WORLD'S CHEAPEST CAR

Indian carmaker Tata Motors gave the world its cheapest car in the form of Nano. The Tata Nano is a city car manufactured and sold in India, the Nano was initially launched with a price tag of Rs 100,000 = U$2500 which was ultimately increased with time. Designed to lure India's burgeoning middle classes away from two-wheelers, it received much publicity.

This is a benchmark in engineering and has very basic features. The car gives excellent fuel economy and has a very efficient engine. The car offers a rear-wheel drive with its two cylinders 623 cc engine offering 33ps power. The engine is a multi-fuel injection petrol type. It is the first time the car is using a two-cylinder gasoline engine along with a balance shaft added to it.

Tata Nano has features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats, anchorages, rear tailgate glass attached to the body of the car and tubeless tyres.

Currently the car is priced between Rs 1,15,361 - Rs 1,72,361 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

There was much controversy related to its initial plan of manufacturing the car from Singur, a rural area of West Bengal. Tata Motors announced in 2006 that the Nano would be manufactured in Singur, West Bengal. Local farmers, along with a political party soon began protesting the forced acquisition of their land the new factory entailed. Tata first delayed the Nano launch and later decided to build the car in a different state, Gujarat, instead.

WORLD'S LONGEST CAR JOURNEY

Tata Motors' small car Nano entered the Guinness World Records in 2013 for driving on a longest journey covering the entire country, the company said on Monday.

"The expedition was accomplished in 10 days (March 21st to 30th of 2013) covering 10,218 km in a Tata Nano from Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu to circumnavigate the country and return to Bangalore," Tata Motors president  for Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Ranjit Yadav said at an event held in Bangalore.

The car entered the Guinness World Records, breaking the previous record of 8,046 km. The official title for the record is "Longest journey by car in a single country".

The car was driven by Bangalore based motoring enthusiast Srikarunya Subrahmanyam and his team.
"Tata Nano has put India on the world motoring map by demonstrating its robustness, reliability and frugal engineering. We will encourage motor expeditions to enable customers experience the brand's value," Yadav said.

India's first Formula One motor racing driver Narain Karthikeyan felicitated Subrahmanyam and the team for the record achievement on the occasion.
"I have seen a new breed of traveller emerge, one who has a streak of adventure and passion for motoring. I have known people who have driven long distances for the fun of it despite the option of taking a flight or a train being always there. This is the spirit that encourages enthusiasts like Srikarunya to overcome challenges of driving long distances," Karthikeyan said.