Autocar has gotten their hands on the cheapest car on this here planet, the Tata Nano. Advertised as the $2,000 car, it would likey be more like $8,000 if it ever landed on North American soil.
Here are some details of the 4-door car, available in standard and deluxe versions:
* Length: 10.17 feet
* Height: 5.25 feet
* Width: 4.92 feet
* Engine: Rear-wheel drive, 2-cylinder, 623 cc, multi-point fuel-injection petrol engine, rear mounted. Tata said it is the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine is used in a car with single balancer shaft.
* Safety: Has an all sheet-metal body, with crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat-belts, and rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tires are tubeless.
* Environment: Tailpipe emission performance beats current regulatory requirements, and the Nano has a lower overall pollution level than two-wheelers made in India, Tata has said. A high fuel efficiency (47 mpg) ensures low carbon dioxide emissions.
* The Team: In 2003, a four-member team at Tata’s Engineering Research Center in Pune city started work on a “very low cost transportation with four wheels” and a price of 100,000 rupees. Helped by the Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering in Italy, the team grew to 500, headed by Girish Wagh.
* Nano Europa: Will launch in some European markets by 2011:
Length: 3.29 meters; Width: 1.58 meters; Wheelbase: 2.28 meters. Engine: 3-cylinder, all-aluminum MPFI engine with 5-speed automatic transmission and electric power steering. Plus, advanced restraint systems, ABS, ESP and airbags.
Check out Tata’s website for more info on the car that costs as much as an expensive scooter.
25. March 2009 at 12:39 pm
It will be interesting to see if this thing takes off. I also can’t wait to see if the Top Gear guys review this car.
25. March 2009 at 3:17 pm
I was thinking the same thing about Top Gear, heh. I’m sure they would start with drag race against a Lambo Gyarrrrrrdough and then explain why you’d need to be a cock to drive one then drop a lorry on it then finish up with some mild ethnic stereotypes.
good times.
25. March 2009 at 3:23 pm
:D -BWAHAHA!
Casey, I think you’ve just unlocked the Top Gear secret recipe! I’ll have to apply that to my next set of reviews.
Anyone got a spare Bugatti Veyron lying around? We’ll see how it holds up against the new Genuine Blackjack.
25. March 2009 at 3:40 pm
Not to hijack the Tata, but the Top Gear Viet Nam special was not only scooter related but was one of the best things I have ever seen on television. A GREAT show.
25. March 2009 at 3:44 pm
Anyone else think the logo looks a bit Toyotaish?
25. March 2009 at 4:10 pm
With the name Tata they could have gone a different direction with a company logo and even product names.
The Tata 36DD could be their big, luxury car.
The Tata 34B could be their sports model.
The Tata 32A could be their small, economy car.
25. March 2009 at 5:41 pm
Haha! Tata 36DD would have HUGE headlights..
25. March 2009 at 10:55 pm
Don’t forget the Dagmar bumpers!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagmar_bumpers
26. March 2009 at 12:41 am
I want one for rainy days when I don’t feel like getting wet on the scooter/Bikes.
26. March 2009 at 2:25 am
That car scares me more than any scooter, for some illogical reason.
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26. March 2009 at 3:55 pm
Very funny guys! I see where your mind is… and I know you’re waiting for the moment to see more than one of them together so you can yell out, ‘Hey! Nice Tatas!’. I’m with ya! ;)
I was a bit scared of the vehicle too, but now I think I’d give it a go. I know someone out there is saying, ‘You’ll kill yerself in one of those things!’ You know… I’ve hear of people who have nearly killed themselves eating pretzels. I’ll just have to be EXTRA careful. If we could come CLOSE to getting them in the USA for $6k or $7k, they’d be hotcakes.
27. March 2009 at 4:18 am
If we could get them here around $3-4k, they’d probably be almost all you see on the road. Just look at how well the Aveo sells. Adjusted for inflation, the Nano is even cheaper than the Adobe! And that was made out of clay! ;)
27. March 2009 at 4:33 am
:D -AHAHA! SNL! Good stuff. But that thing was just $200. Still hard to beat a car made out of clay.
27. March 2009 at 4:34 am
Saw this wiki:
Adobe – very unsafe car, with a sticker price of $179; made entirely of clay, it combines German engineering and Mexican know-how.