And Now, for Some Serious Belt-Tightening (50 mpg, $3,800 car)

NY Times ^ | June 26,2009 | Nick Kurzewski

[Cronos]

GIVEN that is was designed to be the world’s cheapest car, should it matter whether the Tata Nano is any fun to drive? After all, base models start in India at $2,200 including taxes and fees — less than a quarter of the sticker price of the least expensive new cars in the United States.

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The rear wheels could even be coaxed into a sports car-style slide. I found the Nano hugely entertaining,

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Cheap though it is, I did not find the Nano to be so cheap that it squeaked. Nor did I hear any rattles on the cratered local roads, which made a credible stand-in for Manhattan’s potholes

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Though only 122 inches long (two feet shorter than a Mini Cooper), clever packaging somehow provides plenty of room for four full-size adults.

[Cronos]

Would work for NY City -- only in the city.

[Cronos]

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, has said the Nano was conceived as a way to help India’s working class, especially the countless families forced to travel on overburdened scooters and motorcycles

At the Geneva auto show in March, Mr. Tata announced that a better-equipped Nano would arrive in Europe by 2011. Fitted with air bags, a wider track between the wheels, revised bumpers and a more powerful 3-cylinder engine, the Nano Europa will meet European safety and emission standards, he said, while also selling as the lowest-price car in every market where it competes.

An American version based on the Europa is also under development, Mr. Tata confirmed during an interview at the Geneva auto show, and could arrive around the same time. Company officials say a hatchback and an automatic transmission are both in the works.

Tata has not disclosed prices for Europe or America, and it has not commented on how the cars might be sold. But it is conceivable that the cars could be offered at Chrysler dealerships, given Tata’s business ties with Fiat, which now controls Chrysler. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s chief executive, has said he would like a budget brand that fits below Fiat’s existing models.

[hiho hiho]

And here it is --

[RU88]

This has to be a joke, right? The Slimes has taken to writing parody, or is this out of the Onion or Scrappleface?

[listenhillary]

The tata has a tire stuck in it’s nose.

Sorry, struck me as being funny.

[1rudeboy]

This is weird, but I see more of those ultra-mini cars west of Illinois Hwy. 31 (mostly rural) than I see in Chicago.

[mylife]

I heard that Tata was already losing money on this venture.

I dont have anything against the nano. It makes more sense than a scooter for 3rd world countrys and is a step forward for them.

Just dont force us to take a step back.

[ErnBatavia]

A couple of weeks ago, we were driving thru Texas on I-10 and saw one of these at a highway rest stop, with Florida plates. I thought it was an RV tow-behind, but nope....a gray haired lady came out of the restroom, hopped in, and headed out onto the road.

We passed her at 75 a few miles down the road, and another hundred miles further, she pulled in for gas just as we were leaving. Wifey and I couldn't imagine driving one of these in high winds, let alone being passed by a big rig.

[John 3_19-21]

[OCCASparky]

Fitted with air bags, a wider track between the wheels, revised bumpers and a more powerful 3-cylinder engine, the Nano Europa will meet European safety and emission standards, he said, while also selling as the lowest-price car in every market where it competes.

IIRC, they said that about the Yugo too. Worked out well, didn't they?

[John 3_19-21]

[1rudeboy]

That’s the one I see. And when I do, I always chuckle and think to myself, “must be going to the mill to pick up a couple of 40lb bags of feed.”

[reagan_fanatic]

[angkor]

[LRS]

"Buy 2 and say 'Nano nano'!"

[lula]

Detroit could have been making cheaper more fuel efficient cars long ago had it not been for the EPA, crash tests demands, and the greedy Unions. Still, try importing one of these and see the price double.

[Cronos]

I have driven a motorbike in high winds and been passed by numerous rigs. If my 400lb bike holds steady at 80, I guess the SMART could too.

[Seruzawa]

No mention that the Tata is a total piece of crap. It’ll be parked more than it’s driven.

[tbpiper]

I found the Nano hugely entertaining,

True, go-karts can be fun.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Your motor bike lets air pass through it, it does not have the resistance of a car.

I was driving my GF home from work in a 97 T-bird here in Vegas a while back and almost got blown off the freeway in some very high winds.

I'll say no thanks to the 0bamamobiles