It is probably one of the worst-kept secrets that Tata Motors, the maker of least expensive car Nano, is readying a new model codenamed Pelican. The work on the Pelican seemed to be progressing at a rapid pace and the good news is that the model is out for its early testing.

The AutoCar India team has managed to capture what probably are the first images of the Pelican, and the interesting bit is that the images reveal both interior and exterior of the model. The Pelican is believed to be the copiously tweaked version of the Nano.

Coming to the latest set of images, the Pelican shares more than a passing resemblance to the current Nano GenX. While the exterior styling of the pelican looks more or less the same, the headlight and the front Bonnet of the model seems to have been tweaked a bit. The pelican sports large 13-inch wheels.

The cabin of the new Nano seemed to have undergone major changes and now instrument cluster has been located right behind the steering wheels from the previous centre position and there are also new seats and dashboard design on board. While the steering wheel looks the same as the Nano GenX, the new Pelican seems to have got the Harman ConnectNext infotainment system instead of CD/MP3 system. The production version of the pelican could sport more features and changes as the spotted test mule at its early stages of development.

To be positioned between the GenX Nano and the newly-launched Tiago hatchback, the Pelican could get a larger 1000cc petrol engine. There have also been rumours of a diesel engine for the Pelican. Although there is no clarity on the launch of the new Nano Pelican, rumours indicate a late 2017 launch. The Pelican is expected to get a price tag of about Rs. 3.5 lakh.

[1 lakh = 100,000 | 1 crore = 10 million | 100 crore = 1 billion]