On 9 October, 2024, the world of industries lost a doyen, Ratan Navroz Tata. He was 82. He left behind a legacy across several sectors. But one of them, automobiles, was especially close to his heart. And among them, Nano was really special.

What began as a challenge translated into a promise. And Ratan Tata delivered despite several hurdles placed in his way.

Advertisement

In a nostalgic post on Instagram in May 2022, about India’s cheapest car in history, Tata Nano, the late Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons shared a brief story behind the production of the country’s most affordable car, launched on 10 January, 2008.

Ratan Tata wrote that what motivated him to produce the Nano was constantly seeing Indian families on scooters, maybe the child sandwiched between the mother and father, “riding to wherever they were going, often on slippery roads”.

His first notion was to build a safer scooter. Tata, who studied architecture at Cornell University in 1959, first made notepad doodles of new scooter designs. Then, he drew a four-wheeler but without windows and a door, just a ‘basic dune buggy’. Finally, he decided to build a tiny car, just big enough to carry a family of four, but cheap enough for a scooter-driving family to afford.

Thus was born the one-lakh car, lending it the name ‘lakhtakia’. To make it cost-effective, it was made of steel, was small, lightweight, and without luxury features. It had no power steering, no airbags, and no AC in the base model. The team gave the car a windshield wiper with one arm instead of the usual two and one side-view rear mirror, too. They even attached the wheels with three bolts instead of four. The little, 33-horsepower, twin-cylinder engine is mounted in the rear, like the original Volkswagen Beetle.

Even before the Nano could hit Indian roads, it faced many speed breakers. The car was initially supposed to be manufactured in West Bengal’s Singur, and the former left-front government had even allocated the land for it. Then came the protests, with Mamata Banerjee, then in the opposition in the state, creating enough of a stir that ultimately resulted in the plant being shifted to Gujarat’s Sanand.

Tata did not like being told that something is not possible. Associates and rivals alike say that behind his gentlemanly demeanour lies a ferocious competitor. Nothing underscores that like the launch of the Nano, his most daring move yet.

When he first announced the venture, no less a figure than Suzuki Motors’ chief, Osaka Suzuki flatly said,“Tata will not be able to make a one-lakh car.” That quotation flashed on the screen behind Ratan Tata as he unveiled the car in 2008, a sweet revenge. It was with obvious pride that Ratan Tata drove the one-lakh car, rechristened the Nano, into the television lights at the New Delhi Auto Expo on 10 January 10, 2008. “A promise is a promise,” said the Tata Group chairman as he announced the price of the car, Rupees 1 lakh excluding taxes for the base model. And the announcement made headlines around the world.

A few years after the Nano’s launch, the numbers weren’t ticking and realisation dawned on Tata. Just about five years after its launch, the Nano was being gradually written off. In an interview in 2013, Tata admitted that its image of being a poor man’s car had acted as a “stigma”.

Unable to meet the high emission norms and with dwindling sales, Tata Motors stopped production of the Nano in 2018, and all its variants were discontinued. While there was a polarized opinion about the vehicle’s quality and performance, it did manage to put Tata Motors on the world map.

Now the company has announced plans to revive the Nano. Expected to be priced in the range of Rupees 2 lakhs to Rupees 3 lakhs, the 2024 Tata Nano is making a comeback with a refreshed design and updated features.

The car’s compact and efficient form factor remains unchanged, while the interior boasts updated features like a digital instrument cluster, LED headlights, and a sunroof. The new Nano is powered by a 624cc engine that delivers a balance of performance and fuel efficiency. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, ensuring smooth and responsive shifts.