EcoCa Challenge To Tata Nano in Cheapest Car In India

A little-known company in London is set to challenge Tata Nano as the cheapest car by rolling out a 340 cc two-seater petrol car for as little as $2,200 (Rs 1 lakh) that it says will still ensure healthy profit margins for the makers.

EcoCa, a small engineering and design company, is now scouting for a joint-venture partner in India to build the car with the same name.

“We have identified India as a lucrative market to achieve our price target of $2,200 which will also help us earn healthy profit margins,” Karman M Naghdi, MD of EcoCa Ltd.

Karman M Naghdi said, “We have identified India as a lucrative market to achieve our price target of $2200 which will also help us earn healthy profit margins. Some Indian carmakers have also evinced keen interest to evaluate the prototype of our cars for performance, fuel efficiency and safety standards.”

EcoCa plans to utilise India’s low-cost manufacturing base to keep the price down for both global and domestic markets, said Mr Naghdi. “Some Indian carmakers have also evinced keen interest to evaluate the prototype of our cars for performance, fuel efficiency and safety standards,” he said.

Developed with an investment of around 8 million pounds (Rs 60 crore) and inspired by the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, EcoCa comes with convertible roof and automatic gearbox that means no need to change gears.

The prototype is made of lightweight, a high strength ABS plastic, which has good resistance to impact, heat and chemicals. It weighs only 330 kg against Nano’s 635 kg and delivers a fuel efficiency of 27-28 km/litre of petrol against Nano’s 23.6 km/litre under standard test conditions.

The car has cleared the frontal crash tests in Europe like the Nano and carries options of front airbags. It has a top speed of 70 kmph, much lower than Nano's 103 kmph. A new car chassis and body could be shelled out in 24 minutes flat under normal production cycle, Mr Naghdi said.

By ET Report