Cervo: Maruti’s Answer to Tata Nano?

India experienced a watershed moment when Ratan Tata fulfilled his promise with the launch of Nano, the most economic vehicle in the Indian market, and arguably, in the world. Ever since the launch of Tata Nano, the whole globe is behind the idea of cheaper wheels. Now, it’s the turn of Maruti, who is seriously planning a car priced closer to Nano, and it could apparently be the Cervo, a compact five door mini that might put the other kids on the block in the shade.

The Cervo looks like a smaller Chevrolet Beat with cues from Honda Jazz’s design. The phenomenal fuel efficiency is one of the USPs of this car.

Powered by Suzuki’s 660cc engine – as against Nano’s 623cc – the Cervo could be priced between 1.5 to 2 lakhs, a little higher than Nano. But Cervo looks too stylish and futuristic to be priced under 2 lakhs. So it’s obvious that Maruti needs to delete some of the features available in the car, or use a cheaper material to make a potent contender to Nano.

Inside, the dashboard of the Cervo looks almost like the Swift, with the rectangular air vents in the centre and the circular ones on the sides. Power windows and airbags are available in the international markets but chances are that Indians will have to compromise on that.

Although not all can repeat the Nano story, Maruti has resources and expertise to come up with such a model at a cheap price without compromising on quality. But can they pull it off? Let’s all hope so.