Tata Motors may let local car makers assemble Nano

By Janaki Krishnan; edited by John Mair

Tata Motors, India's largest vehicles maker, may allow local car assemblers to put together its Nano and sell it under their own brand, the Business Standard reported on Monday.

Tata began selling the Nano, the world's cheapest car, in July, and has sold 7,500 units in the past three months.

Tata is building a dedicated facility for the Nano with an annual capacity of 250,000 units, which is expected to be ready by the end of March. Until then, it is making the Nano in smaller numbers at an existing plant.

Vice Chairman Ravi Kant told an awards function that Tata Motors might allow assemblers to set up micro-assembly sites across the country that could produce about 10,000 cars a year.

"We call it Nano, they don't have to," the paper quoted Kant as saying.

A spokesman for the company told Reuters that when the Nano was launched, outside assembly was mentioned as an idea.

 (For more news on Reuters Money visit http://www.reutersmoney.in)