Tata Pixel Concept Car : Morphology, NANO Style!

Tata Motors is getting there, towards its definitive European city car if its Nano-based Pixel concept is anything to go by says Adil Jal Darukhanawala after a close look at this space efficient low-cost, high tech super citycar

It had all the cues one could think of given its concept car status: clean organic exteriors (perfected in the wind-tunnel) with de rigeur expanse of glazed surfaces all round, stylized windows on the large scissor-type doors (if ever there is a concept car statement detail, it has to be this), minimalist interiors packed with funky details to make the cabin a fun place to be in for the iPad totting world and the picture it painted was just purrfect. So much for the beauty aspect because underneath that light alloy skin lay ample tech to sock many an environmentalist and bureaucrat and yes, many skeptics as well, who doubted how Tata Motors could go about meeting the emissions and fuel efficiency challenges of the very near future.

The Tata Pixel concept is of course based on the firm’s tiny wonder, the Nano and it takes the theme espoused by the Nano Europa seen at Geneva in 2010 to another rung up the ladder. It is an idea demonstrator for Europe because that is where Tata Motors genuinely wants to position its up market Nano variants and judging by the numbers attributed to the concept vehicle at Geneva, it surely does have enough to satiate many on the continent who want more than just “the most package-efficient four-seater in the world.” Riding on large 16-inch alloys shod with 215/45-R16 low resistance tyres, the Pixel has a good form and poise which thanks to the use of the scissor-type doors also adds a touch of the dramatic to the ensemble. Surely at Geneva in concept car format, it held on well but seriously these would be the first to go on the series production variants, both from a cost and usability perspective.

An all new development of the firm’s larger 1.2-litre three-cylinder diesel engine (yet in the test phase) has seen it get a turbocharger to spool up both response as well as deliver adequate power and torque to make for a zippy performer. In fact the engine has a host of modern day technologies including a stop-start micro hybrid system to enable it to get up to operating temperatures quickly because it is at cold start-ups where the pollution levels are at their maximum. A new design variable coolant and oil pump is employed as are other rapid warm-up technologies and while power and torque match those in class (75PS@4200rpm and 200Nm of torque at 2000rpm), it is in the manner it delivers tangible user and environment benefits which makes it so very appealing. Tata Motors claims CO2 emissions of under 89g/km, making this one of the lowest among any fossil fueled cars there are today while in the European drive cycle it consumes low sulphur diesel at the rate of just 3.4-litres per 100 kilometres! What is to be noted is that it is basically a simple configuration laid out in a most logical configuration and with just the right blend of affordable high tech to enable the Pixel to attain its objectives.

Of course the overall form and that sweeping panoramic glazed roof plus those scissor doors add their own style quotient to make it a head turner, one of its most important concept car cues to tickle the grey cells and also to make it stand out differently from others is its extra-ordinary turning circle and high maneuverability. The Pixel comes standard with an infinitely variable transmission (IVT) made specially for Tata Motors by Torotrak but what is novel about this unit is that when linked to the steering system it can make the Pixel literally revolve in a circle which doesn’t exceed the car’s overall length! The Torotrak Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive IVT is hooked up to mesh with the Pixel’s steering gear. The mechanism moves the outer rear wheel forward and the inner rear wheel backwards enabling the car to pivot completely around its rear axle! The 2.6-metre turning radius is ludicrous but is delivered day in and day out, just the ticket not only for the tight confines of Rome and Milan and Paris but also slotting into unbelievably tight spots of real estate when parking on Pune’s bustling Laxmi Road! These moveable wheels, are a detail I am sure would make series production sooner rather than later and as proved by the Pixel, the idea does work brilliantly.

Some years ago we had seen a concept car created by Bertone where it had drive by wire systems which helped operate everything on a car – steering, braking, parking, etc, etc. Given these technological benefits, Tata Motors is also planning to have its driver environ turn up in the manner of the Bertone Z.ERO concept where the steering could be configured – within minutes – from right hand drive to left hand drive and vice versa, this adjustability unfolding via its HMI interface. Much of the thinking behind this human-machine interface is logical given the latest trend of hand-held gadgets to get much work done and here as well it was not just about productivity but also ease of usage which determined the very essence of new age connectivity. The system in the Pixel is known as “My Tata Connect” and makes use of the driver’s smart phone or even one of the new tablets to be synced into the vehicle’s brains and use it is an information or entertainment system. By docking the tablet onto the car’s dashboard, it also helps turn into an info-centre showing vehicle operating parameters and tell tales plus also helping to adjust the car’s air con system and such.

With the Pixel Tata Motors has demonstrated what is in the realm of possibility and that too without costing a bomb! Most of the technologies are now already available for series production and it is only about customizing and integrating the hardware into the brains trust of the vehicle. As mentioned earlier, the scissor doors will have to give way to conventional ones while the interior would be more in sync with cost-conscious realism but without compromising on space or comfort. Of course one is not going to see the Pixel come to life soon but elements of it could materialize within a year or so in newer variants of the Nano and these wouldn’t necessarily be for export. The 1.2-litre turbocharged three-pot diesel being a prime candidate to appear within a year’s time, surely something worth waiting for.