Tata Motors Asked to Build Nano in Egypt

Tata Motors has already expressed its intentions to build the Nano, also known as the world's cheapest car, in several locations of the world, so governments are trying to benefit from this in an effort to create new jobs and boost local economy. Such an example is Egypt, the country whose government recently invited the Indian carmaker to set up a local plant and start assembling the Nano.

"Egypt is seeking consent of Tata for left-hand drive Nano to be produced in Egypt, where a huge market is expected not only internally, but in the left-hand drive market in the Middle East and in Europe," Egypt's ambassador to India, Mohamed Higazy, said according to the Mint newspaper.

Tata Motors, however, refuses to provide too many details on a possible Egyptian expansion and says it would only concentrate on its short-term plans for the Nano, which also include an European launch by 2011.

"While Tata Motors has said that the Tata Nano and its variants will also be introduced in other countries, the company has not decided on its manufacturing strategy in other countries, let alone Egypt," a Tata Motors spokesman commented on the possibility to build a plant in Egypt.

On the other hand, Tata Motors might allow other carmakers to build the Nano and sell it under a different name but, up until now, there are no details whether any other manufacturer has actually contracted the company in this matter.

"We call it Nano, they don't have to," Vice Chairman Ravi Kant said earlier this year according to a report by the Business Standard.