Tata Motor's Nano cars might have sold just 872 units so far in the current financial year 2017-18, down 65 per cent on year-on-year (YoY) basis, but the company seems to be falling short of pulling the plug on the vehicle just yet. Sources say Tata Motors Ltd (TML) is contemplating an electric variant of the Nano; the EV might also be based on an upgraded version of the Nano, a car code-named Pelican.
Nano sales hit an all-time low of 167 units in June this year, falling further from an all-time low of 174 units in March. Exports too have been sluggish, with only 75 units being exported so far in FY18. During the April-June period this year, sales fell down 80 per cent, when compared to figures registered during the first quarter of FY16. Whereas this year's sales record marks a 65 per cent dip over the firm's Q1 figures in FY17.
The 'people's car' Nano has been largely associated with Tata Sons' chairman emeritus Ratan Tata and has been under constant attack from the Cyrus Mistry camp. Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry had pegged the cumulative losses arising from the Nano project at Rs 6,400 crore