The new $2,500 car

[Gan]

NEW DELHI (AP) -- India's Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much anticipated $2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that brings car ownership into the reach of tens of millions of people. But critics worry the car could overwhelm the country's roads and create an environmental nightmare.

Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introducing the Nano during India's main auto show, drove onto a stage in a white version of the tiny four-door subcompact, his head nearly touching the roof.

With a snub nose and a sloping roof, the world's cheapest car can fit five people - if they squeeze. And the basic version is spare: there's no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. If you want air conditioning to cope with India's brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.

While the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Others have said Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.

The chairman, though, insists the car will meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcycles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon (20 kilometers per liter).

Chief U.N. climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared last year's Nobel Peace Prize, said last month that "I am having nightmares" about the prospect of the low-cost car.

"Dr. Pachauri need not have nightmares," Ratan Tata said at the unveiling. "For us it's a milestone and I hope we can make a contribution to the country."

The basic model will sell for for 100,000 rupees - $2,500 - but analysts estimate that customers could pay 20 to 30 percent more than that to cover taxes, delivery and other charges.

Tata (TTM (http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=TTM&source=story_quote_link)) has long promised that he'd create a 100,000-rupee car, a vow that was much-derided in the global industry but created a frenzy of attention in India. On Thursday, nearly every news station covered the unveiling live.

"A promise is a promise," Tata told the crowd.

more..
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/10/news/international/india_cheapcar.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008011006

http://images.paultan.org/images/Tata_1_lakh_car.jpg
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This ought to have an interesting impact on the new auto market and on the commuter effect in India around the major cities.

I dont know if I would want to be in an accident with a big American SUV with that thing though. :(

[Skeeter]

Not a whole lot different than the european smart car.

http://images.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2006/112_news060628_01z+daimler_chrysler_smart_car+pass enger_side_view.jpg

[fallenSaint]

Not a whole lot different than the european smart car.

http://images.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2006/112_news060628_01z+daimler_chrysler_smart_car+pass enger_side_view.jpg


Heh, soon to be the American Mercedes Smart. Not near as cheap thou so not quite the same problem.

[Celephais]

Heh, soon to be the American Mercedes Smart. Not near as cheap thou so not quite the same problem.
Yeah the smart car is quite a bit more expensive, like $16k in canada.

We have a high end car importer/dealer local to me (they do Aston Martins, Ferarris, Cobra Kit cars, Aston Heally, Porsches etc); I went in there about two weeks ago and they had a smart car; I forget how much it was but I remember seeing the price and thinking it was absurd, but it was priced because of the rarity here in America.

[Sean of the Thread]

I actually just saw someone riding around on this street legal golf cart type thing. I got a chuckle out of his license plate "noo gas".

Seeing golf carts on the road around here is pretty common because all of the golf courses and some local laws that allow them in their neighborhoods but this was the first I've seen with a real license plate and all the the brake and trim lights.

suicide if you ask me but must be cheap as hell to operate.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

Makes my quad cab truck a lot safer, that's for sure.

[Skeeter]

If I lived in a major european city I would probably buy a smart car. low cost, low gas, and easy as hell to parallel park. There were tons of them puttering about.

[thefarmer]

You should use your truck to start knocking over smart cars if they pick up here in the US.

"Twenty points for the blue one.. Fifty for the pink!"

[Gan]

If all things were equal on the roadways here in the US, I can see this really picking up speed.

However, with 18 wheelers, large trucks, and large SUV's. It would be suicide to drive one of those on the same roadway.

There was a guy killed in a full size chevy truck when he had to suddenly stop behind an 18 wheeler on the tollway and a large boxvan slammed into the back of him, crushing the truck into an accordian and shoving it half under the rig in front. Think what would happen if the truck were one of these smart cars. (They would be scraping the guy and the car up with a spatula).

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

I agree smartcars are the future, or some version of them unless we come up with a better more efficient "standard" size car. And in Europe I have to admit I'd rather have one of those than a full size vehicle, streets there are SMALL.

I just was agreeing with Sean that they are suicide in today's environment.

[Trouble]

But critics worry the car could overwhelm the country's roads and create an environmental nightmare.

While the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Others have said Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.

The chairman, though, insists the car will meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcycles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon (20 kilometers per liter).


I think these cars would be much better for the people and the environment then what they currently use. The tuktuks and mopeds that are very common in India don't have catalytic converters and suppsedly these cars will. So if you could get existing owners to convert to using one of these, you'd be better off. While they are bigger than mopeds/tuktuks, I don't think there will be a huge problem with traffic compared to how bad it already is. The main issue with traffic in India is more behavioral than volume, IMO.

I think these cars will be much safer than the tuktuks and mopeds too; when I was there, you'd often see 2-4 people on a moped or in a tuktuk. Once I even saw a live goat strapped to the back of a moped. I see these essentially as fully-enclosed tuktuks with seatbelts which implies taking a vehicle that is already commonly used and making it safer.

Disclaimer: I don't know what 'tuktuks' are really called, I'm referring to the three-whell semi-enclosed yellow scooters that are often used as taxis in India and south Asia. Tuktuk is what the people referred to them as during my visits.

[Gan]

Think about it from this perspective.

The more mobile you make a population center, the more you encourage industry to regionalize out into the 'suburbs'. Added with that the ability for people to commute easier into the city will encourage development out from the city center rather than crowding up or within the city center.

With greater mobility you'll see a wider distribution of wealth as rural populations can commute into the city to work as well as see a greater frequency of market and spending from rural populations. Also think of the increase of availability in healthcare and education this would mean to the rural areas.

And I agree with your observation that this could introduce a cleaner polluting population of motorized vehicles into the area, thereby theoretically reducing emissions through updated/advanced technology at an obtainable price.

[Gan]

Once I even saw a live goat strapped to the back of a moped.

And seeing a goat strapped onto the back of a moped would make me LOL.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

http://www.greatguy.com/redneck.jpg

[TheEschaton]

Actually, the three wheelers, we've always called them rickshaws. Technically, that's what they are - motorized rickshaws.

I agree to a large extent, the problem with traffic in Delhi is behavioral. My grandfather has always considered Delhi stoplights to be barely suggestions, and certainly not law. The mopeds weave in and out of traffic, and all the city's vendors/animals/etc wander the street while traffic is stopped, snarling it once its supposed to be moving again.

[Methais]

I never knew that rupees were a real currency outside of Hyrule.

http://hyrulerealm.guardianarchives.com/Items/Rupees01.jpg
http://www.thisischris.com/feature/2005/img/Chris_Houlihan_Secret_Room.gif

[Trouble]

Actually, the three wheelers, we've always called them rickshaws. Technically, that's what they are - motorized rickshaws.

I agree to a large extent, the problem with traffic in Delhi is behavioral. My grandfather has always considered Delhi stoplights to be barely suggestions, and certainly not law. The mopeds weave in and out of traffic, and all the city's vendors/animals/etc wander the street while traffic is stopped, snarling it once its supposed to be moving again.

Ah right, I remember some people calling them autorickshaws too. We had three adults in the back of those on our trip.

Yeah, and lane markers are merely wasted paint. I routinely saw 1-3 extra lanes of traffic on any given road. I have a picture somewhere of an elephant walking in traffic on a road in Chennai too.

Oh, here it is:

http://members.aol.com/losttravelranger/Pictures/Chennai2.jpg.

It also has one of those rickshaws in it too for those who are unsure of what we're talking about.

While I'm at it, here are a couple of other pics from that trip:

http://members.aol.com/losttravelranger/Pictures/Chennai3.jpg
http://members.aol.com/losttravelranger/Pictures/Chennai1.jpg

[Skeeter]

Tuk-Tuk is pretty recognized for what they are called.
Google image search for tuk-tuk brings up tons of results.
http://www.betsygoestochina.com/images/tuktuk.jpg