Tata Nano is one car that cannot blend in traffic and a camouflaged one makes it easy to spot. Our spy photographers have spotted a Nano with the openable hatch testing at night, not that it is easy clicking pictures though.
The Nano with an opening hatch and different bumpers was on display at the 2014 Auto Expo. However, when we spoke to one of the senior officials from the company, they refused to comment on its launch date. This time around, there are rumours that the Nano facelift might be launched during the festive season.
The spotted test mule seems to be wearing the same bumpers as the car that was on display at the expo. The front, now, gets a smiling mesh grille which also houses the fog lamps, which were hidden in the test mule. The rear gets a revised bumper and a high loading bay where you can actually keep two bags.
The works are not limited to the looks department and the revamp will also make some mechanical changes to the Nano. Tata will introduce the Nano with an AMT gearbox and a rumoured turbocharged petrol engine. It is still unknown if the AMT transmission will be available with the standard petrol.
Tata’s strategy to reposition the Nano from the ‘cheap car’ image that it wears to a ‘smart city car’ could work. The Nano currently has a lot of limitations and going by the rumours, it seems like most of them will be addressed by the time the new model hits the market. Apart from the revamped Nano, Tata will launch the Zest compact sedan this year and probably the Bolt hatchback.
