Toyota is promising quality and Tata Motors which did not feel the need of an advertising campaign for the world’s cheapest car is coming with one. “Now You Can” is the message of the campaign; you can now experience the Nano. Advertising campaigns and the Tata Nano also remind us of Tata Motors’ new tactics to promote the Nano. Kerala’s festive season is soon approaching and Tata Motors is targeting the state.

The Tata Nano is flirting in full swing with the Keralites, but will it manage to distract them from their favourite boats? Everybody is grooming their skills for the annual boat racing festival and Tata Motors is posing its attractive Nano in front of them. After closing bookings 15 months ago, bookings for the Tata Nano have re-opened only in Kerala. That’s unfair! But, did you know that it’s just a week and there has been a hearty response? For the rest of India, the bookings will soon re-open.

“We are expediting despatch of Tata Nano’s for allottee and retainee customers for Kerala for delivery before Onam. Tata Motors will in due course open sales for the Nano in the rest of India”, said the Tata Motors spokesperson.

At a time when most Keralites go for new purchases, the promise of delivering the Nano within 30 days of booking seems to be an added advantage for the car maker. Tata Motors has already received over 3,000 enquiries from Keralites for the little wonder. We even hear that many of them are getting converted into confirmed bookings.

Last year, Tata Motors had received booking requests from 2,03,000 customers through a sale of forms valued at around 2,500 Crore. 1 Lakh customers were randomly selected through a lucky draw and they got the car for a Lakh. The company though sold 6.10 lakh forms each costing Rs 300 and the total value being Rs 18.3 crore.

Right now, a Tata Motors spokesperson stated, “Onam is a very auspicious occasion in Kerala. During the month before Onam, residents of Kerala transact a large volume of new purchases, including cars. That is why, on the anvil of Onam, Tata Motors has announced that residents of Kerala, who are desirous of driving home a Tata Nano but had not booked the car during 2009, will be able to purchase a Tata Nano.”

The Tata Nano can be booked in Kerala at Rs 25,000 and easy financing options available with the car are adding to sales. “The allotment letter will be given to the customer within 20 days after the booking process is complete. Delivery of the car will be done within 30 days from the booking date. They (Tata Motors) have assured us about the delivery date”, said a dealer adding, “The response has been overwhelming. A large number of customers are turning up for a visual experience of the car. We have so far undertaken bookings of 25-30 Nano’s in the first week and hopeful to do 120-130 units before month’s end.”

Tata Motors is doing its best to reach out to customers especially during this season of Onam with over a hundred touch points set up in the state. Potential customers get to enjoy a test drive in the Nano at these centres. If GM India has its cashless ownership programme and Skoda has the unique SkodaShield after-sales scheme, Tata Motors is offering free service for three years or 2,00,000 km on the Nano.

The BS III Nano base variant is available at an enticing on-road price of just Rs 1.38 Lakh in Kerala while the fully loaded high-end variant can be availed at Rs 2.12 Lakh. A dealer says that the BS IV version is pricier by just Rs 3,000. Lucky Kerala!