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The Tata Nano is moving and how! Embattled it might be but the world's smallest four-seater mini with the power to ring in major social change via affordable mobility is on the move and ready for a March 23 unveiling. Adil Jal Darukhanawala reports after seeing pre-production cars infesting the Indian roadscape.
First and foremost this isn't about a drive or a ride story. It is also not about a technical description of what is in essence a great simplistic design geared to delivering what is still held so precious by people all over the world - the freedom of individual mobility. And finally this freedom could be on hand for millions of impoverished folk thanks to a price point firmly within their ambit. The images you see here were of near production ready cars, devoid of any body camouflage, running with other traffic quite effortlessly and easily on the Pune - Bangalore national highway.Seeing these small cars move with such agility and poise and clearly performing with aplomb on the main fast paced highway which scythes through north-western Pune vindicated to us as to why the Nano is so mega. Not just in our minds but out on the roads as well.
They said that it couldn't be made
Let's bust that myth here because after the brave move of going
to Singur backfired - for Mamata, the delay only made Tata
Motors more determined to get things right. Of course Gujarat
beckons but the plant near Ahmedabad is yet 8 to 10 months
away at best so not wanting to place its small eggs in one
basket, Tata Motors will have its Nano effectively rolling
out from Pantnagar and Pune. Any vehicle made at Pantnagar
does enjoy a tax holiday so this is in Tata Motors' favour
as well as those of its intended customers. While volumes
would be slow to begin with, the fact that the Nano would
get rolling would definitely start an all new era in the automobile
world.
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