The Tata Nano was always Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata's dream project. It was a car that promised the accessibility of four wheels to every Indian at an accessible price. And while it may not have turned into the commercial success it was touted to be, it still remains close to Mr. Tata's heart. So it's hardly surprising when Mr. Tata was recently spotted being driven in the Nano at the Taj Mahal hotel (also a Tata property) in Mumbai. What's interesting is that the Nano in question is an electric version. It was also heartening to see Mr. Tata being driven in the Nano Electric in the absence of any bodyguards. Known for his simplicity, Mr. Tata manages to set new benchmarks every time, and netizens have been hailing the business icon for his modesty and simplicity.
Also Read: Tata Nano Electric Spotted Testing for the First Time
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The Tata Nano Electric is custom-made and was built by EV powertrain solutions company Electra EV. The company swapped the 624 cc two-cylinder petrol engine on the Nano for a 72-volt electric motor with super polymer lithium-ion batteries. The car is capable of a range of 160 km on a single charge with 0-60 kmph coming up in 10 seconds. Sadly, the Nano Electric could never make it to mass production and that's a bummer given how well Tata Motors has managed to capture the passenger EV space in India today.
Also Read: Bihar Man Turns His Tata Nano Into A Helicopter To Rent It Out For Weddings
An avid petrolhead himself, the Nano would be one of the more modest cars in his garage that also holds a Ferrari California, Chrysler Sebring, Cadillac XTS, Mercedes-Benz SL, Mercedes-Benz W124, and Tata Nexon among others.
More recently, Mr. Tata shared a throwback post on Instagram explaining his dream and motivation behind developing the Nano hatchback.
Tata Nano Electric Spied
Sharing an image from the Tata Nano's launch in 2008, he captioned the image as, "What really motivated me, and sparked a desire to produce such a vehicle, was constantly seeing Indian families on scooters, maybe the child sandwiched between the mother and father, riding to wherever they were going, often on slippery roads. One of the benefits of being in the School of Architecture, it had taught me to doodle when I was free. At first, we were trying to figure out how to make two-wheelers safer, the doodles became four wheels, no windows, no doors, just a basic dune buggy. But I finally decided it should be a car. The Nano was always meant for all our people."
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The Tata Nano was launched amidst much fanfare with the Rs. 1 lakh (ex-showroom) price tag putting Tata Motors and the Indian auto sector on the global map. However, multiple fire incidents soon after the launch and a poor marketing campaign meant the. Nano could find the right customer base. The car was pulled off the shelves in 2018 after multiple iterations rolled out, owing to changing emission norms and safety standards in the Indian auto sector. The carmaker has since made a resurging comeback in the passenger vehicle market with its new offerings. Tata also diversified into the electric vehicle space with the Ziptron drivetrain and its newer concepts - Curvv and Avinya - promise more capable and world-class products in the future.
