The Tata Nano: $2,350.00. 4 wheels. 4 people.

[RonKMiller]

I think small scooters and cheap motorcyles may become obsolete in the not too distant future. Introducing the Nano that Andy first brought up months ago..

The price has been announced and they kept it under $2500.00 as promised.

I understand they have a current backlog of 300,000 orders - which may sound absurd but then again that's just a small fraction of the Indian population which is currently 1,147,995,898. (July 2008 est. from the CIA)

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2008/id2008059_312111.htm

The luxury version includes fog lights, power windows and AC. 632cc, no mention of mileage, but it has got to be around 40-50 mpg in the city. God help you if you drive it on the freeway 'cause you'll probably need to use your legs like Fred Flinstone to get it above 50mph...

No doubt you can double the price for the US version (when it arrives - and it WILL arrive) with emissions and the appropriate safety equipment. If it breaks so what - just toss it and get another one!

This Indian company is VERY serious. Ravi Kant (the CEO of Tata) says: "We are hungry for growth—and innovation is a by-product of that."

If I was the CEO of Mercedes driving a $15K Smart Car that has been totally dissed in the press - I would be looking in the rear view mirror. :eek:

Can the farkle industry be far behind? :D

[Wolfgang]

I think that the only reason Tata bought Jaguar/Rover is to get familiar with the car business in Europe and the US. Once they got a handle on it, they can market a full line of cars with the volume models made in India.
Time will tell...give them about 5 years max.

[hschisler]

Interesting concept, but those tires look absolutely under-sized. I'd like to take a test ride in a Smart Car and a Nano, but for now I'll keep commuting on the LT. :cool:

[unleashd]

http://tatanano.inservices.tatamotors.com/tatamotors/

The Nano will be launched in India later in 2008. The car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual's preferences.

Stylish, comfortable

- Designed with a family in mind, the Nano has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room.

- Can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

- With a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.

- Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.
Why Nano?
The name 'Nano' was chosen as it denotes high technology and small size.
Most eagerly waited car
People world over were keen to see what Tata Motors' People's Car looked like, and know more about it. The Tata Motors website saw nearly 7.9 million hits on January 10 (the day the Nano was unveiled), while the Tata Nano website saw 4 million hits in 30 hours, making these sites among the busiest in the world.

The Nano website (www.tatanano.com) was developed within a short timeframe of 1.5 months and with limited resources.

The entire portal has been built on open source technologies, involving minimum investment, following the essence of the Nano - low cost, but high technology.


Fuel-efficient engine

- The Nano has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.

- The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency.

- Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements

- The Nano's safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.

- Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly

- The Nano's tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today.


- The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.

[andy]

Everything nice and dandy, but this is NOT the first time that a two cylinder engine is used in a car.

This guy here http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/100-greatest/03-large/26-citroen-2cv.jpg was designed in 1948 and always had a 2 cylinder engine. Up until they stopped making them in the late 80's. Had one of the last model's myself and absolutely LOVED it.

[hschisler]

Before Honda made the Civic they had a model called the Sport Coupe: 2 cylinders, 13" tires (IIRC), and a small air-cooled m/c engine. Manual tranny only. Seating for 4... very close people. I could touch the rear windshield from the driver's seat. My wife had this car in high school and beyond. Incredible gas mileage. The doors were about 1" thick. I'd love to have it now. It might have been called the Z600.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Honda_Z600_at_Toot_Hill.jpg/250px-Honda_Z600_at_Toot_Hill.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Honda_Z600_at_Toot_Hill.jpg)