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