Worlds cheapest factory car $2,500 Nano minicar 33bhp 54mpg

[se7en]

if it ever makes it to canada, would u buy one. perfect first car for the kids. :P


India’s Tata Group today announced the world’s cheapest car – the Nano. The compact car is expected to hit the market at a price of just 100,000 Indian rupees (US$2500) plus taxes and is expected to revolutionise car ownership in the 1.1 billion strong market.

The five-seater car has a tiny 33bhp 624cc engine in the rear and is targeted at Indians hoping to trade up to four wheels from a motorcycle. Top speed is around 60mph, however this is plenty for the relatively slow moving Indian traffic.

As you’d expect in a car priced like this, there is little in the way of additional frills. The base model, for example, has no air conditioning, no electric windows or even power steering. Some of these features are available in a deluxe version, however. Safety is another area where costs were cut and the car has no airbags (though to be fair very few cars on the Indian market are equipped with airbags).

With a length of about 10 feet, a width of nearly five feet and a height just over five feet, the Nano lives up to its name by being 20% smaller than the cheapest car on Indian roads, the Maruti Suzuki 800.

Contrary to expectations, the Nano is made using standard sheet metal, not plastic as many analysts had predicted. Also surprising is the news that the car is more efficient per passenger than a motorbike and is expected to use less than 5L/100km. In addition, it meets Euro 4 emissions standards, and a diesel version is planned for the future.

Tata plans to sell around 200,000 units per year beginning from late this year in India only. The company doesn’t plan to export until at least 2011.


Motor Authority » Tata unveils $2,500 Nano minicar

[stephen_c]

my gf has tata nano(s) much to my disappointment.


.

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by stephen_c

my gf has tata nano(s) much to my disappointment.

Titties ain't nuttin' but sax o' fat bitch.

[kiMMie]

Something a bit classier



Source

[KrisisID]

even uglier than the smart car.

[wishbone]

Originally Posted by KrisisID

even stupider than the smart car.

what an uneducated statement.

this car is perfect for the india, and would even work well in the more rural parts of china.

comparing this to a smart car is...oh i see what you did there. they look similar. k.

[G3N3R4L]

is this the same car that when they crash tested it, it was like zero stars... and the fatality rate would be higher in a crash than if you were just hit by a car while walking on the street?


edit.. i was thinking of the chinese ultra low price commuter car that was announced last year.

[KrisisID]

well the thing is, their very unsafe. the maker of this thread suggested bringing them here? there are no air bags or anything. I can see it being OKAY for india. but for here its a very very stupid idea. and yes it does look uglier than the smart car, but i can understand its just for cutting costs.

[matéo]

I don't trust "cheap" inexpensive on the other hand.

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by KrisisID

well the thing is, their very unsafe. the maker of this thread suggested bringing them here? there are no air bags or anything. I can see it being OKAY for india. but for here its a very very stupid idea. and yes it does look uglier than the smart car, but i can understand its just for cutting costs.

It couldn't be brought over here without many changes made, basically brining it's price to something only slightly cheaper then what is currently on the market.

As for being okay for India, far from it. It's perfect for India, especially near urban areas. The lack of steel reinforcement is fine because they don't have the same highspeed roads near city centers like we do.

It's a great development for lower middle class families there. Not so much as far as the enviromental problems with a whole new demographic owning cars.

[KrisisID]

Originally Posted by NinjaBoy

It couldn't be brought over here without many changes made, basically brining it's price to something only slightly cheaper then what is currently on the market.

As for being okay for India, far from it. It's perfect for India, especially near urban areas. The lack of steel reinforcement is fine because they don't have the same highspeed roads near city centers like we do.

It's a great development for lower middle class families there. Not so much as far as the enviromental problems with a whole new demographic owning cars.

actually the driving there is insane. there are no traffic lanes, and there are a lot of traffic accidents. In a car like this, a family could be seriously injured. i said okay for india, because it would be a great alternative to entire families riding only on a scooter. but still very unsafe.

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by KrisisID

actually the driving there is insane. there are no traffic lanes, and there are a lot of traffic accidents. In a car like this, a family could be seriously injured. i said okay for india, because it would be a great alternative to entire families riding only on a scooter. but still very unsafe.

Yes, many accidents, but low speed collisions.

[Gusto]

Originally Posted by KrisisID

it would be a great alternative to entire families riding only on a scooter.

aha wtf.

[KrisisID]

^^
dude man, its very normal there, family of five on one scooter. i was in india just a couple months ago.

[wishbone]

you wanna back down from that "5" number? Maybe 2 + a baby? Any more weight on a scooter of any sort would pretty much render it impossible to move beyond a walking pace.

(all i can think of is dane cook's old thing of a thousand fire fighters)

[stephen_c]

^

how about 5 pigs



or 20 chickens



or 50 baby ducks



or a ban bang-chonloc

what the hell's a ban bang-chonloc?


anyways, there's a book titled bikes of burden
Bikes of Burden | New Photo Book by Hans Kemp. A Tribute to the Motorbikes as the Backbone of the Economy in Vietnam.

[meth0dical]

^on the news they showed an adult male driving, his wife on the back with 2 kids in between them. one of the kids was sleeping and wife barely had anything to hold on to.
youtube scooters in india, you'll see plenty of families on a single 2 wheel scooter.

edit outposted, for wishbone

[stephen_c]

^
yes i saw it on bbc1, bbc2... bbc20...