Tata Motors Nano Update; Electric Version of Ace and Indica Unveiled

Land Dispute Threatens Nano Production. The governor of West Bengal said he wsa confident that a deal can be reached between Tata and angry farmers who claim they were cheated out of their land to make way for the Tata Motors factory that would manufacture the world's cheapest car, Tata's Nano. In the recent weeks, the Singur area of West Bengal state was rocked by violent protests after protestors said that the land was bought at an unfair rate. Tata's Nano which was due to be launched end of the year looks set for a delay but Tata Motors seem confident to stick to the production dateline and said it would shift the production factory elsewhere in India. It is unclear at this point of time whether this would increase the cost of producing the Nano.

Tata Unveils All-Electric Version of Ace and Indica. Tata Motors had confirmed that rumours about it producing an all-electric version of Tata's Ace and Indica are true. Powered by lithium ion batteries, Tata's Ace worktruck and Indica sedan was taken off the wraps by Tata in India where prototypes were shown. The Indica would be sold to Norway first because of the infrastructure that is available to support this car. India can expect a 24 month delay before the car is marketed to them.

Tata's Nano to Send Oil Prices to $200?. Some people have raised concerned that should Tata's Nano be successful, millions in India, China and other developing countries could be driving an affordable car and this might lead to an increase in demand for oil thus pushing up oil prices even further. Sean Brodrick from Money and Markets highlighted that in India, there are currently only 4 cars to 1000 adults compared to United States' 1000 cars to 1000 adults. With a population of 1.1 billion, there is scope for car ownership in India to go up tremendously.