Tata Motors plans to sell the world’s cheapest car, Nano in Africa, Latin America and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Isn’t that great? Well, we are almost certain that most of our readers are more eager to know about the fire incident. Not to worry, Ratan Tata has said that the company is conducting detailed investigations in Nano cars that caught fire. So, the truth may soon be made known and we believe the company will also come up with a solution in no time.

Back then, when new Nano cars were catching fire, a 20-member internal team and an independent forensics expert had teamed up to investigate the matter. A foreign object that caught fire when in touch with the new car’s hot exhaust system was forced to take responsibility of one of the previous fires. Another incident was blamed on the ruptured fuel line. What now? Well, wait and watch. The investigations have already begun.

Tata Motors is doing all it can to promote the little wonder. The first TV ad campaign for the Nano will be out sometime this month. Production at the Sanand Gujarat plant has significantly ramped up and Tata Motors now plans to do away with the need to book a Nano. There will be on-spot availability of the car. Ratan Tata had urged the company to think “out of the box,” to sell more Nanos and the results were out at the company’s annual general meeting. The car is gearing up for exports. It will probably be sold in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

The thinking out of the box does not end there. We hear that the company may also offer a diesel version of the Nano and a bigger three-cylinder petrol engine is also on the cards. The company is also considering Nano variants running on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas.

The diesel Nano, however, may be the first to make an entry. It is currently in the development stage and will enter the market by end of next year or early 2012. The new car will flaunt an extra-powerful micro turbo engine.

President and CEO, China and India, of Honeywell, which has developed turbo systems for the Nano, Shane Tedjarati, says that the diesel Nano will have a sub-1,000 cc engine and will be 20-30 per cent better than is usual for that engine size in performance. He added that the micro turbo engine of the diesel Nano has already been developed and its production is being scaled up to make India the hub for micro turbo diesel technology.

The enhanced performance of the micro turbo has allowed the Tata Nano to sport a 30 per cent smaller engine and the new car will get one of the smallest turbo systems in the world, said Mr Tedjarati. The company has invested heavily in its engine development programmes, partnering with global engine solution providers such as AVL, FEV and Ricardo.

PM Telang, managing director, India operations, Tata Motors said that the engine strategy included both incremental improvement to the existing range as well as new platforms which are on the anvil. Tata Motors has also announced that it is working on a hybrid Nano in addition to the diesel version.

So, will we soon have petrol, diesel, CNG and hybrid Nanos roaming wildly on the streets of India?