http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGA8s8PeDLA

china very tenuously being ‘3rd world’

i think they should have ended this video with Bob flying off into the distance in his L39 jet fighter

Besides, there are very few large SUVs and pick-up trucks here, so driving that thing won’t feel as scary as it could.

And I almost forgot the most important thing: winter driving. The Nano will introduce many new drivers to the thrill of driving a rear engine RWD car in the snow. Hopefully you can turn the ESP off..

Americans, on the other hand, will be stepping down from larger compact cars or (for a farther stretch) SUVs with 13mpg stats. Frankly, I see this car selling in numbers of a few thousand. Then the fun will begin, as people get to experience how it feels to take their kids’ Cozy Cruiser out for a highway jaunt.

$5/gal gas won’t make people flock like seagulls to it. At best, people will drop their SUVs like dead weight, make more discretionary budget cuts (there goes the movie/fast food/cable tv) and demand more 4 cylinder midsized cars — cars they can COMFORTABLY get into. Thinking that people will run to subcompacts at the spike of the pump is rather wishful thinking on the parts of some.

The $5/gal car of America is a 4cyl Camry. Or a Fusion Hybrid.

“tata’s big issue is this car does not look serious

i like the engineering prowess behind the Nano – i think it’s as revolutionary as the Issigonis Mini (I spit on the BMW Mini) or the VW Golf/Beetle but I also believe western audiences will not take to this because it is seen an ‘Indian car’”

You are probably right, but it is interesting to note that the new Mini would have ended up as a very similar vehicle in layout and appearance to the Nano if the engineers at Rover had had their way in the mid 1990s. A curious twist too is the fact that Tata now own Rover.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2004/06/27/the_mini_concepts_of_the_1990s/

When I first read about this vehicle on TTAC, I said they ought to provide a more robust drive train that can handle American highway speeds, equip it with 14-inch wheels, and have AC as an option. If only it didn’t need to include the requisite air bags, they could still hold the price under $3,500 for a base model. The power to weight ratio is on a par with or better than vehicles sold in the 50’s, which is sufficient to maintain highway speeds (provided we’re not talking gear ratios found in work trucks prior to the 60’s, which needed significant towing and hauling capacity) especially with a modern transmission and a properly mated rearend ratio. The big question isn’t where will they sell it, it’s how much weight and cost will safety regulations add to the vehicle. That is what could potentially kill it. If it weighs too much, a larger less fuel efficient engine will be required, and this in combination with the additional cost of the air bags could increase the price to the point that a Versa or one of the other basic cars makes sense.

Dirt roads in India, sand roads in Baja, or even rocks which are rounded are nothing compared to driving over 90 degree sharp edged obstacles as far as taking wheels off things, especially when considering the speed at which the obstacles are likely to be hit.
I do spend a lot of time off road.

But what the heck do I know.

Buy the thing and have fun.

Somebody’s gotta do it–each generation needs this kind of car. GM did for decades, now it’s somebody else’s turn.

Ha! If you’ve driven village roads in India, you will know that it will be several milenia before a CA highway expansion joint bothers this car.

of course it wouldn’t… neither does a Ford F150 or F250 anywhere outside of the US

Japan and Europe also have two classes of cars under the Ford Focus types which most countries would define as ’small’

i would think of it like this… i drive two large turbocharged cars with power in the 300-400hp range

they are great for highway work but 90% of my driving is in the city… even i realise that this is a shocking waste of resources

i think there is a need for the Fiestas and Ford Ka and Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Altos of this world, perhaps not as a main car but for something to scoot to the shops at a max of 60 mph.

i think the Nano is a stepping stone. Once Tata has given this car to India they will get to work on perhaps $5,000 car with a 1,000cc motor and twin airbags that would be acceptable to Westerners

or maybe his competitors or the Chinese will… one things for sure, it probably won’t be GM or Chrysler trying to fill this gap

In some densely populated urban and suburban areas (like Boston, DC, SFO, NYC, parts of Chicago) this might work.

But in the sprawled metros (Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, etc.) these things will get punted by everything else on the road.

She was not impressed, but she is not too impressed by taking the bus either.

The problem is the GOV will eventually elimimate the second hand car. Congress can’t even pass a “right to repair” bill.

Technology is severely limiting what can be done in your local indipendent shop. $5000 for a Porsche hammer (Bosche Diagnostic tool), All-Data, other specialized tools are cost prohibitive in many locations.

But it is also very unlikely that big box retailers will ever sell cars. They don´t like to sell products were the need for a expert repairman is a given and that is simply the case with a car and its rubber wheels

compare this to the Bajaj or whatever it is Maruti has planned

it is hard to get over the Tiny Tikes plastic blow mould car look

i like the engineering prowess behind the Nano – i think it’s as revolutionary as the Issigonis Mini (I spit on the BMW Mini) or the VW Golf/Beetle but I also believe western audiences will not take to this because it is seen an ‘Indian car’

I also think it has to be well under $4,000 US – prefer around $3,000 US

the reason? doesn’t the Nissan Versa and the Koreans mini cars start at $9,000?

you would drive this than a Nissan Versa? really?

also i’d be expecting a reasonable amount of competition from the Hyundai i10/i20 and the Suzuki Alto and other mini cars in the 800cc-1,100cc range… also made in india

Michael, you need to stop and think about how unsafe it is to have an Indian family of dad, mom and two or three children perched on top of a little moped or small scooter, which is apparently pretty much the norm for middle-class folks in that country.

Now, looking at the Nano, can you not see how much safer they would be? That is exactly the reason that Mr. Tata declared that his company would start working on THIS VERY CAR.

charly, a used 12 MPG stupid utility vehicle to schlepp back and forth to work (with gas being priced at $5-or-$6 per gallon) will NOT be a competitor to the Tata Nano.

A small Chinese, South Korean or Japanese motorcycle? – maybe. But once again, where’s the weather proofing on a motorcycle? There’s the hassle of needing special license plates, and the potential of losing your life (which is way worse than any US certified car no matter how small said car is).

Not to mention the little salient fact that in states such as Michigan, we have virtually unlimited medical care as part of our medical insurance (and wow, do we ever pay) while motorcyclists are limited to $5000 med pay (which might – just might – pay for an ambullance run – after which by the time you get to the emergency room, you’d better have deep pockets).