softer ride. It is not an auto after all !!!

4. Gone are the days of clatter
Here Tata has gone more than just minor tweaking but actually delved right into design of the vehicle. The B Pillars are now wider, there is more insulation on certain parts and exhaust noise too has been brought down bringing down NVH levels considerably.

Once again, there is no 3 pot powerplant but genuine effort has been made and ingenuity has ruled above complete overhaul.

5. Mirror, Mirror on the car.
Tata went full cost cutting first time around and while some of the omissions were accepted (reluctantly!) by the junta, this was one omission that did not go down well with the customers, especially ones commuting in heavy traffic cities. We are referring to the Left Hand side ORVM.

Though, Tata has been supplying LHS ORVM for quite some time through its service centres but Nano 2012 brings this feature as standard on CX and LX versions with LX getting body coloured ORVM.

6. So comfy...
One of the major changes in this edition of Nano is the seats. Gone are the times of non-existant seat comfort and in comes softly cushioned seats with proper headrests. Frankly, this is a change which will appreciated by all and instantly be recognisable from older iteration. Good Job people!



7. Beige it is, even for the cheapest car in market
Interiors have been revamped. Centre console now stands out in terms of quality of knobs as well as colour choices.

CX gets fabric door linings and seats with silver centre consoles. Beige rules as soon as you step into LX variant. On first impression, new interiors do aim to provide a upmarket feel to the humble car and ticks many right boxes on the interiors department.





8. Look at my new shoes
Not much of change here in terms of upgrade. LX gets full 'alloy look' wheel cover while CX is handed down earlier half wheel caps from old LX.



9. More colour options. Maybe one for your each dinner gown
Tata have scrapped all older colours except Sunshine Yellow and Champagne Gold to bring in much bolder and premium shades. There are 10 colours (4 Non Metallic, 6 Metallic) in all with 8 shades being introduced with Nano 2012. Nano LX gets more exclusive shades unlike only Sunshine Yellow in previous iteration. Pearl White from Tata flagship Safari too gets an introduction in Nano LX and personally is a top choice.



Notes

1. There is a parallel thread on Nano Upgrade but talks on many models future and present. This thread is created specifically for Nano 2012 which is CONFIRMED product.
2. There is no change in Product pricing at the moment for new product.
3. Tata has been shipping new Nano from past few weeks and most dealer will begin showcasing vehicles from this week itself.
4. This product is not NANO PLUS.
5. There is no change in exterior appearances of the vehicle except introduction of LHS ORVM on CX and LX versions.
6. No design cues have been borrowed from Nano Europa.
7. It is not an intermediate product between major product introduction. Tata expects to sell this vehicle through 2012 or atleast till end of 2012.

Note from Moderator: Thread merged with the existing thread. Thanks for sharing the info

[arvi86]

Though the changes are coming a little late given that the Nano sales have tumbled down, it is a welcome move by Tata nevertheless. Personally, I think the Tata Nano is a great effort by an Indian company and I do not want the product to go down without the fight. These changes in the new Nano will go a long way in improving the car and make it a credible alternative to the Alto 800cc.

[drmohitg]

Thanks a lot for this report. It does look a much better package atleast on paper. Yet to be seen how the market reacts to it since its very tough for it to shake off its cheap image. I am most concerned about the NVH levels. If Tata is able to tweak it a little, I think Nano will start appealing to a lot more people.

The other grudge I had was that they didn't utilize the space on the dash and give us a glovebox. Its a necessity to keep some basic stuff in the car.

Overall I like the new Nano.