India's $2,500 Tata Nano Minicar Coming to US?

Buyers should expect a few tweaks and a higher price

By Mike Spinelli Posted 06.08.2009 at 11:27 am 4 Comments

Report: Tata Nano Coming to the US A news report suggests India's Tata Motors is planning to export its Nano -- a tiny, four-passenger city car -- to the states. But will US buyers bite? Tata Motors

Will US car buyers adopt a car the size of a laundromat dryer, that costs as much as a sofa? Ratan Tata, chairman of India's Tata Motors, hopes they will. Automotive News reports that Tata is floating plans to bring a version of the $2,500 Nano minicar to the US within three years.

Chairman Tata made such remarks this week at a Cornell University forum in New York City. Deliveries of the Nano to buyers in India, where only one in one thousand people own a car, are scheduled to begin in India next month.

A Nano sold in the US won't likely be the same as the model sold in India. Tata said a US-bound Nano will have to meet more stringent US emissions and crash standards. The four-seat Nano sold in India gets up to 65 mpg. Tata said the company is also developing cars that run on fuels other than gasoline, including diesel and biofuels, as well as electric models powered by batteries.

Tata also said the company will offer a European version of the Nano by 2011.

While it was rumored that the company might distribute the Nano to US buyers through the dealerships of Jaguar and Land Rover, two luxury brands Tata bought from Ford Motor Company in 2008, Automotive News reported that a spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover North America said Tata will not use those brands' distribution networks.

[via Automotive News (sub. req.)]

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4 Comments

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rlenston

06/08/09 at 12:15 pm

I would totally buy a car for the price of a sofa. Who wouldn't? I don't care how it looks, so long as it gets decent milage and gets me from point a to b.

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animemaster

06/09/09 at 6:42 am

"I would totally buy a car for the price of a sofa. Who wouldn't? I don't care how it looks, so long as it gets decent milage and gets me from point a to b."

What if a 25 mph collision was fatal, would you still want one? would you want you wife or kids driving such an unsafe car. That's not the point I wanted to make but I had to reply.

I'm sure that if they improve it's strength and increase its safety it could sell well in the US for twice the going rate in India. This car reminds me of some of the earliest ford cars, small no frills and as cheap as humanly possible. Its a strategy that worked for ford back then why not now? Its kinda sad that it takes foreign companies to do the intelligent things that we refuse to. Lean manufacturing is the way of the future and the unions are strangling America.

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planetautomatic

06/09/09 at 7:13 pm

WHo said this car is unsafe. Its totally made up bullshit. When t does come to america it would probably be safer than your toyotas or buicks. It will pass all the standards.
I want one, it looks good , great company that makes the car and has excellent mileage. ...And thats the truth.

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whitesites

06/16/09 at 1:14 pm

The thing looks top heavy. I would be worried about it rolling. I think I had a go kart growing up with larger tires than this thing. A few dedicated hippies will buy it, but I think most Americans would rather get a used car

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