The Hindu Business Line : The Great Indian engineering feat

Chennai, March 22 Tall, snub-nosed and egg-shaped, the Nano, at first glance, seems to look like a futuristic autorickshaw with its front wheel tucked in. Like most autorickshaws, the Nano will also have a rear engine. And the Tata mini-car’s on-road price will also be close to the three-wheeled public transporter ubiquitous to most Indian metros.

But the similarities end there. Despite critics’ observations to the contrary (especially in overseas markets), the Nano will be a full-fledged automobile in India and outside it. And while it shares the autorickshaw’s focus on costs and frugal engineering, the Nano manages to pack enough to give it the feel of a contemporary automobile even in the global context.

The aerodynamic body lines, the clear-lens headlamps, clear-lens tail-lamp cluster that takes the design resemblance to the Indica forward, the centrally positioned instrument cluster, and the tight, consistent body panel gaps are visual affirmation that the Nano can claim to be an internationally relevant, modern-day automobile.

While all of these make sure it is not dismissed as a lemon even by existing car owners, the Nano is also put together such that it will appeal to its primary target audience — the buyer upgrading to a car from a two-wheeler groaning under his four-member family.

Costs, costs

This is where Tata Motor’s engineering ingenuity is shining. The development team’s focus on cost has been two-pronged — keeping production costs low for itself to make possible the killer pricing and then keeping the cost of ownership low. That is a unique combination in the global automobile industry.

Of course, Tata Motors had considerable practise with the Indica. So, what are the features in the Nano that the buyer will appreciate. First, the bumpers are large, with the front, oversized one being the most practical. Essentially, this means smaller body panels taking a hit in the event of a collision. With body panels in metal, this means the cost of repair will be low. Instead of a denting and painting job, just a blow torch repair job of the ABS plastic bumper will do.

Next, the story goes that Mr Ratan Tata personally intervened during the design of the Nano to eliminate the second windscreen wiper. Besides reducing the car’s cost, it also keeps the cost of wiper blade replacement low. As long as the single wiper does the job, the owner will appreciate it that much more just before the monsoon.

Simple engine

Another key example of the Nano’s ingenious frugal engineering is the choice of the engine. The 624cc, two-cylinder petrol engine with a single balancer shaft can be opened up easily and repaired even in relatively sparingly equipped workshops. Though it features a multi-point fuel injection, the single injector Bosch system is apparently not complicated.

By positioning the engine at the rear, the Nano not just joins the ranks of many of the people’s cars worldwide, but offers a further dose of practicality. For one, a rear-mounted engine transfers power to the wheels better and more efficiently. Additionally, the safety quotient improves dramatically. It is also why so much space could be liberated inside the car.

No automatic choice

The Tata designers and engineers had proposed an automatic transmission for the Nano, but potential user feedback and the Indian liking for manual gearboxes seem to have influenced the final choice of a four-speed manual.

The Nano’s engine is the smallest yet in the A-segment — a class of vehicles that has only one occupant, the Maruti 800. By trying to match the segment benchmark in power and performance, the Nano’s fuel-efficiency potential might have been compromised a bit.

But by endowing it with the capability to do a top speed of 110 kmph and still offer a fuel-efficiency of 20 km to a litre of fuel, there is no compromise on most parameters any automobile will be judged by. What is more, Mr Ratan Tata has said the Nano has passed the full-frontal and side-impact crash tests. No wonder then, that all national and international attention on the Nano is focused on how Tata Motors has managed to make a ‘car’, not a vehicle, and offer it at such a low price.