[MaserQ]

The Nano diesel has been in the pipeline for what seems like eternity. The new front/rear bumpers give it a sleek, if not stylish look. The hatch gate is a value addition and will find favour with a lot of buyers. Tata has a lot riding on the diesel powered Nano. As someone said, get it right the first time.

[selfdrive]

The petrol version rattles so badly, I wonder what a diesel mill would do in that hatch.

I hope they also take care of all the niggles and though its a massive shout, try to fix the bumpy ride quality inherent to this car.

[shortbread]

Is it just me or does the spy pics looks like the engine is upfront??!!

The new rear bumper has a fake mesh, i.e. it looks like mesh but is closed of, no ventilation!! How will a rear engine breathe then?!

On the other hand the front bumper has a proper mesh and from what I can see a radiator behind it!! Does anyone else see the same thing?!

It could be that the radiator has been shifted upfront for better cooling and tubes/pipes circulate coolant all the way to the rear using a strong pump.

But, What if its front engined?! Thus liberating boot space, a la full size hatchback boot. If this is the case then its a serious re-engineering exercise, which in turn explains the diesel variants huge gestation period!!

Maybe a false alarm, I am on my third glass right now, will take a better look when Im sober tommorow.

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Link to News Section

Attachment 1115196

Originally Posted by dZired

And now ACI scoops rear of the Nano diesel.

Attachment 1115337

[the VTEC guy]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Is it just me or does the spy pics looks like the engine is upfront??!!

...

Even I have same initial impression of this being a front engine. The front bumper and the rear tailgate execution looks smart.

[HillMan]

Nope. It wont be a front engine for sure. The front air dam is a fake one. Nano already has a little space for wiper wash and spare tire. The closing on the rear bumper is to direct the air to go through the radiator vents for better cooling.

[MaxTorque]

Tata Motors badly need a hit products. Hope Nano Diesel will become hit.

[rsquared]

On close inspection of the spy shot, I can see something like a radiator grill. Does anyone else feel the same? Could this be front engined?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by rsquared

On close inspection of the spy shot, I can see something like a radiator grill. Does anyone else feel the same? Could this be front engined?

No. There is absolutely no space to fit a turbocharged diesel in there. However, they could have done plumbing for the radiator to the front bumper, for better heat dissipation?

[rsquared]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

No. There is absolutely no space to fit a turbocharged diesel in there. However, they could have done plumbing for the radiator to the front bumper, for better heat dissipation?

Yep. This makes sense. A diesel engine inherently produces more heat than a petrol one. Keeping the entire engine assembly at the rear could lead to heating issues and would also make it quite a task to insulate the rear seats. Hence this setup could be used.

[saket77]

A Nano diesel would mean some serious re-engineering. The diesel motors are inherently more noisy, harsh and produce high vibrations. The problems of rattling, sound insulation and vibrations etc. are also inherent to the Nano as of the contemporary petrol, hence to house an oil burner, it would need some serious attention by the engineers; if the vehicle has to be of acceptable standards.

[fiat_tarun]

I have seen these Nano diesels at the Tata plant and can say they look quite smart with the new bumper designs.

The engine is at the back only and the boot as can be seen is now open-able.

I think what you see in front is the AC Condenser which is in the same location in the current Nano as well.

[JayPrashanth]

Link to News Section

Mr Karl Slym, the managing director of Tata Motors, speaking to Reuters, has announced that the Nano Diesel is under development and that the car will be launched by the end of this financial year, broadly hinting that the launch will happen by March 2014. Currently, the Nano is available with only one fuel option, namely petrol.



A CNG-Petrol dual fuel variant of the car, which was showcased at the HORIZONEXT strategy announcement event, will be launched in the coming months. The CNG powered version of the car will serve as a cost effective option with lower running costs, besting that of the petrol engined model.

An obvious limitation of the CNG powered Nano involves the availability of CNG dispensing stations, which are concentrated in a handful of Indian cities. So, a CNG powered version will suit only those Indian cities where CNG dispensing infrastructure exists. Naturally, the case for a diesel powered Nano exists.

With the arrival of the Nano Diesel in early 2014, the car will be available in three fuel variants, giving the buyer a flurry of options to pick and choose from. The diesel version of the Nano has been spotted testing in and around Pune, the location of Tata Motors' engineering and research facility at Pimpri.



The car is said to feature an 800 cc, common rail-turbo diesel engine that is likely to output about 40 Bhp of peak power. The Nano Diesel's engine aggregates, such as the CRDI system and the turbo charger, have been developed by global parts makers such as Robert Bosch and Garrett (A Honeywell enterprise).

The diesel powered Nano's biggest selling point will be its fuel efficiency, touted to be over 35 Kmpl. The car is also likely to feature other improvements such as a open-able hatch, revised styling and even perhaps a power steering. The Nano Diesel is expected to be priced about 50,000 rupees higher than equivalent petrol variants.

Challenges to the Nano Diesel do exist. Total deregulation of diesel prices by the Indian government, along with elimination of fuel subsidies, could make diesel as expensive as petrol. In such a scenario, the additional premium demanded by Tata Motors for the diesel powered Nano might not be appealing to prospective buyers. A tight rope walk for Tata Motors seems likely.

[MHG]

The Euro-spec Nano's grille when blackened looked much better than the scooped Diesel Nano's grille whose smiley face (a Tata obsession) seems to look really stupid. It would've looked better even if it was a plain rectangle.

[sujithpnair]

Originally Posted by rsquared

Yep. This makes sense. A diesel engine inherently produces more heat than a petrol one. Keeping the entire engine assembly at the rear could lead to heating issues and would also make it quite a task to insulate the rear seats. Hence this setup could be used.

Diesel runs cooler than gasoline for a given condition. The difference comes from the flash point and burn temperatures of both the fuels. Diesel has high flash point and low burn temperature whereas gasoline has low flash point and high burn temperature. "Flashpoint" means temperature at which it makes burnable fumes and "Burn temperature" means temperature at continuous burn of fuel. Since it has low burning temperature, diesel exhaust is cooler than gasoline exhaust.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

The diesel powered Nano's biggest selling point will be its fuel efficiency, touted to be over 35 Kmpl. The car is also likely to feature other improvements such as a open-able hatch, revised styling and even perhaps a power steering. The Nano Diesel is expected to be priced about 50,000 rupees higher than equivalent petrol variants.

Challenges to the Nano Diesel do exist. Total deregulation of diesel prices by the Indian government, along with elimination of fuel subsidies, could make diesel as expensive as petrol. In such a scenario, the additional premium demanded by Tata Motors for the diesel powered Nano might not be appealing to prospective buyers. A tight rope walk for Tata Motors seems likely.

Good that TML is taking steps to make the Nano more like a mainstream car with openable hatch & power steering. The openable hatch was on top of buyer's wishlist and probably with a diesel burner crowding the front bay, power steering may be something indispensable. I think this new Diesel Nano has the potential to come out as a winner. The 'tight rope walk' that you have mentioned is probably true for all manufacturers hence IMO, should not be a deterrent for the Nano.