Tata Nano

The Tata Nano: how did they do it?

January 25, 2008 @ 4:30 am · Filed under Cars, India, Tata, Tata Nano

The Tata 1 Lakh Car was unveiled recently and it was given the name Tata Nano. We know its small, egg-like and comes with a small two-cylinder engine, but what exactly did Tata do to achieve the now famous “1 Lakh” price?

• Base 1-lakh model has no radio, power steering, power windows or air conditioning.
• Instrument panel only has the basics - speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge.
• Its 12 inch wheels only need 3 lug nuts.
• Small 12 inch tyres are cheaper because they use less material.
• The 624cc two-cylinder gasoline engine only has a single balance shaft.
• Does not pass US emission or safety standards.
• Bosch’s 35 amp generator is lighter than the usual 40 amp model.
• Bosch used a motorcycle starter motor.
• Bosch Value Motronic ECU removes 700 of the Motronic’s 1,000 functions, and the chip and housing itself has been shrinked.
• ECU sensors are smaller and lighter and fewer - 4 instead of the usual 7 or 8.
• Throttle position sensor is half its usual size because the pressure plate uses more sensitive material.
• It looks like a hatch but isn’t a hatch - the rear is welded shut and cannot be opened, this means the engine bay which lies under the rear seats also can only be accessed from inside the car.
• Drum brakes all-round instead of front discs.
• The basic 1-lakh model does not even come with a brake booster or servo.
• Reduced NVH materials, instead sheet metal frequencies were designed to control boom and vibration.
• Seats have a built in headrest and do not recline.
• No glovebox.