January 13, 2014: As traffic gets busier in most cities in India, the option of an automatic transmission will increase the appeal of any car positioned as a smart city car. And the Tata Nano could get one.
“Yes, we are evaluating all these options and what will help to further strengthen the position as a smart city car,” says Girish Wagh, senior VP – Programme Planning & Project Management (Passenger Vehicles Business Unit), Tata Motors, told Autocar Professional in an exclusive interview.
Over the years, features such as air-conditioning and power windows have moved from being optional features to become standard features in most models. With the substantial increase in city traffic, many OEMs are now looking at offering the option of automatic transmission in their models.
Tata Motors has already showcased an automatic transmission in its Aria at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. With the Twist, which was officially launched in Mumbai today, the Nano has become the smallest car in India to offer the power steering feature. It could well become the smallest car with an automatic transmission in the near future.
SUMANTRA B. BAROOAH
Click
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL74t3sPDjY to watch Autocar Professional’s exclusive interview with Girish Wagh, Senior VP – Programme Planning & project management (PVBU), Tata Motors.