Nano gets a makeover, Tata prepares three 'not so cheap' variants

Tata Motors seems to have finally zeroed in on a strategy to relaunch its Nano, which was launched to with an eye to conquer the world as the cheapest car and failed terrible in its endeavour.

An article in The Economic Times today says the company plans to make the model “more aspirational rather than spartanly utilitarian”.

The move comes a month after former Tata group chairman Ratan Tata, for whom the Nano was a dream come true, admitted that marketing the model as the cheapest car was a mistake. He had also said the company is planning to relaunch the car.

According to the_ET_ report, the plan is to launch several new models like the Nano Twist, Nano Plus and Nano Diesel with additional features like electronic power steering and an integrated music system with Bluetooth connectivity. The aim is to rebrand the car as a smart city car targetting the youth.

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“We should see a tipping point in the next six months’ time,” a company official has been quoted as saying in the report.

The new PR strategy involves developing a more emotive image around the car and presenting it as the answer to city living problems like traffic jams and parking. The company has launched an ad campaign which has received 3.7 lakh ’likes’ on Facebook. The TV commercial has been viewed over 5 million times on Youtube in the month since its launch.

Branding expert Jack Trout had in an interview last month said that it would be better to kill the Nano brand. “My view is, I would kill the brand…The damage is done there. The most telling thing they did is calling it a ‘cheap car’.”

The marketing veteran with over 40 years of experience said people wouldn’t want to be seen in a ‘cheap car’, especially in India where car brands bring a lot of prestige with them. He explained that there is usually a forward progression in automotive ownership - from cycles to scooters to cars.

Tata Motors was also accused by many of not stepping up their image branding following the initial Singur plant fiasco and the few instances when the cars caught fire.

Read more about the new models here and the failed marketing strategy here .