New £1,300 car launched

Excitement is growing in India for the launch of the world’s cheapest car today.

Tata Motors will launch its £1,300 car at an event in Mumbai later today. The cars will be on display at Tata Motors dealerships across India from the first week of next month and are expected to start taking orders a week later.

Tata Motors, which also owns Jaguar Land Rover, is planning a wide distribution network with dealerships across India.

The ordering process and other details will be announced at the launch.

Pankaj Wadhawan of Autolink Enterprises, a car dealer in New Delhi, told the Press Association: “So far, we expect 60-70 cars from the first week of April. We have thousands of queries about the Nano. Good sales are expected since it’s a cheap car and it is popular.”

The “people’s car”, which was first unveiled in January last year has generated a huge interest among young adults due to its cheap price.

Vikram Kesari, an IT professional, said: “I am eagerly waiting for the bookings to start. I want to have the car as soon as possible.

“It will be a dream come true of buying a car on my own.”

Saumya Srivastava, a 22-year-old student from Delhi, said: “I want to get my hands on the Nano soon. It will be great to leave my bike and drive the new car.”

However, supply issues remain and there is expected to be a long waiting list for the car.

The Nano website has already recorded over 30 million hits in the past year.

Resham Singh, showroom and sales manager at Sanya Motors, New Delhi, said: “The Nano is a value-for-money car. Apart from the price, it has better designs than what is available in the market right now — tubeless tires and the like.

“Our bookings will begin in the first or second week of April and the first delivery is expected to happen only in the first week of June.

“For every 100 bookings we will only be able to give away two to three cars.

“The ratio of supply to demand is less. Sales will be done by lottery system.”

The launch has been delayed after the company was forced to shift its plant in West Bengal to Gujarat over a land acquisition controversy last year.

This article is from The Belfast Telegraph