Will ‘Nano’ roll-out coincide with Ratan Tata’s 71st birthday?

Call it coincidence or history repeating itself, the world’s least expensive car ‘Nano’ is likely to be rolled out around the time Ratan Tata celebrates his 71st birthday on December 28, just as the ‘Indica’ was launched a decade ago when he turned 61.

According to informed sources, Tata Motors is working on a plan to launch the ‘People’s Car’, as Tata fondly refers to, to coincide with his birthday with about 10,000 units being readied to be rolled-out from the company’s facilities in Pune and Pantnagar.

Vendor sources also said, already parts for about 12,000 units of Nano have been dispatched to Tata’s both Pune and Pantnagar facilities.

They added that initially only the base model of Nano would hit the roads this year.

When contacted for comments on the development, company officials reiterated the stated position of exploring possibilities of manufacturing Rs one-lakh car at its existing facilities at Pune and Pantnagar and launch it in the last quarter of this financial year.

It may be recalled that the ‘Indica’ was also launched on December 30, 1998, two days after Tata celebrated his 61st birthday.

At that time Tata had to overcome doubters, who suspected the company’s ability to make cars, considering it was only into commercial vehicle manufacturing.

Having overcome that challenge, Tata’s journey to bring about a paradigm shift in personal transportation by launching the Rs one-lakh car has also been fraught with hurdles.

Last week, the company had decided to set up its Nano mother plant at Sanand in Gujarat after it withdrew from Singur in the wake of opposition spearheaded by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. 

TATA NANO OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

Related Posts :

• Mukesh Ambani Backs Tata’s Nano Project 
• Tata Suspends Singur Works 
• Tata Nano – Little car that might change the World (Coverage on release of Nano,complete features)
• Tata Nano set to get a new home – Gujarat 

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Tata’s Nano set to get new home: Modi’s Gujarat

The Nano will roll out of Gujarat as the state Government gets ready with the red carpet for Tata Motors.

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and make a joint announcement to this effect with Chief Minister Narendra Modi.The project is expected to come up near Sanand in Ahmedabad district where the state government is said to have completed all groundwork relating to concessions and land-acquisition for construction the approach road to the plant site.

Chief Secretary D Rajgopalan and Industries Minister Minister Saurabh Patel are likely to be present at the joint press conference. Principal Secretary (Industries) Gauri Kumar is learnt to have met top Tata Motors executives last week.

A Car for every Indian

State Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel said: “A proper person (read Modi) will make an announcement at the proper time on whether the Tatas will relocate their small car project in Gujarat”. Asked if her department had offered over 1,000 acres to Tata Motors at Chharodi and Charal in Sanand, she said: “You will come to know about all this at proper time.” Incidentally, a third of the spare parts/components required for the Nano are produced by auto ancillary units in Rajkot.

Related Posts :

• Mukesh Ambani Backs Tata’s Nano Project 
• Tata Suspends Singur Works 
• Tata Nano – Little car that migth change the World (Coverage on release of Nano)

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After Tatas, Infosys may also rethink on West Bengal plans

Amid Tatas continuing to suspend work at their Nano plant in Singur, IT major Infosys on Monday said it is watching the developments closely and will reconsider its plans in West Bengal if needed.

Infosys’s views followed Tata Motors’ announcement earlier in the day that they would keep work suspended at the Nano plant as they were “distressed” at the limited clarity on the outcome of talks between the state and agitators to end the protest disrupting the low-cost car project.

Reacting to the developments, Infosys’ board member and human resources chief Mohandas Pai said, “Singur has created a fear in the minds of India Inc. We are watching the development very closely.”

“We have neither pulled out nor planning to. We will rethink and reconsider the situation if need be,” he added.

Earlier in the day, a private TV channel reported that Infosys was having a rethink over its plans in the state in the wake of Singur controversy.

“Singur has happened and we have seen what the impact is. It is very sad what has happened in West Bengal… People are scared, employees are scared… It is causing a rethink at this point of time, as is for all companies in India,” channel quoted Pai as saying.

He said fear element was high in the state and anyone not agreeing with the government could create a problem.

“We have seen what is happening there and obviously there is a fear psychosis. We are watching and waiting to see what will happen finally,” Pai said, adding, “it will take some time for anybody to come to a conclusion.”

Tata Motors on Monday sought to know from West Bengal the actual position concerned over Trinamool leaders’ claim that land would be given back from inside the main project site.

However, the government ruled out any change related to plant of Tata Motors or other vendors.

Tata suspends Singur work | Looking at alternate option for Nano

Tata Motors on Tuesday said it was looking for alternate options to manufacture its small car Nano from the company’s other plants and work at Singur has been suspended.

“In view of the current situation, the company is evaluating alternate options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities,” the company said it a statement.

A detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternate site is under preparation, it added.

“Tata Motors has been constrained to suspend the construction and commissioning work at the Nano plant in Singur in view of continued confrontation and agitation at the site,” it said.

The decision has been taken in order to ensure the safety of its employees and contract labour who have continued to violently obstruct from reporting to work, it added.

The project’s auto ancillary partners were also constrained to suspend the work in line with Tata Motors’ decision, it said.

Mukesh Ambani Backs Tata’s Nano Project

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has come out in support of Tata’s beleaguered Nano project in Singur, West Bengal, saying, “It’s a unique and innovative initiative which will establish India’s position as a small car hub”.

“The Indian Industry must be encouraged to make such large investments in order to build the country’s competitiveness as well as support job creation,” the chairman of the largest private sector company in India said.

Warning that a “fear psychosis is being created” to slow down certain projects of national importance, Ambani said this would be counter-productive for the country’s economic growth, its global image as well as our ability to attract investments from across the world. Ambani’s statement comes in the wake of Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata threatening to pull out the Rs 1,500-crore small car project from West Bengal after facing continued political opposition led by Trinamool Congress.

“The Indian industry and the political leadership in the country need to work together to deliver on the aspirations of the millions of Indians in urban and rural areas,” Ambani said.

“If anybody is under impression that we have made Rs 1,500-crore investment and will not move from the state, they are wrong. Whatever be the cost, we will move out if the situation demands so,” Ratan Tata had last week said.

Industry chambers CII, Ficci and Assocham have also supported the Tata and asked the West Bengal government to resolve the land issue with the opposition.