<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published April 10, 2009
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>World's cheapest car goes on sale
<TABLE class=storyLinks cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=1 width=136 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Email this article</TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Print article </TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
(MUMBAI) The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, went on sale yesterday, with the company behind it and dealers confident of strong demand.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>In the market: To cope with the wide interest and supply shortages, the first 100,000 Nano owners are being selected by lottery </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Bookings open for orders of the sporty, jellybean-shaped car at Tata Motors dealerships and retail outlets owned by the parent company Tata Group across the country.
A Tata Motors spokesman told AFP that some 51,000 booking forms had been sold by dealers since last weekend at 300 rupees (S$9) each. 'We are ready to kick-start operations,' he added.
Prospective buyers will also be able to book a car online for 200 rupees an application in the first such facility in India.
The Nano, which costs just 100,000 rupees for the basic model, was unveiled to great fanfare last month, with Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata saying that it would revolutionise travel for millions of Indians.
'We expect strong demand at most of our outlets,' said Dennis Rankine, sales manager at Wasan Motors, one of the top dealers for Tata Motors.
The cheapest showroom price for the Nano is 112,735 rupees, but it is available for 100,000 rupees direct from the factory, excluding taxes.
Potential owners of the car - which is just over three metres long and has a top speed of 105 kilometres per hour - can apply for the car until April 25.
A number of Nanos went on display in showrooms around India last Wednesday, attracting curious onlookers eager to catch a glimpse of the much talked about 'people's car'.
To cope with the wide interest and supply shortages, the first 100,000 Nano owners are being selected by lottery, with the first car expected to be on the road in early July.
But a large number of customers may not get their shiny new Nanos until 2010, due to limited production from existing plants, the company has said. - AFP
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>World's cheapest car goes on sale
<TABLE class=storyLinks cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=1 width=136 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Email this article</TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Print article </TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD align=right width=20>
</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>(MUMBAI) The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, went on sale yesterday, with the company behind it and dealers confident of strong demand.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>In the market: To cope with the wide interest and supply shortages, the first 100,000 Nano owners are being selected by lottery </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Bookings open for orders of the sporty, jellybean-shaped car at Tata Motors dealerships and retail outlets owned by the parent company Tata Group across the country. A Tata Motors spokesman told AFP that some 51,000 booking forms had been sold by dealers since last weekend at 300 rupees (S$9) each. 'We are ready to kick-start operations,' he added.
Prospective buyers will also be able to book a car online for 200 rupees an application in the first such facility in India.
The Nano, which costs just 100,000 rupees for the basic model, was unveiled to great fanfare last month, with Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata saying that it would revolutionise travel for millions of Indians.
'We expect strong demand at most of our outlets,' said Dennis Rankine, sales manager at Wasan Motors, one of the top dealers for Tata Motors.
The cheapest showroom price for the Nano is 112,735 rupees, but it is available for 100,000 rupees direct from the factory, excluding taxes.
Potential owners of the car - which is just over three metres long and has a top speed of 105 kilometres per hour - can apply for the car until April 25.
A number of Nanos went on display in showrooms around India last Wednesday, attracting curious onlookers eager to catch a glimpse of the much talked about 'people's car'.
To cope with the wide interest and supply shortages, the first 100,000 Nano owners are being selected by lottery, with the first car expected to be on the road in early July.
But a large number of customers may not get their shiny new Nanos until 2010, due to limited production from existing plants, the company has said. - AFP
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
