Nano diesel in a year, petrol car next month

Tata Motors Ltd plans to roll out the diesel variant of its people’s car Nano during the September quarter next year, while sticking to its plan of launching the petrol variant next month, an industry source told.

The company has indicated to its vendors about the timing of the launch of the diesel model, the source said.

“Tata Motors plans to launch the diesel variant nine months after the petrol model is rolled out, which is scheduled for October,” the source said.

Tata Motors declined to comment on the issue. A company spokesman said, “We are not giving out any timeline for the Nano diesel launch.”

The industry source said displacement of the diesel engine would be slightly higher than petrol. The petrol engine has a 623 cubic capacity.

“It (diesel engine) is likely to be around 690 cc,” he said.

Tata Motors had indicated its plan to launch diesel Nano while unveiling the Rs 100,000 car at the Delhi Auto Expo in January. Currently, the least expensive diesel car on Indian roads is also from the Tata Motors stable— the 1.4 L Indica.

Nano launch

Notwithstanding the controversy around the Nano plant at Singur, West Bengal, vendors indicated their delivery schedule for Nano components are on schedule.

The delivery schedule is on track, they said.Tata Motors is scheduled to commercially launch the much-awaited Nano in October to coincide with Durga Puja or Dussehra festival.

The vendors, however, refused to comment on whether Tatas were planning to shift Nano production from Singur to its other plants in Pune or Pantnagar. The upcoming Singur plant is embroiled in a land acquisition controversy, as a result of which construction activities have been suspended.

Trinamool Congress, the main opposition party in West Bengal, is opposing the project and wants the state to return 400 acres land, which it alleges was taken away from farmers without their consent.

Tata Motors has indicated that if the situation does not improve in Singur, it will be forced to move out of the state. At 2.32 pm, shares of Tata Motors traded at Rs 421.60 on the National Stock Exchange, down 0.6 per cent from close Thursday in a weak market.