The world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano, launched its sale in the Himalayan republic at an introductory price of NRS 7.98 (almost Rs.5 lakh). It will be the first car in Nepal to come with a four-year warrantee for 90,000 km. Nepal becomes the second international destination for Tata Nano after Sri Lanka . Ommen said there are plans for further expansion. Bhutan could be one of the next destinations if the assessments being made in the Buddhist kingdom are favourable.
The Tata Nano Standard costs about Rs.1.51 lakh in Mumbai and in Nepal, the price escalation is due to a whopping 240 percent taxes. These include 76 percent customs duty, 60 percent excise duty, 13 percent value addition tax, 5 percent road tax as well as an annual NRS 16,500 road tax.
The booking started after 6,000 km of the 40,000 km test-ride was completed. The Nano CX can be booked for NRS 20,000 and the Nano LX for NRS 30,000. There have been over 5,000 queries already coming after the Tata Nano went on a Nepal yatra this month to test-drive the model in Nepal’s difficult terrain.
To show they mean business, Sipradi has tied up with 10 Nepali banks to offer car loans to buyers. While the Standard model can be booked with a down payment of NRS 10,000, the balance of payment could be made through five years at easy monthly instalments of NRS 11,111.