Finally the time has come – Tata Nano has been launched in Mumbai with much fanfare. Over 100 media persons were present at the launch ceremony with over 1000 guests. The Nano can be booked at more than 30,000 locations in 1,000 cities across India, including Tata-owned department and electronics stores, with booking forms costing 300 rupees each. It will be available at just Rs. 2,999 down payment.
Owners will be randomly selected from bookings made between April 9 and 25, and their prices will be protected, said Chairman Ratan Tata, who had promised a 100,000 rupee ($1,980) dealer price at a glitzy unveiling more than a year ago. Initially, just 1 lakh Nanos will be produced. Delivery of the first lot of Nanos will be possible from July first week onwards.

Nano has been designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.
With a length of 3099mm, width of 1495mm, height of 1652mm and with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which sets a new benchmark among small cars.
First look at the Nano may not impress you in terms of dimensions but even though the car looks tiny and miniscule in images but it is only when you come up close to it that you can make out that its virtual length constitutes the very cabin space!
Nano is available in following 3 variants (Prices are Ex-Showroom Mumbai):

• Nano Base/Standard/Basic – 134000.00
• Nano CX – 160000.00
• Nano LX – 185000.00

Click here for comparison of Nano Basic with Nano CX & Nano LX
The Base model of Tata Nano features:

• Seat Belts.
• Engine opening through rear bumper.
• Speedometer.
• Odometer.
• High mounted Rear Stop lamp.
• Centrally placed exhaust.
• Only Driver seat adjust-sliding and reclining.
• Fixed front passenger seat.
• Folding Rear Seats.
• 2-Spoke Steering wheel.
• Grey bumpers and interiors.
• Driver side Outside rear view mirror.

The mid variant CX  features:

• AC
• Tinted glasses
• Metallic paint along with the features of Base Nano.

The top end LX model comes with following features in addition to the features in CX:

• Tripmeter.
• Front Power windows.
• Central Locking.
• Front and Rear fog lamps.
• 3-Spoke Steering wheel.
• Moulded door trim with fabric inserts.
• Floor console with glass holder.
• Anti-Glare inside rear view mirror.
• Sunvisors on both sides.

All the models come with 18 Months or 24,000 kms warranty – whichever is earlier.
Tata Nano is available in following colors:
Nano Base – Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue.
Nano CX – Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver
Nano LX – Sunshine Yellow, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver
Nano has a rear mounted , all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 624 cc, multi point fuel injection petrol engine which develops maximum power of 34.5 Bhp at 5250 rpm with maxiumum torque of 48 Nm at 3000 rpm. This is the first time that a two-cylinder petrol engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.
The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.
Due to rear mounted engine the luggage space has been pushed to the front. Making the engine closer to the fuel tank has another advantage of increased fuel efficiency.
Rear mounted engine also help in reducing the power loss during transmission. Nano has front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 22 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highway.
By adhering to the fact that less weight requires less power, Nano is made of light weighing steel. This has made the Tatas come up with a cheap alternative with out compromising on safety and performance.
With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.
Tubeless tyres further enhance safety. It exceeds current regulatory requirements with a strong passenger compartment, crumple zones, intrusion resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorage.