The Tata Nano is one of the few cars on sale in the country today that is offered without the option of a power steering. While this is not an issue when the car is doing speeds above 30kmph, it becomes a handful in stop and go traffic which by the look of it is the Nano’s primary playground. To counter the issue, Tata fitted the facelifted Nano with a bigger wheel but even this has not done much for the company and now it seems that the Pune-based automaker will finally offer power steering with India’s cheapest car.
Reports suggest that the power steering option will be available from January and will cost around Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 over the price of the standard car, however, it is still unclear which variants will have this option. It is also likely that the Nano will get an electronic power steering unit due to its rear engine rear-wheel-drive layout.
Tata had been working on changing the image of Nano from the "cheapest-car" to that of a smart city car targeted towards a young audience. With regards to this, it had launched the facelifted model and is expected to launch a diesel version next year. The addition of a power steering will make the car easier to navigate in urban traffic besides bringing it on par with the competition (Hyundai Eon and the Maruti Alto 800).
The recent changes introduced in the 2013 Nano included cosmetic tweaks like a redesigned rear bumper, chrome garnishing and new wheel covers as well as two new variants running on CNG. Also expected by March 2014 is a new 800cc diesel-powered engine for the Nano.
