A Tata Nano that’s more expensive than a Lamborghini Gallardo? As outrageous as that might sound, Mumbai based D.C. Design’s version of the world’s cheapest car is set to cost $220,000 or 10 million rupees, which is quite some distance away from the 100,000 rupee (1 lakh) price the Nano was designed to fulfill.
“We would like to keep the cost low but with the technology and the amount of work we will be putting into the car, the 10 million rupee price tag will be justified,” said Dilip Chhabaria, head of the specialist car refitting group that has worked for Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor
Much of D.C.’s Nano will be bespoke. The car’s basic silhouette will be retained, but everything else will go. The standard two-cylinder 624cc engine will be replaced by a 1.6-litre engine and the car will roll on 20-inch wheels. To accommodate the new engine, the rear seats will make way. D.C is targetting a top speed of 200 km/h.
“There will be a lot of tech wizardry in it, plenty of IT-enabled equipment. The idea is to give the world a feel of what India’s IT and automotive industries are capable of when working in synergy,” Chhabaria added.
The image above is of an earlier styling concept. The mega-money Nano prototype is expected in two months.