Tata might be here in US by 2011

[cubefx]

Yahoo News

Tata hopes to sell Nano in U.S.


Thu, Jun 4 08:26 PM
Enlarge Photo Tata Motors 'Nano' cars are displayed during their launch in Mumbai March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Punit... Thu, Jun 4 08:26 PM
Tata Motors hopes to offer the Nano, dubbed the world's cheapest car, in the United States within two years, its chairman said.
"It will need to meet all emission and crash standards and so we hope in the next two years we will be offering such a vehicle in the U.S," Ratan Tata told a panel at the Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Global Enterprise late Wednesday.
The company plans to offer a European version of the car, which costs about $2,300, in 2011.
Tata got the idea to make a car that poor people could afford while thinking about the motorbike and scooter riders who maneuver through the streets of Indian cities with their children on board.
The four-seater car gets up to 65 miles per gallon (28 km per liter). Cheap labor helps to keep the price down.
Tata said his company was also working to develop cars that run on fuels other than gasoline such as clean diesel, biofuels and batteries.
The Nano debuted in showrooms in January 2008, but production was delayed by protests over land use where a plant was to be located. The cars will be available in India by July with a lottery to select the first 100,000 owners.
(For more news on Reuters Money click Reuters Money - India Market News, Money News, Finance News, India Business News Headlines)

[curtis]

if they can get it up to US standards and sell it for $5,000 they will kill it, if it's any more expensive I doubt it would sell.

[BigWarpGuy]

Perhaps they should say 'worlds cheapest car sold today'? I remember cars being a lot less expensive when I was young many many years ago.

[gstreetcomic]

I recall the Yugo when it came out. It felt like a chincy little thing , and from what i recall, you got what you paid for.

Originally Posted by BigWarpGuy

Perhaps they should say 'worlds cheapest car sold today'? I remember cars being a lot less expensive when I was young many many years ago.

[BigWarpGuy]

I remember the Renault LeCar when it was in the USA. It seemd rather 'tinny'.

[Padawan]

Autocar - First pics: European Nano

Here is the proposed Euro-spec version, with a projected price of around $7000 USD. I think it's quite a good looking car, and if it ends up selling at or around that price point, I suspect it will be quite successful in the European (and hopefully US) markets.

To me, the more mini cars we have here to choose from, the better. Personally, I hope that the Fortwo is only the first of a whole new era of small cars in the US.

[jwight]

From the link above:

The Tata Nano Europa has been significantly modified for its introduction to the European market.

Externally, the Tata Nano Europa gets bigger bumpers front and rear to comply with European crash regulations, plus LED foglamps and visibly smarter trim (including colour-coded door handles and chrome-effect strips), although there is still no direct access to the car's boot. Luggage has to be loaded via the rear doors.

Inside there is leather trim, and high-gloss plastic on the dash.

The Tata Nano Europa gets wider tracks front and rear, and ditches the Indian-market two-cylinder motor in favour of a Euro5-compliant three-cylinder engine, expected to produce just 98g/km of CO2 and return 67mpg.

[puppeto]

Here's the big question, can it hold its own on the interstate like my smart can?

[Padawan]

Originally Posted by puppeto

Here's the big question, can it hold its own on the interstate like my smart can?

In Europa (or Americana?) form, I don't see any reason why not.

[cowancom]

zero to sixty in 38 seconds. Pull out in trafic in that. And it still has PLASTIC steering gears and a plastic steering shaft and conectors.