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Tata CEO Ratan Tata has apparently decided to sell the Tata Nano minicar in the United States, even as Tata lacks though proper sales channel. In an interview with Automotive News, the company namesake said that a redesigned Nano, with features like traction control, a more powerful engine and power steering, could go on sale at a price below $10,000 in three years time. But a distribution channel is still a giant question mark, with Tata saying ”We have to give a lot of thought to how we would distribute the car,” and little else. Tata’s remarks came at the...

GM Daewoo Auto and Technology Co. said Friday it had started shipping new mini cars to Europe as the South Korean unit of US auto giant General Motors Co. seeks to expand global sales. GM Daewoo, acting as General Motors' global mini car development centre, said it will ship the "Matiz Creative", the fourth generation of GM Daewoo's popular "Matiz" mini car series, under the name "Chevrolet Spark". The South Korean unit will export 20,000 units to Europe by the end of the year and begin selling the car early next year. It did not say what the vehicles would...

General Motors, the maker of the iconic off-road Hummer, may be gearing itself up to sell mini-cars in the US, in order to win back market share as soaring fuel costs turn Americans off gas-guzzlers. Usually sold only in Asia and Latin America, GM is thought to be developing a version of the Chevrolet Beat for America’s highways, according to a report by Bloomberg. Not much bigger than the Daimler Smart car, the Chevrolet Beat does 40 miles to the gallon - making its fuel efficiency second only to hybrid cars in the US. Chevrolet Beat: sold in Asia and...

DETROIT, July 4 (UPI) -- A mini-car designed by the General Motors (NYSE:BGM) Corp. for Asia and Latin America may soon be available in U.S. showrooms, a company spokesman says. GM spokesman Dee Allen said the automobile giant was reviewing its current sales plan in the United States following new demands in the domestic auto market because of soaring gasoline prices, The Detroit News said Friday. "Everything is under review," Allen said. "Obviously, the market has been changing rather rapidly." General Motors already used a 2007 New York auto show to unveil its new two-door hatchback, the 11 and a...

General Motors is considering a new Chevrolet mini car for the United States as it reworks its product lineup to cope with a dramatic consumer shift to more fuel efficient vehicles, a spokesman said. GM spokesman Dee Allen said bringing the Chevrolet Beat to the U.S. market is among the options the company is studying. About the size of a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris, the Beat is a front-wheel-drive, three-door hatchback. The Beat, to be built in South Korea, will be rolled out in other global markets faster than it would in the United States, Allen said. The car...