Green Nano will be a little more expensive with BS-IV emission norms

Tata Motors, which is currently delivering only the BS-III version of Nano to all its customers, is now gearing up to deliver the model’s BS-IV avatar in a month or so. Dealer sources say that the BS-IV version for the 13 cities would be slightly pricier than the current one - anywhere between Rs.3,000- 5,000 on road - mainly to take care of the technology upgradation for BS-IV emission norms. The Hindustan Times, in its report dated 3rd May’10, has also indicated that the Nano’s price will be higher in the range of Rs. 1,979 to Rs 2,133 (ex-showroom) across variants, citing the tentative price list available with some dealers.

When Debabsis Ray, the official spokesperson of Tata Motors was contacted, he confirmed that the company will begin the deliveries of the BS-IV compliant Nano without putting any timeline. He said, “Now that emission norms in the country include BS-IV for 13 cities and BS-III for the rest of the country, the Tata Nano will be available in both BS-IV and BS-III, as is applicable. The delivery of BS-IV Nanos is yet to begin, and is on the anvil. He stated, “As announced at launch, the first 100,000 chosen consumers are price protected and that Tata Motors has not arrived at any decision on pricing for the future. There is not hint of any decision either way. Should there be a price change for BS-IV Nanos; the company will intimate respective owners.”

Meanwhile, speculation is pretty rife that Tata Motors is considering rescheduling the second round of the Tata Nano's bookings at an earlier date. Apart from increasing demand, a major reason for early second round bookings is that 20-25 percent of the Nano's original bookings have been cancelled. When the first round of bookings for the car closed in April 2009, 2.03 lakh Nanos were booked and the company had stated that the first one lakh cars were expected to be delivered by the end of 2010. The company spokesperson, however, did not reveal about its rebooking plans.