Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Redesigned Tata Nano to arrive in U.S. wearing price tag under $10k

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/tata-...photo-4877320/

Tata's much ballyhooed Nano isn't exactly selling as expected in its home market of India, especially after the well-publicized fires engulfing the several examples of the world's cheapest car. Despite that, the head of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, says his company remains intent on bringing an updated sub-$10,000 Nano to the States, and he intends to do so in three years.

While the Indian market gets a bare-bones Nano powered by a two-cylinder, 37-horsepower engine, Tata unsurprisingly says the US version will have a larger engine, power steering and traction control.

"The Smart and the Fiat 500 have high sticker prices, and people buy them because they are small cars," Tata tells Automotive News. "But everyone knows you put a lot of money into it. We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal."

With the US economy still slowly recovering, a car for under $10k could have plenty of appeal. But the Indian automaker has several obstacles to overcome first, not the least of which is building a dealer network for the Nano. Tata owns Jaguar and Land Rover, but that group's CEO, Andy Goss, says there has been no discussion about using those dealers to distribute the Nano.

Perhaps the updated US-bound Nano will be more like the Nano Megapixel concept (pictured above) we saw at the Geneva Motor Show back in March. That car had a longer, 138-inch wheelbase and a larger 325cc engine supplemented by two electric motors. It's safe to assume that if Tata wants to keep costs down so that it can offer the car below $10,000, the next Nano won't get a hybrid powertrain like the Megapixel, but perhaps it will pick up some of the car's size and styling cues.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/15/r...ice-tag-under/

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i think it has a chance if done right.

spwolf

it has zero chance.


:-)

Not even Indians are buying this car.

RXSF

looks nice enough

JessePS

It be a great golf cart or something to drive around your retirement community.

spwolf

yeah, because thats not the car they make, just an concept... this is car they make:

spwolf

If Autoblog's writers were any smarter, they would ask Suzuki why not bring September's best selling kei car in japan here to usa:


http://bestsellingcarsblog.com/2012/...n-r-back-to-1/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

There must be some irony in that while burning this thing the license plate reads 420

Lexmex

There is a Tato Nano here in Miami that belongs to a diplomat as I have seen it a few times when I go through Coconut Grove from Cocoplum Circle. Kind of reminds me of an elongated Smart when I saw it up close.

mmarshall

To me at least, the reason is obvious. Look at that ultra-tall/narrow stance....and the (apparant) center of gravity. Remember the ill-fated Samurai? Suzuki lost a lot of money here in the U.S. from lawsuits stemming from Samurais rolling over like beach-*****. In Japan, the tort-laws are different than here in the litigation-happy U.S.

spwolf

My friend, it is 2012... there is mandatory esp in every car that is tested against roll over... it is least of anyone's worries.

mmarshall

Your point may have some merit, but I still think it is mainly our tort-laws here in the U.S. that prevens designs like this from selling here. Note, for example, that you won't see anything that narrow for its height in America from from our own domestic auto companies....though, of course, the auto buisness is global rather than national.

True, VSC can help to some extent, but there is no overruling the laws of physics. Volvo (and Ford, its ex-owner) used a special Roll-Control VSC for their SUVs that also corrected for actual body-roll, not just yaw/understeer/oversteer like most VSC systems, but it is unclear which (if any) other companies have the legal-rights to use it.

spwolf

all ESPs have now anti-roll program, so there is nothing to worry about there.

Blackraven

How's the crash safety of this death trap?

I guess what you pay is what you get. I wonder if during an NHTSA crash test, the entire front dash will completely disintegrate until the back

My0gr81

sorry didn't get it. Is that some reference to an event or something?