After a wait of 16 months, Tata Motors dealerships are set to re-open bookings for the world's cheapest car, Nano, from the second week of September in order to cash in on the upcoming festive season.
However, for the diesel version of Nano, buyers have to wait for another eight months. Four Tata Nano dealerships in New Delhi have confirmed that bookings for the Nano will open from the second week of September.
"Even though there is no formal announcement we have already received the go-ahead for re-opening the bookings for the car.
The delivery will start from the first week of October.
We have already received many queries from customers who want to buy Nano before Diwali," a dealer in Central Delhi told Mail Today. However, until the company formally announces the opening of bookings, the financing option will remain limited.
Tata Motors had closed bookings for the Nano in April last year after receiving 2,06,703 orders. It had to stop bookings due to capacity constraints. The company has delivered 54,129 Nano cars since it started delivery in July last year.
Tata Motors spokesperson Debasis Ray said, "A formal announcement will be made in this regard." On the launch of the diesel version of Nano, Ray said, "The diesel version is far off. The launch will not happen this year at least."
However, an executive at Tata Motors' Sanand factory in Gujarat, who did not wish to be naed, said, "The testing of the diesel engine is almost complete but some changes are to be made in the version. But it will not go beyond May, 2011."
While the firm is making efforts to meet the rising demand for the car since bookings were closed over a year back, it is also preparing to take on competition. For instance, rival Maruti Suzuki has already launched K-10 and is working on a car priced at below Rs 2 lakh. Many new launches are slated for the upcoming festive season.
According to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Tata Motors sold 23,379 Nano cars during the April- July period, outperforming Maruti's sales of 8,586 M800 cars.
On June 2, Tata Motors opened a dedicated plant for the Nano in Sanand after its exit from Singur, West Bengal. Production is already rising at the Sanand plant and the firm is working on further capacity expansion. Capacity at the Sanand plant is expected to be increased to five lakh units per annum, by 2014.
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