The Tata Nano F-Tronic has been caught testing and is due for a launch soon. The car has updated interiors and will be the cheapest AMT car in India.
Tata Motors is considering the launch of the second generation Nano with a bigger engine, broader appeal and a more upmarket image. The car will also have a higher price tag with more features on board. They are trying to change its current image from the most cheapest car and re-position it by offering unique features to help it stand out among its rivals. However, it seems that Tata is already testing out an updated Nano with quite a few feature additions. Judging from a couple of spy shots taken by a Team-BHP reader, the AMT equipped Nano isn’t far from launch.
The Tata Nano seen in the pictures is the Twist variant, which is the most expensive Nano model available in the market currently. From the F-tronic and XTA badging, we reckon the test car to be carrying the automated manual transmission (AMT), a 4-speed gearbox with a mechatronic unit. The AMT system is sourced from Magnetic Marelli, which also supplies Maruti Suzuki with AMT systems. The model will introduced as the top-most variant of the Nano in the future.
The test car seems to be powered by the same twin-cylinder 624cc engine that puts out 37 BHP of power and 51 Nm of torque in the current model, but the reader found the test car to have much better NVH levels as compared to the very loud and auto-rickshaw like sounding Nano engine. The Nano also appears to have better interiors and the sporty three-spoke steering wheel which is found on the Zest. It was also running on bigger 13-inch wheels while the current car gets 12-inch wheels. With this variant, Tata is definitely aiming to target the younger generation and maybe even women specifically, as two young girls were in the car (market research being done here).
Ratan Tata has seriously considered changing the style quotient of the current generation Tata Nano and the company seems to be working in the right direction to make that happen. Tata will be looking to export the Nano in the coming years to Indonesia and also a few African nations. While Tata works on the next generation Nano, the current gen model will be sold alongside the next generation Nano (codenamed Pelican) when its launched in the market later this year. The Nano with AMT should be the next launch from Tata Motors.
Source – Team-BHP.com
