Nano on the spot from August-September

Tata Nano will be available off the shelf by August-September, negating the need to book it in advance, a senior company officer said here today.

"From this August or September, customers will be able to walk into our showroom and drive out in a Nano," Manoj Arora, Senior Manager, Tata Motors, told reporters.

Arora said that setting up a manufacturing facility at Sanand (Gujarat) will help the company deliver cars faster.

Tata Motors has been producing limited units of the Nano at its Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand.

The company had taken bookings for only 1.55 lakh units through a lottery after the Nano was launched on March 23, 2009. Out of the total, only 1 lakh units were price-protected and the company was scheduled to deliver them by this year-end.

At present, there are 35,000 Nanos plying on Indian roads. "The Sananad facility can manufacture 2.5 lakh units per annum," he said.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Tata Nano's 'Superdrive' event, which will have cars traveling through the length and breadth of the country, Arora said that the company has nearly fulfilled the commitment made during the first lot of bookings.

Arora said that the car is doing well in the market because customers are satisfied by it.

Speaking on the Superdrive event, he said that the Nanos were flagged off from the Tata Motor Plant at Sanand on June 2.

"Nine Tata Nanos will cover three different routes during a 26-day-long voyage, and will visit 36 cities -- covering a distance of over 15,000 kilometres," he said.