Tata Motors hopes to sell Nano in United States

[OhioChick]

5 Jun 2009, 0822 hrs IST, REUTERS



NEW YORK: 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.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4619500.cms

How is "that" going to pass safety/crash standards? I would never want to come in contact with a semi being in that death-trap.

[JVS]

1. OH YEAH!! I want a $2.3K car!!!!!

Maybe they can register it as a motorcycle the way that SUV's are "trucks"

[ChromeFoundry]

2. This is a safer alternative...

[jakefrep]

4. At least that thing has seat belts.

[Angleae]

3. Will never sell here.

First of all, it doesn't meet safety standards (no airbag, doubtful structural integrity can survive a 5mpg crash intact). And then there is the engine giving a top speed of 43mph which means no freeways.

[quakerboy]

14. the same way Hyundai dosnt sell?

People can no longer afford safety. Plus if your car can only go 43, and weighs l50 lbs, its gotta get good milage. Its like a smart car, for 1/20th the price.

[Angleae]

17. They'll have to increase weight to meet safety standards.

And the increase in weight will reduce not only milage but top speed and increase price. According to Tata, it gets 50mpg now and weighs about 1300lbs.

[quakerboy]

19. All I am saying is

that as US wages Disappear and debt drowns us, people will take what they can get.

[Statistical]

28. This doesn't meet minimum highway requirements and isn't street legal

Tata may be able to make cheapER cars but there is no way a vehicle that passes US crash tests, is highway certified, and street legal will cost $2.3K

The cost likely would be closer to $6K-$8K. Except it would have no radio, no AC, no heat, no acceleration. Body panels glued together, likely poor quality, and no track record of reliability.

Compare it to say a Nissan Versa ($9990) the current cheapest car in the US.
122hp ULEV 4 cylinder (30mpg), AC, dual front, side, and curtain airbags, 12V power outlet, radio w/ CD, anti-theft (starter immobilizer), 13 gallon tank, 97cu ft of passenger space, 50 ft of cargo space.

Now I am not saying the Versa is a wonder car. It isn't it just offers a lot more than a Nano.

If the price was $2.3K vs $10K then yea that tata might win. However no American dealership is going to stock it unless it has a markup of $500-$600 which I am sure if more that dealers in tata make given the lower standard of living.

So $2.3K + dealer markup + required safety equipment + crash testing costs + emission testing costs + upgraded engine to speed highway legal + increased weight to meet minimum safety requirements = ???

$5K, $6K, $7K? is it still a better deal. Finances over 60 months the difference between $7K and $10K is about $50.

[quakerboy]

65. Because most consumers in the low end market

are going to figure out the after financing numbers?

Nope. They are going to be like my sister. Who's car is about dead, and would really love to have a new car. And doesn't do cost/benefit analysis. Cheapest will win some buyers. Not all. But some. How is Hyundai doing in sales, vs Buick? As compared to market share, say 10 years ago?

[Ganja Ninja]

26. Exactly.

It won't meet standards for US sale. It's not that much more than a glorified golf cart. We would have to create special roads for this class of vehicle.

[Odin2005]

5. Micro-sized death trap.

I ain't riding in THAT thing.

[Orrex]

11. It's only a death-trap because Americans love their preposterously oversized vehicles

If the Nano or SmartCar were the standard, I suspect that catastrophic destruction of the vehicle and its contents would be less of a danger.

[Pavulon]

22. Negative. You drive that, i drive camry, you die

in a tbone or head on and will be so mangled you get identified by dental xrays. But like motorcycles, if everyone knows the risk involved go for it. But dont try to brush it off on suv or something silly.

[Orrex]

42. Well, if you didn't drive like a maniac, this wouldn't be a consideration

Slow down, you freak!

[Pavulon]

48. Even in a modest accident

like you run a light or miss a stop sign, and get hit on the drivers door by a passenger car going 40 you are done. That is basically a golf cart.

[Statistical]

29. nano sized construction vehicles, ambulences, dump trucks, semis? n/t

[Orrex]

41. Exactly! See, now you're thinking!

[Statistical]

60. I guess I forgot the sarcasm tag, n/t

[Deja Q]

33. Americans love the new "Star Trek" reboot flick too.

In short, people love gloss over all else.

[krispos42]

39. This is true

The energy levels of a crash are set by the masses and velocities of the vehicles involved. And if there is a great disparity between one set of mass and velocity and another, there is a distinct advantage to one vehicle.

There are other factors, such as structural design and location/direction of impact, that will affect things. For example, in a crash between a 1982 Caprice and a 2009 Focus I'd rather be in the Focus, despite it being considerably lighter than the Caprice.



While I agree that the US car fleet is larger than it needs to be, I'll note that the level of "need" is higher here than in other countries. We spend an awful lot of time in our cars and use them for a lot of stuff. I drive a Subaru Impreza sportwagon, and it's about as amall as I'd like to go, even though it's currently just me and my 4-year-old.

I would like to see more Americans driver smaller wagons than larger sedans. My car in the shop right now (major mechanical) and my rental is a Mazda 6. It's physically bigger than my Impreza, however the wagon design of my car makes it more versatile than the sedan. And it has all-wheel-drive and gets 30mpg. Although I will admit the 6 has a pretty large trunk and the fold-down rear seats and a HUGE passageway considerably enhance this car's cargo capacity. However, my little wagon still has more and gets better mileage, plus AWD.

[cali]

64. there''s virtually no way that I, or millions of others could practically drive such a vehicle

where we live. I live in Northern Vermont on a hill off a dirt road. ridiculous to assume that such a vehicle would be sufficient.

[roamer65]

56. My Nissan Sentra would make mincemeat of that thing.

I won't drive anything smaller than my Nissan Sentra and more than likely my next car will be a Ford Focus since it is a UAW "made in Michigan" car.

No Tata or Smart car deathtrap here.

[baldguy]

6. Build them in the US w/ union labor or no deal.

[yodoobo]

10. I don't care if Jimmy Hoffa himself builds it

After coming back from the dead.

Who in their right mind would drive a fisher price car on our roads with a top speed of only 43 mph?

[Juche]

7. The final version will probaby be 3-4k or so

They are going to have to get a stronger engine that can do 70mph and more crash resistance to sell it here.

But you can buy a decent used car for 4k. Plus I have doubts about the reliability of this car, I don't know what the track record is for tata motors. I bought a 1999 Ford ranger for 6k back in 2001 and I haven't had problems with it so far.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. I would buy one on the spot

I don't get going fast enough on my commute to get hurt should I be in an accident.

[Deja Q]

31. You wouldn't. How about others? Oh, when where and how they drive...

A drunk driver would turn that thing into a plastic sardine tin in no time.

Try to get Americans to improve their driving habits by selling texting devices and mobile DVD players...

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

51. Nobody else is either

its bumper to bumper traffic, average speed 14 mph.

[Deja Q]

53. Good point.

Yet under certain circumstances, I might, but then with some nasty winters and other things, I see no reason to help foreign countries' economies that don't understand things like blizzards and snowdrifts any more than necessary.

[yodoobo]

9. Looks more like Fisher Price than anything

for $2,300, I'll just buy a used car that offers some crash protection.

You'll never find me in one of those death traps.

[obliviously]

12. Wow this is sharp

Put a little beenie on with a propeller on top and you could recharge your cell phone to. We're talking chick magnet here. I may have to get rid of the astro van.

[Deja Q]

61. There is nothing geeky or nerdy about it...

Dorky, maybe, but not nerdy!

[obliviously]

66. I still wouldn't

mind having one. I have an old geo metro that was given me that I use for parts runs and errands. most of the time I have to use diesel trucks for my business. I log very few personnel miles ever.

[Stevenmarc]

13. $2,300 to buy and $4,000 a year to insure.

[Touchdown]

15. Deal breaker for me. "Cheap Labor"

Haven't we had enough of this? :grr:

[Deja Q]

62. Target audience... and, yeah, materials tend to cost more -- note how the thing is built...

May as well use chewing gum and aluminum foil...

[Juche]

16. The max speed is 120 km/hr, not 70 km/hr

The 70km/hr part is probably a reference to its 0-70 acceleration. But it tops out about 75mph.

[yodoobo]

23. See the size of those casters? That "car" should require a helmet

No way would I want to go 75mph in that.

[Ghost in the Machine]

18. For another 2 grand you can get implants and make it an SUV....

.. and call it the Bodacious Tata....

[Berry Cool]

20. I was gonna say

Right now if they start selling it here, people are gonna call it the Tiny Tata.

I'll probably have to dodge them on my local bike paths, because people will be terrified to drive them anywhere else.

Oh, and underage kids will be driving them, because their parents will think of them like they do those cars on the closed course they have at the amusement park.

[OhioChick]

21. "I'll probably have to dodge them on my local bike paths"

:rofl:

[mainegreen]

44. ...

:rofl:

[cagesoulman]

24. Not buying a car called a "Tata"

At least not without a bra. :evilgrin:

[4lbs]

46. But it would be so bodacious! :D (n/t)

.

[cagesoulman]

68. We'd be better off with the silicone tatas than this piece of crap car; better crash survival rate

:evilgrin:

[MindPilot]

25. They send their workers here to steal our jobs

And now they expect us to buy their fucking cars?! I can only imagine the horror show the trip to that dealership would be.

[Orsino]

37. Our executives lure or even smuggle them here to replace us...

...while our Congress applauds.

[seabeckind]

27. I think there's a market for this thing

I'm retired. My newest "car" is a '97 pickup I use to haul stuff and use for primary transport. It gets 24 mpg. The air conditioner's been broken for 9 years.

I live 10 miles from a retail area. No road between here and any place else we go on a regular trip has a speed limit higher than 40. Once a month we go to a casino 45 miles away. That road has a 60mph speed limit but the citizen volunteer slowdown patrol usually maintains 50. I see a semi occasionally when they deliver to the grocery or walmart.

It's only me and the missus. $2300? In a heartbeat. On those rare occasions we take a long trip or haul the grandkids I'll rent a car.

Our jobs weren't stolen. They were happily given away by our corporations to make a buck. And they made more bucks convincing us we "needed" an SUV.

And after all our jobs were gone who did they think would buy their product?

[Deja Q]

32. Your penultimate paragraph makes the most sense.

Just as long as you don't lost your job and have to move to an area where your commute increases... remember, corporations say the highest tenure, on average, is 5 years...

Oh, if people in other countries who want jobs forge credentials or engage in fraud, THAT IS STEALING. Otherwise I won't argue your point; the truth is in the middle.

[Xithras]

34. There's a huge market for it, but it's largely been ignored by regular automakers

The margins in the Microcar/KeiCar space are tiny, so most automakers aren't interested.

This thing is no more dangerous than an old VW Beetle, and we all know how awfully THAT sold. And the VW was plying the same roads as the iron-hulled steamships that Detroit called "cars" back in the 50's and 60's, so the relative "safety" argument doesn't really hold water either. At one point, it seemed like half the college kids in America had one.

I hold nothing against Tata for selling this, because it doesn't really eat into the American auto market. Anyone looking to buy a $2,300 car isn't interested in anything Detroit is selling anyway.

[Statistical]

35. The vehicle isn't even legal to sell here.

Airbags & seat belts are required on all road legal vehicles in the US.
Starting in 2007 anti-lock brakes are required.
Starting in 2009 side impact airbags are required.

Plus the vehicles has to pass minimum crash test standards.
No vehicle with 1300lbs road weight is going to pass that without using space age (and expensive) materials so the weight will need to come up.

The engine likely doesn't meet US emission standards so that will need to be upgraded. The top speed isn't highway legal so that needs to be upgraded.

So the cost is going to be substantially higher than $2K once it has been Americanized.

How much? Who knows but my guess is at least $6K. Now no dealer is going to stock it unless they have some decent margins. So add another $400 for distribution and $600 for dealer markup (at least) so closer to $7K retail.

If tats doesn't use existing dealers then they would need to build out their own dealer network which initially would be MORE expensive.

Suddenly at $7K it isn't as great of a value when their are subcompacts available for $10K with radios and AC, or low mileage used subcompact for $7K-$8K.

[Xithras]

55. Wrong. Under FMVSS 500 it's perfectly legal, as is.

FMVSS 500 is best known as the law that created the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle market, but the law doesn't actually require the vehicle to be electric, or limit their use to neighborhoods. In fact, the ONLY restriction on Neighborhood Vehicles is the top speed...they must be governed. No emissions or safety requirements apply.

As for dealerships, I doubt you'll see any. Tata has become a multi-billion dollar company because they put efficiency over all else. I'd bet money that they're going to cut out the middle man entirely. Since NV's aren't legally "cars" they can be sold directly through retailers like WalMart. Something tells me that Wallyworld won't have any moral dilemmas about selling imported micro-vehicles.

[Statistical]

59. Well I don't think it will happen but who knows....

NEVs are defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
as subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 500 (49
CFR 571.500). Per FMVSS 500, NEVs have 4 wheels, top speeds between
20 and 25 miles per hour, weigh less than 2,500 pounds (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating), and are defined as “Low Speed Vehicles.” While “Low
Speed Vehicle” is technically the correct term, “NEV” has become the term
used by industry and fleets to refer to passenger vehicles subject to FMVSS
500.
FMVSS 500 requires that NEVs be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps,
turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rear view
mirrors, windshields, seat belts, and vehicle identification numbers. About
35 states have passed legislation or regulations allowing NEVs to be
licensed and driven on roads that generally are posted at 35 miles per hour
or less.

Having a governor is one thing. Having one that limits speeds to 25mph is another.
Being restricted to roads w/ posted speed limit of 35 makes the vehicle unusable in some areas.

I commute to work and it is only about 15 minutes. I was thinking of someday getting an electric vehicle (or maybe a Chevy volt which I would use 99% on electricity).
I couldn't use a vehicle like this because I need to use the highway and even if I found an alternate route the road my workplace is on is 45mph.

[Xithras]

63. Exactly. It wouldn't work for you, but there IS a market.

The NEV market has been slowly expanding for years as a way for people to get around suburbia and the inner city where parking is at a premium. Everyone here has jumped to the conclusion that this vehicle will be targeting commuters and soccer moms, but there are plenty of niche markets that this would be perfectly suited to. Tata isn't a stupid company, and they wouldn't be pushing it for the U.S. if they didn't think there was a real market for it.

Don't think about the Toyota and Chevy market. Think about the Gem and G-Wiz. It's a neighborhood microcar.

[cherokeeprogressive]

36. "the citizen volunteer slowdown patrol? What the heck is that?

Sounds like voluteering to get an ass kickin', or worse.

Do they get side by side and drive slow? Try THAT on a California freeway.

[seabeckind]

50. WA state has a law

that says on a 2 lane road if you have more than 5 people behind you, you gotta pull over and let them pass when you think it's safe. Lotta folks NEVER feel safe, particularly heading toward Rossi country (last GOP gov cand). So you get Ike going past that 60mph sign at a blistering 42 with his brake light on.

WA around here has lots of 2 lane roads cause of those blue areas on the maps and all those wavy lines.

[Deja Q]

30. Like they do for schools and government: Just lower the standards.

:sarcasm:

Good luck, Tata. Try renaming it "Nova".

Looks more like cheap PARTS kept the price down, not to mention "cheap" is relative -- India's middle class is BUILDING so the cost of labor from their perspective is anything but "cheap".

[HughBeaumont]

38. Look at those pizza cutters!

It looks like something I'd move a cursor with. Or virtually feed on occasion.

Drive? Uh, sorry. I'll stick to my bike for short trips. Zero gallons of gas to the mile beats this deathtrap.

[tblue37]

40. I only drive in-town, so I would definitely buy something like that.

I have often thought that some sort of "enclosed bike" or "enclosed moped" would be perfect for in-town driving for people like me who live alone and don't haul children around.

I no longer can ride a bike (lower back disc problems and arthritis), and bikes get hit by cars in our city anyway. I had several close calls when I did ride bikes around town, and from ages 17-21 my son was hit 4 times on his bike, every time when he had the right of way, even once while riding on the sidewalk!

But we do need smaller, more fuel efficient in-town transportation options that are not exposed to the weather and that can be used by people who can no longer do the physical work needed to ride a bike, Also, a small car like this can go fast enough to keep up with other vehicles, whreas a biker is a nuisance to all drivers, even on relatively slow (25-30 mph) resdiential streets.

Frankly, I would lik to see most city streets closed off to any larger vehicles, so that only small cars or bikes/mopeds etc. would be allowed in-city. Bike riders and people on mopeds shouldn't be competing with SUVs and trucks in traffic!

[pampango]

43. Wonder how it compares with the Smart Car. I've seen a few of those in our area. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

45. I'd rather have a golf cart.

Cheaper, and better built.

That thing would be a death trap in an accident. A glued together car?

It would fly apart on impact.

[dorkulon]

47. Top speed of 43 mph?

That's not a car, it's a covered moped.

[cherokeeprogressive]

49. IF it were legal to sell in the US, it's 43 mph top speed wouldn't stop someone

from driving it in the fast lane, and feeling fully justified in doing so.

[seabeckind]

52. I looked at the Smart

Bit pricy and the mileage isn't that hot. Really looks nice in the driveway next to the Prius for impressing the neighbors. Afterall the Escalade is getting a little passe.

I had a VW bug -- how'd you guess? Most reassuring part of it was knowing that in a frontend collision you had 10 gallons of gasoline in your lap.

But it had the one thing that just about any car I've looked at today doesn't have: simplicity.

I don't need a GPS -- I have a map. Don't need Bluetooth. In fact I don't need or want any gadgets, the things that add so much to the cost and are unnecessary to the purpose for the thing. I'm not afraid of a big car or an SUV running me off the road -- been in the weeds before.

Over 90% of my travel is less than 25 miles with my wife and a few bags of groceries. Why should I waste $30k on a big box full of air with seating for 6 and a range of 400 miles? That's what Hertz is for.

Or highspeed rail...

[lithiumbomb]

54. not going to be sold here in that form

Tata sends out a press release every few weeks saying how they intend to sell this in the US.

First, the primary market for this car is obviously India, where it basically replaces a motorcycle as a family mode of transport. So in that respect, it's going to be safer and cleaner than what it is replacing and is a nice fit for their conditions. I also suspect they lack a sizable fleet of available used passenger cars.

For this to work in the US, it has to first become street legal. Significant safety upgrades such as air bags, crash protection, and a clean engine will probably turn it into nearly an entirely different car. Certainly not one that will sell for $2300.

Let's say everything comes together and they manage to get a Federalized version for sale in the US for about $5000. Would you buy this? Or would you buy a normal used car? You can buy a pretty nice used car for $5000 and there are plenty of those to be had.

[CRF450]

57. Another tin can piece of shit I will never drive or own.

Fuck that!

[cherokeeprogressive]

58. I hope they use Gorilla Glue as the adhesive that holds it together. n/t

[BreweryYardRat]

67. A motorcycle would be safer.

And this is coming from someone who knows practically ZILCH about motorcycles, and is not likely to be riding one any time soon, if ever.

That said, I'd bet big money that helmet, leathers, chest/back plate, and the assorted other protective gear would give a better chance of survival in an accident than that thing.

[armyowalgreens]

69. Anything with a cage is safer.

As far as safety goes, it doesn't get much more dangerous than being completely exposed to impact.

[JVS]

70. I think the car is safer because it's more visible