Tata receives prestigious GOOD DESIGN award

The Tata Nano has received the prestigious GOOD DESIGN™ Award for 2010, which is conferred annually by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The Nano won the award this year for in the category of transportation.

The GOOD DESIGN award was founded in Chicago in 1950. The award recognizes new, visionary, and innovative product concepts, invention and originality. The award is given for stretching the envelope beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design. In 2010, GOOD DESIGN celebrated its 60-year anniversary as the world’s oldest and most prestigious awards programme for product and graphic design.

Tata Indica Vista EV first official pictures and details

These are the first official pictures of the Tata Indica Vista EV.  Tata claim that the EV Indica is capable of doing upto 115km/h with its 60Kw motor and can provide a range of lightly less than 180km.

Tata Motors have developed and assembled the new Vista EV at the International Automotive Research Centre at the University of Warwick Campus, Coventry. The battery has been sourced from Swedish Miljobil Grenalnd, the drivetrain has been obtained from a Canadian electrical systems company TM4, while the rest of the kit has been made in apna Bharat.
The Indica Vista EV will compete against the likes of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Nissan leaf, both of which are very accomplished electric cars. We wish Tata all the best for this endeavour.

Nano heading to Taiwan?

What started as an idea of providing a better means of transport to the Indians may soon find a place in the automobile market of Taiwan.

Indian Autos Blog’s latest post says so. Theodore Huang, Chairman, Teco Group of Taiwan has shown some interest in introducing the Nano in the Taiwanese market. During an event arranged by Tata Motors in Taiwan, he said that he was really interested in working with Tata Motors. He also believed that the car even if imported from India would cost lesser than the cheapest one available there.

The car will have to be reworked in order to make it acceptable for the stricter emission and collision norms in Taiwan. Well, Tata engineers have made a car once considered impossible come to reality, the reworking bit shouldn’t be a problem for them.

We hope that they make the car ready for it new market soon so that Nano makes us proud again.

Thanks IAB for the news.

See all Tata Nano Models, Price & Reviews
MOTOROIDS

Indigo CS e-series launched by Tata

Tata recently launched the Indigo CS Dicor e-series. The car is nothing but an enhanced equipment and style rich version of the Indigo CS. The car is BS IV compliant which will make it available in the major BS IV cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The same old Dicor engine has been enhanced to be BS IV compliant. However, there are no exact details about the emission levels of the new engine. Amongst the other changes are the new grille, body colored outside rear view mirrors (ORVM) which have integrated indicators (both taken from the Indigo XL), Bluetooth connectivity similar to the one in Fiat Linea, white alloy wheels and drilled pedals.

Source: Motoroids

Tata to launch Aria in the near future!

The Aria from the Tata stable which is a seven seater crossover will supposedly be launched in the near future. According to various sources, it will be just few more months until the car hits the streets. The car was spied a month ago during which it was revealed to be a cross between a MPV and a SUV.

The car will sport a 2.2L direct injection common rail diesel engine. This engine is the same one which powers the Safari and Sumo Grande. The Aria is reported to be one of Tata’s most sophisticated vehicles.

“The Aria should be launched most likely in May or June. We are going according to our plans. As for exporting it, we will make all our cars available outside the country depending on their need or relevance,” said a Tata Official.

In India, the car will come with a price tag between Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 14.5 lakh. According to various sources, the car will make its way to the US, UK and European markets within the next decade.

The Aria will sport various features similar to those of the Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva and Ford Endeavour. It is believed that the car will provide all luxuries available in the mentioned cars at a much lower cost. The car will also feature a 4WD and 2WD option as a variant.

Tata’s Nano-Indica straddler codenamed Dolphin

The Nano project may not have been a bed of roses for Tata, especially with chapters like being driven out of Singur in Bengal and some Nanos catching fire. However, the auto major remains undeterred by problems and is keen on making another small car which would slot in between the Nano and the Indica. The new car will be comparable to the Suzuki Wagon Rs and the Santros of the world and will most likely be priced at around Rs 3-lakh on the road. If reports from NDTV are to be believed the car has been codenamed as Dolphin, at least for the development phase.

It’s prudent for Tata to develop such a car for India as we know for a fact that ever since the Nano project took off, small car makers like Maruti and Hyundai have gone back to the drawing board to design and develop cars that are cheaper than even the Santro and the Wagon R with comparable engine specs, features and specs. Project Dolphin aims at having a Tata anwer ready for the challengers to be brought in the field by Suzuki and Hyundai in due course.
 

The car which will be made on a completely new platform would be a tough competitor to the Maruti Suzuki Alto, Wagon R and the Hyundai Santro. There are speculations that the car will be powered by an engine within the 800-1000cc range. The car may also be available in the petrol and diesel variants. Tata’s tradition of making spacious cars will be practiced in the new car as well and expect it to be a winner in terms of in both cabin and boot space.
 

It’s a good move by Tata as the company didn’t have a presence in the bare basic small car segment of the India which form the major chunk of the Indian car market. Tata Motors have the capability to keep costs low, and a cheap option in the A and A+ segment will definitely lure a lot of buyers. The demand will be primarily driven by the rural areas for Tata in such a case.

According to various sources, the car will hit the streets within the next 18-24 months. Since the phasing off of the legendary Maruti 800, it is now evident that Tata is very keen into getting a firm foothold in the small car segment. Stay tuned as we try our best to get more information about this upcoming small car.

Another Nano perishes in flames!

Good things never come cheap including cars. A case in point is the world's cheapest car a.k.a Tata Nano. Since its launch a few honest automotive journalists and majority of customers have cribbed about the poor quality of materials used in the Nano's construction. Here's the picture and a short write-up of true life incident which provides one more reason for not buying, driving, or hitching a ride in one.

Mr.Satish Sawant who works as an insurance agent took delivery of his brand new Nano from Tata's Concorde Motors showroom located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. After taking delivery of the car, Satish requested the showroom to give him a driver to take the car home as he can't drive. The showromm obliged and they drove off towards LIC Colony in Mulund(W) where Satish stays.The duo drove off from Prabhadevi at 3pm and after crossing Bhandup reached the Navgher signal located on the Eastern Express highway around 40 minutes later. At the traffic stop, they were overtaken by a biker who signalled them to look towards the rear of the Nano. When Satish turned back, he saw the rear of the car was bellowing smoke as it had caught fire.

Satish and the driver got out of the car immediately and are safe. While speaking to the media later on about the incident, Satish said that he had no idea about what had happened and didn't realize that the car was on fire until the passing biker pointed it out to him. This is not the first incident of Nano catching fire while being driven. We can only hope that this incident is the last. As of now the police investigation is on and Tata Motors have not issued any comment pertaining to the incident.

 

by Motoroids

Picture Source: Autoblog

News Source: NDTV.com

Nano to cost 3 times its price

Tata Motor’s ‘Ultra Low Cost’ creation christened the ‘Nano’ has become famous worldwide as the “cheapest car.” Costing a little more than a lakh INR (base model ex-factory) in India, the Nano indeed is the cheapest car out here. Tata Motors made use of the Detroit Auto Show as a platform to unveil the Nano in North America for the first time. There were rumors that the Americanized Nano would cost as little as $5,000. However, the Detroit News reported that according to a source within the company, the car would be priced at $8,000 which is approximately a whopping Rs 360,000, almost triple of the price prevalent here in India. The car is reported to hit the American streets in the next three years.

See More about Tata Nano Cars:

• View Various Tata Nano Models Here
• Tata Nano On Road Price in India
• Car Reviews on Tata Nano
• Used Second Hand Tata Nano Cars

Tata and M&M join the Price Hike bandwagon!

Joining the recent list of car manufacturers who have increased prices of their vehicles are Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Tata Motors has increased prices of its Indica and Indigo variants by around Rs.5000-8000. While M&M has increased the prices of its Xylo variants by around Rs.4,500, Scorpio variants by around Rs.6000-9,000, and Bolero variants by around Rs.5,000.

According to Arun Malhotra, Senior Vice President of Automotive Sector, Mahindra and Mahindra, the Primary reason for price hike across all vehicles is the rise in prices of the inputs required to make them.


BMW and Honda Siel Cars India have recently increased prices of their cars with Maruti Suzuki following suit. The main reason for the above manufacturers in increasing prices was also the rise in input costs along with the appreciation of foreign currency Yen. Hyundai is also expected to announce a price hike shortly.

According to Jnaneshwar Sen, Vice President Marketing, Honda Siel Cars India, the value of Yen has appreciated in the last few months along with the import content in their cars ranging from 24% in the City to 100% in the CRV which has increased the costs of manufacturing.

Ford makes $1 billion profit

In a big turnaround from making losses over the past few years, and during a time when the worlds auto majors are declaring bankruptcy, Ford has declared nearly $1 billion in profits.

The company has been involved in major cost cutting efforts and also sold Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata.

Tata Daewoo trucks recall in South Korea

South Korean authorities have requested Tata - Daewoo trucks a joint venture to recall around 3000 trucks on safety grounds.

Chrysler Jeep Driving to India

Troubled Chrysler is to set its foot in India with its joint venture with Fiat. The company earlier ran into trouble and filed for bankruptcy.

Jeep is widely used in North America and is also quite popular in Europe. Although they are large gass guzlers they are comfortable and luxurious.

The Tata Fiat joint venture will launch Jeep in India.