The most awaited Tata’s Nano peep its head out from its manufacturing plant recently. People in the hilly town of Gopeshwar in Chamoli district were recently surprised to see the Nano, Tata Motors’ controversial Rs 1 lakh car, parked on a roadside. The Nano had travelled all the way from Pantnagar, crossing the tough, serpentine roads of Uttarakhand, to reach picturesque Gopeshwar nestling in the Garhwal Himalayan region.The engineers of Tata suggested that this was one of the Nano’s toughest tests, being conducted in the rugged Himalayan region. Significantly, the mileage of the small car is being projected at 17-20 km per litre in the hills.
A senior official of Tata Motor’s stated that, “We have conducted the test drive of Nano in the hills of Uttarakhand and Pune. Initial reports are very encouraging,” After a series of test drives, the car is set to be launched in the first quarter of the next financial year. The exact date of the launch of Nano would, however, be decided by Chairman Ratan Tata, the official added. The company has already given a commitment to Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri that it would roll out the first Nano from the state. For further expansion, the state government has allotted 45 acres of extra land at Pantnagar for Tata.
Tata Motors is currently manufacturing Ace trucks at the Pantnagar facility. The commercial launch of the car has already been postponed by at least two to three months, after it was forced to relocate from West Bengal following political protests there. Although, the mother unit of the car will be set up in Gujarat, where the company has recently been allotted 1,100 acres, Tata is also planning to set up a permanent manufacturing facility for Nano at Pantnagar.