Tata Unveils the 2008 Nano, the $2,500 Car
Amidst all the glitz, glamor and horsepower that surround the Detroit auto show, we'd almost forgotten that a motor show was being held in New Delhi, India. The most notable unveiling, Tata's Nano, is designed to carry a price tag below $2500 - and is virtually the antithesis of anything being shown in Detroit.
Looking not unlike the offspring of a Ford Th!nk and a Mitsubishi i, the Nano is a small, five-door, four-passenger hatchback. By small, we mean small; the car measures in at just under 3.1 meters (11 ft) long, and 1.5 meters ( 5 ft) wide. Nanos will be powered by a 623-cc gasoline engine (how many cylinders is currently unknown) capable of 33 horsepower. Coupled through a four-speed manual transmission, the micro car supposedly can reach a top speed of around 105 km/h (65 mph).
(Click through for more on Tata's small wonder)
Although Tata aims to keep the cost of the car at 1 lakh - or $2500 - officials note that the cost of steel and other supplies may cause the Nano's list price to fluxuate. That said, the Nano attempts to control costs at the expense of equipment. Don't look for power accessories; although "luxury" trim models may be equipped with air conditioning, fog lamps and alloy wheels, all cars lack power steering. Dashboard instrumentation consists of merely a speedometer, oil light and a fuel gauge; sparse as that may be, it's more than what Citroen initially gave the French public with their own people's car.
Tata also claims the car passed frontal and side impact crash testing and meets emission laws, although we presently don't know to whose standards. Tata's chairman, Ratan Tata, says the Nano will undergo testing underneath the strict Euro-IV emission standards. In light of critics proclaiming the car to be an environmental ruin, Mr. Tata says he's confident the car will make the grade. Figures released by the company claim the Nano achieve mileage figures up to 50 mpg.
The Nano should go on sale in India in the second half of this year; basic models should retail for that hallowed $2500 price tag, but "loaded" luxury models will carry a higher retail price. Once production ramps up, Tata aims to move nearly 500,000 Nanos annually.
Comments
Jonathan Fung
I think the Power Wheels car I played with as a child had bigger tires than this.
phd_engineer
I would like to see the car torn down and analyzed. It is a much more practical design than the Smart ForTwo. I have seen Indian scooters that are sold in the US up close and the quality is surprisingly good.
Vikas Amba
Pride of INDIA
MGBYG
Is this the Little Tykes version of the Prius? :)
They'd have to scrape these out of the fender-wells of all the Tahoes and 'Gators doing 85 on I-10...
Eliza
I would like to see the inside of the car... but as my fav radio station said this morning it holds like 2 people and 2000 songs lol
Donald
Here and at Autoblog, people are quick to put this effort down, but how far removed is this car than what the Europeans introduced to their markets as their populations moved away from motorcycles to enclosed conveyance? We may be decades past those European introductions, but similarities in incomes and market conditions make the comparison apropriate, and those early European offerings weren't concerned with environmental or safety goals.
We still have to see if this car is just smoke and mirrors, or something of substance, but it looks like a practical effort to meet what THEIR market and population are looking for.
Donald
Just like outsourced labor from India - cheap and underpowered.
whistle
At least 100 two wheeler riders die everyday in Bangalore, India due to hit by fourwheelers. This car, I hope would cut that number into half. Thanks Tata!!
dieselhead
It holds 4 people, btw.
dieselhead
The other salient point is that emissions are claimed to be half of a motorcycle's emissions. Maybe not great, but given that the target market consists of people who otherwise would buy a motorcycle, this is a step forward.
y Myers
Is there a way to order one for US usage soon
Winding Road » Archive » Tata’s Nifty Nano: Images Galore!
[...] story of the Indian car destined to motorize a huge portion of that nation’s populace, the $2,500 Tata Nano, we left off giving you a good idea of what the car looks like. (Click on the thumbnails below to [...]
Bourne 2B Wilde
Wherever you are across the globe, you better track this product!
Here's my take on this:
http://randomjunkyramblings.blogspot.com/2008/01/product-tracking-tata-n...
You have got to admit- its an exciting event!
Bourne 2B Wilde
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/tata-nano-the-worlds-cheapest...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119993102461279857.html
Wherever you are across the globe, you better track this product!
Here's my take on this:
http://randomjunkyramblings.blogspot.com/2008/01/product-tracking-tata-n...
You have got to admit- its an exciting event! And it even looks like a smartcar. :-)
Throopspeed
BTW the Tata has a 2 cylinder engine per MSNBC this AM.And I think that there will be a big ripple in the world carmaker pond as a result of it...
MJK
I'll give you twelve bucks for it.
Nick
Hmm, rear wheel drive? Rear 2-cylinder engine? Sounds like what the Nuovo Fiat 500 should have been based on. I think I remember reading someplace that Tata would allow coachbuilders to create bodies for the 1-Lakh (Nano). What if someone built a Fiat 500 or Abarth 695SS body for the Nano and tuned it up a little?
Tata Nano Car - Tata Nano Car News » Tata Unveils the 2008 N
[...] Unveils the 2008 Nano, the $2500 Car unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAlthough Tata aims to keep the cost [...]
mbslrm
By making this, Tata put them self on the map.
While this car would never succeed in North America, it will do wonders for Tata in India.
And, like all other Indian products, this car will last a good 10 years.
fantasyfreddy
this would sell huge in usa!
VINCENT
TATA NANO IS IT ALSO FOR CANADIAN PEOPLES OR JUST ANOTHER COUNTRY THANKS
Winding Road » Archive » Glorious: Watch Tata Unveil the $2,
[...] we see the official unveiling, in all of its overly dramatic glory, of Tata’s famed $2,500 Nano “people’s car
Babit Lal
I wanted to know the way to get dealer ship for Tata Nano.
Regards
Babit Lal
mayur
really a car made to meet all the levels of the people
car is for comfort
comfort lies in car
if it carries minimum of 4..............
George K
déjà vu
Just as the Ford Model T born in 1908. Vehicle for the masses.
Just as the TATA Nano born in 2008. Vehicle for the masses in India. (100 years) Consequence?
George K
John Deere should partner with TATA and import this for a good enclosed riding mower. Americanize it with AC and cup holders.
Aditya P.Munuktula
The Nano is cute and economical...a killer combination that is sure to work out HUGE with the masses...anyways,check out my detailed blog at http://www.nanocar.blogspot.com
Ducati Minor
Westerners have a jaded attitude, but the Tata is not an enthusiast's car. Just like the Morris Minor or the Tin Lizzie, this is an econo-box meant to bring millions who could not normally afford a new automobile into the Motor Age. The Smart ForTwo is, I'm sure, a better-built vehicle, but it runs for $12,000 and up, averages under 40 mpg (according to Automobile), and must overcome the skepticism of Americans in love with V-8 trucks and large sedans.
I'll take a wait & see approach to how the Nano measures up, but if it is anywhere close in quality to Japanese or European micro-cars, the Indians have done their job. Maybe this is the sign that the twenty-first century belongs to Asia.
AJ
India has a low cost 3 wheeled mass transportation taxis called Autos. Autos cost around 1000-1200USD. This one "nano" looks like 4 wheeled AUTOS, no offence on anyone, it is pure functional device to take 4 people from Point A - Point B. The Grammar of Car is obtained from Sedans but I don't see this one fits any of Sedans or SUVS or coupe. If the pulling torque and mileage is Decent, TATAs are going to make a fortune out of this nano from Indian Market.
bindaasbhai
Atleast we got the world talking !!!!
bindaasbhai
Of all the automobile manufacturers, here came a not so well known, INDIAN company, TATA, who actually cared about what people wanted and built something based on people's expectation. It is, in all its sense, A People's car.Unlike other car manufacturers, who are trying to rip you off, by throwing in the features you dont require or need and making you pay a higher price for it. Cmon people, cars are meant to take from point A to B,and are not for basking in the sun, through your sunroof. I being a indian (feeling proud as ever), congratulate TATAS for making this dream a reality !!!
Atleast the developed world was not able to do it.
bindaasbhai
@Donald..
Well atleast somebody is working in the world... and not sitting on their big fat a*ses, drinking beer and eating processed food (junk as per my standard), and talking about INDIA as if you know this place.
Donald, it is time for your rectal exam and get that sh*t cleared out of your brain as well !!!
CATvader
Cant wait to see this car come to Singapore and get sold for US10,000dollars after the government imposes the super taxes here..
Just nice for me and my cat to ride next to me..maye can add in a rear thruster engine from my GSXR400 salvaged engine to get 155km/h.
CATvader
sad to hear those high 2-wheeler fatality rates in india.. but i think its more to the driver attitudes there causing deaths.. been to india.. the roads are a chaos..must implement some kind of juntha rule on the roads to curb the problem, like in sgp..
bangaloreboy
whoever said 100 people die evryday on 2 wheelers in bangalore is talking crap.
lilmeezy
it would be nice if they can get it up to 80
Noordeen
Dear Sir i Want to Buy one car. I want to Know hOw Many Models Are Thier in Tata Nano. How to Buy? What Is Least Price in Car
{)Y!@N
hey i have beenlookin for a car i live in mississippi that is in america and i would like to no how much this would cost all together and how many modles there are and i like the car so hurry and reply i want one BAD!!!!!!!!!!!
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