After Nano, Tiago, Tata's small car Pelican to be manufactured at Sanand plant: Report

It is probably one of the worst-kept secrets that Tata Motors, the maker of the least expensive car Nano, is developing a new small car based on the same platform that of the Nano. Codenamed Pelican, the new small car will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Renault Kwid.

Although the rumours of the new Pelican have been doing the rounds on Internet for quite a while now, the company has not yet spoken anything on the same. Now a report of MotorOctane claims that the new Tata Pelican, which will be positioned between the Nano and the new Tiago hatchback, will see the light of the day in 2017.

It further says that Tata is now in talks with its vendors for the supply of the components, including larger tyres, to manufacture the Pelican. Tata Pelican's arrival in the markets is expected at the same time when Maruti's Alto Kei, which is currently in the works, would be available.

Tata Pelican, which is expected to get a price tag around Rs 3.5 lakh, could come equipped with safety features like ABS and airbags as standard. The entry-level small car, which will be built around the X302 platform, an upgraded version of the Nano platform, is rumoured to be offered with a petrol mill.

The Pelican is likely to be Tata's next offering from the Sanand factory after Tiago hatchback.