Despite the suspension of work at its Singur plant in the wake of a Trinamool Congress-led agitation, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata on Thursday said the company still aims to launch the Rs 1-lakh Nano small car on schedule in October. ?We?ll do everything possible to come close to the launch date,? he said while speaking at the 48th annual convention of the Society of Automobile Manufacturers (Siam). He did not elaborate on how that deadline would be met.
Later in the day, Tata, along with other delegates, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, Siam officials declined to divulge if anything related to Singur was discussed. In a related development, West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi called a meeting between the state government and protesting Trinamool representatives on Friday in a bid to resolve the stalemate.
Though Tata refused to comment on whether the company would stick to the Rs 1-lakh pricetag for the Nano, he said industry is under pressure due to rising input costs and fuel prices. ?The need and demand for low-cost cars in emerging economies including India will grow because such cars reach out to the people who are looking out for their first car,? Tata reiterated.
