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No Production Of Tata Nano For Third Straight Month

No production, no sales heightens uncertainty about future of the Tata Nano.



A Tata Motors Nano automobile. (Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)
A Tata Motors Nano automobile. (Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)

Tata Motors Ltd. did not produce any unit of its entry-level small car Nano for the third straight month in March, heightening the uncertainty over the future of the vehicle once dubbed as the people’s car.

The company did not sell even a single unit of the small car last month, according to its regulatory filing. In the same month last year the company had produced 31 units of Nano and sold 29 units.

Tata Motors so far maintained that no decision has been made yet on the future of the Nano, although in its current form it will not meet the new safety and emission norms and may need infusion of fresh investments.

In February also Tata Motors had said there was zero production of the Nano, although it sold one unit in the domestic market. There was no export either. In January, too, Tata Motors reported zero production and sales of the Nano.

When contacted, a Tata Motors spokesperson said no decision has been made yet on the phase out of the Nano.

“Decisions on product life cycle is a holistic view taken after considering the market developments, regulations and emerging competitive landscape. Any such decisions are announced as and when it’s taken,” the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said, “Production planning of a car is a conscious management of demand, system inventory and planned efficiencies. Therefore, speculating on the fate of a car based on a month’s production figure is something the company would not like to participate in.”

Company officials had earlier hinted that production and sales of the Nano would stop from April 2020 as Tata Motors has no plans to invest further on Ratan Tata’s dream car to meet strict emission norm under Bharat Stage-VI and other upcoming safety regulations.