If not for the similarity in name, Tara Tiny is priced at Rs. 99000! Tata Nano has a price tag of Rs. 1 lakh. And both the cars are coming from Bengal! The Tara factory is located at Palta near Kolkata. So much for the similarities. Now the main difference - the Tara engine is powered by electricity, making it truely economical and environment-friendly. The battery-operated car needs 8 hours of charging to travel 80 kms which translates to a running cost of 40 paise per km. Kolkata-based Tara International, headed by Tara Ganguly, has teamed up with China’s $1.5-billion Aucma, a leading player in the electrical vehicles and appliances segment, to manufacture these green cars. With a maximum speed of 50 km/hour the car is ideal for city riding. The company plans to set up charging units in shopping malls. The four Tara variants to be rolled out in Indian market in the next few months are Tara Tiny, Tara Titu (two-seater), Tara Shuttle and Tara Carrier. Also in the pipeline are bikes which will cost between Rs. 12000 and Rs. 33000. Here is a Tara Tiny specs list:
# No of seats: 4
# Net weight: 850 kg
# Wheel base: 2150 mm
# Maximum speed: 50 km/hour
# Maximum grade ability: 15%
# Motor power: 3 kw
# Battery voltage: 6V*10
# Recharge duration: 8 hours
# Driving charge: 120 km
# Ground clearance: 150/mm
# Running cost: 40 p/km
# Battery capacity: 200/Ah
Tara S Ganguly, chairman and CEO of Tara International, did his managment degree from Columbia University and is the grandson of Colonel Dwijendra Bhattacharya. The Colonel had set up Bengal Enamel in 1921 with Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy (the acclaimed Bengali academician who championed entrepreneurship and founded Bengal Chemicals) as its chairman.
Read more: Economic Times Rediff News
