Tata Motors has been developing a diesel engine for the Nano since a long time and a lot has been speculated on this. The Tata Nano is an ambitious little car that never really saw the sales that its manufacturer had predicted. Tata Motors has been constantly making changes and efforts to generate interest among buyers in the entry-level car segment. The Nano Twist Active is another latest version of the Nano that is all set to come with the latest features like an AMT gearbox. Now coming back to the Nano diesel, there have been various reports that indicated that the Nano diesel has been axed. However, we at MotorBeam state that Tata Motors is still working on the Nano diesel.
Yes, the Nano diesel might not get launched very soon but the vehicle is still very much under development. The biggest challenge that Tata Motors has faced is getting the diesel Nano to comply with BSIV norms. Tata Motors has tied up with Bosch which is a known German parts manufacturer to develop the diesel powerplant for the Nano. This oil-burner features direct injection common-rail technology and it will be an 800cc twin-cylinder unit. The Nano petrol already gives very good fuel efficiency and it can be said that the diesel version will be one of the most fuel-efficient cars in India.
After the de-regulation of diesel prices, there is not much difference between diesel and petrol prices now and buyers in this segment are preferring petrol cars since they cost significantly less than their diesel counterparts. The Nano diesel will also not come cheap and it will be priced above Rs. 3 lakhs for sure that brings it bang into the Maruti Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon territory. The Alto 800 which comes with a company fitted CNG kit offers good value and low running costs. Meanwhile check the exclusive picture of the Nano diesel, snapped up close.
