230 HP Tata Nano is World’s Cheapest Supercar

As both a leader in mass-market natural gas/bio-diesel alternative fuel use and the world’s least-expensive new car, the Tata Nano has always been fascinating. It didn’t quite become the hot seller that its makers had hoped, however, and plans to fund a sturdier, more powerful version of the Nano for US consumption haven’t yet come to fruition. If anyone at Tata is listening, however, I’d like to nominate the above version of the Nano for introduction to North America.

Built by Indian tuners JA Motorsport, this Tata Nano features a tuned, turbocharged version of the “Super” Nano’s 1.3 liter engine that’s good for 230 HP, giving the tiny car raucous acceleration and a ripping soundtrack from 0 all the way to the car’s 120 MPH gear-limited top speed.

JA Motorsport is calling their Nano “India’s Fastest Hot Hatch”, and adds Recaro seats, a racing-style wheel, a lowered and widened suspension, upgraded AP brakes, and ultralight racing-style wheels fitted, for show purposes, to a set of ultra-sticky track day tires.

The project is a great way to attract attention to India’s Nano, which has been largely ignored in the wake of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles like the Elio trike. Ironically, it’s been Elio’s efforts to create a new “autocycle” designation with the US’ Department of Transportation (so its customers don’t have to wear helmets on what is, legally, a motorcycle) that could open the door for the more practical, four-passenger Nano to come to the US and steal that vehicle’s thunder.

That would be interesting- the battle of the sub-$7000 brand-new (not) cars!

JA Motorsport 230 HP Tata Nano

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Source | Images: Indian Autos Blog.

Tata ConnectNext EV Concept Looks To The Future

Tata Motors may not be known for its cutting edge concepts, but the Tata ConnectNext EV Concept is a hybrid minivan straight out of Blade Runner. While there are no plans for production, it’s the first Tata concept that makes me think Indian cars might make it to America.

At about four-meters long and sporting suicide doors, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, and flexible seating, this is the kind of concept car I’d expect at any of America’s major auto shows. But instead it debuted at the Delhi Auto Show in India, where Tata is a major player. The concept features passenger entertainment systems and a minimalistic driver interface, again pulled straight out of a sci-fi movie.

I dig the Tata ConnectNext EV Concept, though don’t expect it to see production anytime soon. Instead, it’s a design study meant to showcase where Tata might, one day, go with its vehicles. If Tata can keep this up, maybe we can forget about all of those roasty, toasty Nanos, a car which was once rumored to be bound for American shores.

Whatever happened to that?

Source: Carscoops 

Mahindra Reva e2o: Living With India's Most Modern Electric Car

In just three years or so, the number of plug-in cars on U.S. roads has gone from just a few thousand to over 160,000 units, with over a dozen different models available to consumers.

In India though, electric car sales are much smaller--despite a population of over 1.2 billion. And just one single electric car model is on sale right now to Indian consumers--the Mahindra Reva e2o.

It may be some time before we get a go in an e2o ourselves. But thanks to the wonders of the internet, and The Indian Express, we can get an idea of what India's sole electric car is like to drive.

First, a little background.

Mahindra was formed in 1945 and is now one of India's biggest automobilemanufacturers, largely concentrating on a range of off-road vehicles and SUVs that look suspiciously similar to some vehicles sold in the West.

The company also owns the Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Private Limited company, responsible for the Mahindra e2o you see here.

It's best known for the REVAi, a tiny electric car best known (and much maligned) in some markets as the G-Wiz. The e2o is its substantially more modern and better-styled replacement--though we suspect the narrow, upright styling will still be an acquired taste for some readers.

If you think you've seen it before, you're right--the car was previously known as the REVA NXR, but is now sold under the Mahindra brand name.

For the journalist on The Indian Express, that it's electric at all is a unique experience--remember the first time you drove an electric car yourself?

That means comment is largely reserved for well-known electric car benefits, such as the smooth, silent drivetrain, an initially brisk step-off and gradual paucity of power as the speed rises.

Handling is also good, one assumes in relation to its closest gasoline competition--cars like the Tata Nano and Maruti Suzuki Alto--thanks to the low placement of the battery pack.

There's also a simple digital instrument panel--monochrome, providing simple data on speed, range and state of charge--as well as a navigation system, 4-speaker JBL stereo, reversing camera, keyless entry and projector headlamps.

Mahindra e2o electric car

These toys go some way to making up for the car's R4.76 lakh price.

To American ears, that doesn't sound so bad--at the current exchange rate, you're getting an electric car for about $7,700. But a top-spec Tata Nano costs around $3,600 and a basic one a faintly unbelievable $2,400.

Think of the difference between a Nissan Versa and a Nissan Leaf and you're not far off--the up-front cost of the tiny e2o is fairly significant if cheap transport is the customer's goal.

You do take a performance hit, too.

Okay, so India's basic cars are hardly the most speedy of vehicles. A Tata Nano develops just 38 horsepower from its 624cc engine.

But a Nano can still top 60 mph, where the e2o stops accelerating at 50. It'll also go further on its tiny 4-gallon gas tank than the e2o will go on a full charge--about 60 miles.

There are also problems charging. No, not in terms of how long it takes to charge, but whether it'll charge at all--as we've covered in the past, India's power grid is highly unreliable at the best of times. In some areas, electricity is even rationed to ensure the grid can cope with demand.

And that's before you get to what powers India's grid in the first place, which makes the environmental credentials of electric cars somewhat dubious there--even if they'd have massive benefits for inner-city air.

Still, it sounds like the e2o is a competitive product in its home market, and you never know--once India cleans up its grid, Mahindra's electric vehicles may well be seen as significantly there as cars like the Tesla Roadster and Nissan Leaf are in the U.S.

Source: Green Car Reports

2014 Tata Nano Debuts, CNG Model Tags Along

Tata’s Nano is famous for being the least expensive new car you can buy anywhere, but sales haven’t been as strong as the company had hoped, so changes have been made to the highly-anticipated 2014 version of the Tata Nano to ensure that it’s more competitive against similarly priced used cars, and to make the car even cheaper (and greener!) to operate.

From a visual perspective, the 2014 Tata Nano is distinguished by tastefully-applied chrome trim and a new rear bumper with sporty mesh inserts. The new Nano can also be “optioned up” with four personalization kits that add features like a contrasting-color roof, body graphics, alloy wheels, and sporty-looking body kit. Interior changes include a new center console, twin gloveboxes, updated upholstery, “luxurious” soft-touch surfaces, and (this is the big one) an available 4-speak MP3 audio system with USB/AUX connectivity.

The big change for the 2014 Nano, however, is locate dunder the hood. The 38 hp, 624 cc gas engine is a carry-over, but Tata has added a new, bi-fuel 624 cc engine variant that can make up to 33 hp running compressed natural gas. The ability to switch between gasoline and CNG will help reduce harmful emissions from the cars, and also allow Nano buyers in developing nations added mobility. Of course, with natural gas being so much cheaper than gasoline, on top of that, it seems owning and operating a Nano has gotten cheaper, still. The updated 2014 Tata Nanos now start at a more expensive, but still ludicrously cheap (by US standards) $2500 (approx.).

Source | Photos: World Car Fans.

Redesigned Tata Nano to arrive in U.S. wearing price tag under $10k

Tata's much ballyhooed Nano isn't exactly selling as expected in its home market of India, especially after the well-publicized fires engulfing the several examples of the world's cheapest car. Despite that, the head of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, says his company remains intent on bringing an updated sub-$10,000 Nano to the States, and he intends to do so in three years.

While the Indian market gets a bare-bones Nano powered by a two-cylinder, 37-horsepower engine, Tata unsurprisingly says the US version will have a larger engine, power steering and traction control.

"The Smart and the Fiat 500 have high sticker prices, and people buy them because they are small cars," Tata tells Automotive News. "But everyone knows you put a lot of money into it. We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal."

With the US economy still slowly recovering, a car for under $10k could have plenty of appeal. But the Indian automaker has several obstacles to overcome first, not the least of which is building a dealer network for the Nano. Tata owns Jaguar and Land Rover, but that group's CEO, Andy Goss, says there has been no discussion about using those dealers to distribute the Nano.

Perhaps the updated US-bound Nano will be more like the Nano Megapixel concept (pictured above) we saw at the Geneva Motor Show back in March. That car had a longer, 138-inch wheelbase and a larger 325cc engine supplemented by two electric motors. It's safe to assume that if Tata wants to keep costs down so that it can offer the car below $10,000, the next Nano won't get a hybrid powertrain like the Megapixel, but perhaps it will pick up some of the car's size and styling cues.



Source: Autoblog

India Approves $4.1 Billion Investment in Electric Vehicles over Next 8 Years

The government of India has decided to approve a $4.13-billion plan to stimulate the production of electric and hybrid vehicles over the next eight years. The country is setting for itself the target of 6 million vehicles by the year 2020.

There isn’t really an electric and hybrid vehicle industry in India currently. Most car manufacturers in India focus on low-emission cars, because of the “prohibitively high costs of new technologies and an almost non-existent support infrastructure.”

“The question is the viability… The cost of the car and how much the consumer can pay, there is a gap,” said Pawan Goenka, chairman of Mahindra Reva, India’s only electric-focused carmaker.

The announced target of 6 million green vehicles by 2020 (most of which are expected to be two-wheelers) is arriving on the heels of China’s announcement that it aims to have 500,000 electric and hybrid cars in use by the year 2015.

“Reva, controlled by Mahindra & Mahindra, aims for sales of 30,000 of its battery-run cars a year by 2016.”

The secretary of India’s Heavy Industries ministry is quoted as saying that New Delhi itself will provide “around 130 to 140 billion rupees of the total investment in the plan,” the remainder will be provided by private companies.

“We will put in some specific schemes with regard to subsidy element, R&D, demand creation and infrastructure,” the secretary told reporters. ”More individual schemes will come out at a later date.”

The growing market for electric vehicles in India crashed in April when the government withdrew its subsidies “worth up to 100,000 rupees (roughly $1800) per vehicle.”

Source: Cleantechnica.com

Ratan Tata hopes to restart Nano sales after fiery start - VIDEO

When India's Tata introduced the Nano in 2009 at about $2,500, it was a hot-seller. It was expected to set the world on fire with demand for cheap wheels. In fact, a year after its rollout, the Nano almost did set the world on fire after at least three units burned to a crisp. Sales plummeted to a record low of 509 in November, 2010.

Ratan Tata has run the company for 20 years and plans to retire at the end of this year. But before he leaves the company, he hopes to revive sales of the little car he helped develop.

"The Nano is something I would love to make successful because I don't think it's exploited its full potential right now," Tata said in an interview with Bloomberg TV India. "There has to be another push to make Nano what it can be."

Extended warranties for current Nano owners, as well as promises that the fires were only isolated incidents, were the first step at restoring confidence in the Nano. A new version of the Nano came out in November with a larger engine, and July sales totaled 5,485. In all of last year it sold 74,527. By comparison, Suzuki sold 491,389 examples of its competing Maruti brand.

In the video below, Ratan Tata talks a bit about the company's purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover and of his upcoming retirement.

Tata works with French company on sub-$20,000 EV

Yes, the car will still cost less than $20,000. No, we still don't know when it's coming out.

India-based Tata Motors is working with France-based Dassualt Systems at developing more technology for the eMO ("electric mobility") electric vehicle that's so far only appeared in concept form, the Hindu Business Line reported.

The two companies are working on design touches that will keep both the cost and weight of the vehicle as low as possible in order to reach the goal of selling a vehicle with a 100-mile single-charge range for less than $20,000, according to the publication. But there's still no word on how much Tata's investing or when a production model will see the light of day.

Tata Technologies' President of Vehicle Programs and Development Kevin Fisher, speaking at the North American Auto Show in Detroit in January, called the eMO "a giant business card" that the automaker was using to pitch its new technologies, though he wasn't specific on if or when the car would be made.

Tata has said the eMO's 18.4 kilowatt-hour battery pack can provide as many as 100 miles on a single charge. The car's design aspects include "suicide" rear doors and no B-pillar to allow for a larger opening, which will make up for the fact that the car will have no rear hatch.

Tata, which acquired Jaguar Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion four years ago, continues to show signs of entering the electric-drive vehicle market. Tata had planned to start selling its Tata Vista Indica electric vehicle in India last year, though that model has yet to debut. Tata has said the 74-horsepower Vista Indica EV has a top speed of 71 miles per hour as well as a 100-mile single-charge range.


Source: Autoblog Green

Can Tata Make an Electric Car for Under $20,000?

Electric cars have not one, but two monkeys on their back.
Range anxiety, and price. Whether you believe each is truly a problem will depend on your own circumstances, but there's no doubting that consumers used to inexpensive cars and hundreds of miles on a fill may be a little wary of the modern breed of EVs.
Price in particular is a sticking point. When a Nissan Versa costs $11,000 and a similarly-sized Nissan Leaf nearly three times that pre-incentives, you have to say that lower prices would increase the attraction.
That's where the Tata group comes in. Owners of Tata Motors, makers of the world's cheapest new car, the Nano, Tata is developing an electric car that it aims to sell below $20,000.
It won't be a tiny electric quadricycle like the $10,000 Renault Twizy either--Tata and its development partner Dassault Systems is aiming for a small-footprint car that can comfortably seat four adults.
That implies a production car at least the size of Tata Motors' own Indica EV--a car already under development--rather than the nanoscopic Nano.
According to Firstpost, the project is a truly global affair, with collaboration between over 300 Tata Technologies engineers from India, the U.S, Europe and more.
Some are concerned that with the Indica EV still not in series production, Tata may not be able to handle the development of a second EV, but Tata's new high-tech approach and wide research base could allow them to research and develop a genuinely global, inexpensive electric car.
Should that happen, then concerned buyers would have one fewer reason to dismiss the the technology.



Source: Green Car Reports

Tata Technologies Has a Small, Affordable EV

An EV for $20,000? That seems like it would address the most pressing issue most prospective car buyers have with electric cars (namely, that they’re expensive). Automaker Tata showed up in Detroit last week with just such a prototype, titled the “Emo” (for Electric MObility).

Tata Technologies developed the Emo within just a few months, cheaply enough that the “estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $20,000 (US)” (according to Tata Technology). Combined with tax credits or incentives, the Emo could end up being actually affordable for the average consumer without a lot of cash to spare.

Rear Door? What Rear Door?

The Emo is super space-efficient – it claims room for four (adults), and indeed it does look like it would fit four adults, as long as no one is too tall or too wide. For what it’s worth, it’s actually bigger on the inside than the kei car I used to own, which did comfortably fit three small-ish Japanese women plus me – the Tata might be fairly comfortable around town.

There’s no B column between the front and rear doors, which open in opposite directions (and the rear door can’t be opened from the outside), which also serves to save space. How that will affect the passengers in an accident remains to be determined; while Tata claims the Emo passed an electronic simulation of a crash test, an actual test has yet to be carried out. The other odd thing about accessing the car is that there’s no rear opening whatsoever – any luggage going into the car has to go over the back seat (or in it!).

Tata hasn’t published many numbers about the car, but it should be able to hit 60mph and have a range of 100 miles. The Emo isn’t perfect, but it is trying to embody the qualifications American drivers seem to want in electric cars. It doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty cute, too.

Source: Gas2.0

Tata's Indica Vista Electric Vehicle

The Tata Indica Vista EV



More news from the Geneva Auto Show today. The Tata Motor company announced an all-electric version of its Indica Vista vehicle. This is exactly the kind of news we need, unfortunately it will only be sold in Europe, according to the company's chairman, Ratan Tata.

He did not specify dates but said the car would go on sale in continental Europe and the UK.

The Indica Vista EV is being developed and built in Norway by Miljo Grenland/Innovasjon, which is 70 percent owned by Tata Motors European Technical Centre in central England.

Production of the electric Indica, which is expected to have a 200km range on a full charge, will begin at the end of this year. That is a huge range for an electric vehicle and meets the needs of virtually everyone's daily commute.