The 2500$ New Car!!

[Supra_Natural]

Tata Motors India Has just unveiled the "Nano", the world's cheapest production vehicle..... This car is powered by a 624cc rear engine and is supposed to be 20% more spacious than a Maruti 800... the key attraction of course, is the price, which starts at just 100,000 Rupees (India)-around 2500 USD. this vehicle will apparently bring new car ownership to a whole new category of people...

Further Info

http://www.tatapeoplescar.com/tatamotors/ - Official site, has a "Build a car" feature with some funky options...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7199981

Wonder If They'll be bringing it here?

[Ripper]

Tata Motors India Has just unveiled the "Nano", the world's cheapest production vehicle..... This car is powered by a 624cc rear engine and is supposed to be 20% more spacious than a Maruti 800... the key attraction of course, is the price, which starts at just 100,000 Rupees (India)-around 2500 USD. this vehicle will apparently bring new car ownership to a whole new category of people...

Further Info

http://www.tatapeoplescar.com/tatamotors/ - Official site, has a "Build a car" feature with some funky options...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7199981

Wonder If They'll be bringing it here?

with that sorta price bracket...i'm sure it'll be a huge hit

[xXx]

how much is a Maruti 800 in India???

just like to compare how cheap this car in reality

[Thanushka]

Tata Motors India Has just unveiled the "Nano", the world's cheapest production vehicle..... This car is powered by a 624cc rear engine and is supposed to be 20% more spacious than a Maruti 800... the key attraction of course, is the price, which starts at just 100,000 Rupees (India)-around 2500 USD. this vehicle will apparently bring new car ownership to a whole new category of people...

Further Info

http://www.tatapeoplescar.com/tatamotors/ - Official site, has a "Build a car" feature with some funky options...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7199981

Wonder If They'll be bringing it here?

Well 1 indian Rupee = Almost 3 Lankan Rupees. So the car cost around 300,000.00 in Sri Lankan rupees.

If I'm rite without tax Micro car also cost's around 3-4 lackhs. So I think we should be proud about being Sri Lankans.

[xXx]

Well 1 indian Rupee = Almost 3 Lankan Rupees. So the car cost around 300,000.00 in Sri Lankan rupees.

If I'm rite without tax Micro car also cost's around 3-4 lackhs. So I think we should be proud about being Sri Lankans.

i think the quoted amount is the RRP in india. so it does include indian taxes

[Gummybr]

i think the quoted amount is the RRP in india. so it does include indian taxes

Apparently this should be available in SL in about 7 months. Cheapest is supposedly around 4.5laks and the luxury version around 7laks. (This is duty paid price in SL)

Now wont that be a hit..

[The Don]

Apparently this should be available in SL in about 7 months. Cheapest is supposedly around 4.5laks and the luxury version around 7laks. (This is duty paid price in SL)

Now wont that be a hit..

Certainly,

Gummy where did you hear that this will be marketed in SL ?. At the press conference they had said they have no intention to market the car overseas at present.

[Thanushka]

But it's 2 cilinder. Can't expect mutch from it.

[The Don]

But it's 2 cilinder. Can't expect mutch from it.

Hi Thanushka,

But what exactly would people want from such a car ?. Cheap transport, and considering the prices of bike these days it would certainly be certainly offer some choice for families with children,

The Don

[Dj shan]

And on the safety side i don t think this will offer any safety to the passenger s who are going in it !!

Just my 2 cents

[The Don]

And on the safety side i don t think this will offer any safety to the passenger s who are going in it !!

Just my 2 cents

There again, you gotta admit its much safer than a motor cycle on impact !

Also it isn't that difficult to achieve a reasonable amount of safety and keep the price down (and the weight). Apparently the car panels are made of fibre or a form of plastic so the safety elements would need to come in the form of a rigid frame and the small size means the crumple zones will not be able to absorb as much impact as is the case with a larger car, and side impacts would be extremely dangerous, as with the case of many small cars.

The acid test of this would be if they try to introduce it in Europe whether it will pass the required safety tests.

But you have take all of this in the context of what the car is meant to do and its not meant to be a sports car, have terribly good handling, be able to do high speeds or be stable at them, nor would it be comfortable. Its meant to be cheap affordable transport for the masses and it seems to fit the bill.

Also as the consumer we should be very happy about developments like this as to be competitive other manufacturers would have to drop their prices as well and come up with their own cars in this segment which can only be a good thing.

[Dj shan]

There again, you gotta admit its much safer than a motor cycle on impact !

Also it isn't that difficult to achieve a reasonable amount of safety and keep the price down (and the weight). Apparently the car panels are made of fibre or a form of plastic so the safety elements would need to come in the form of a rigid frame and the small size means the crumple zones will not be able to absorb as much impact as is the case with a larger car, and side impacts would be extremely dangerous, as with the case of many small cars.

The acid test of this would be if they try to introduce it in Europe whether it will pass the required safety tests But you have take all of this in the context of what the car is meant to do and its not meant to be a sports car, have terribly good handling, be able to do high speeds or be stable at them, nor would it be comfortable. Its meant to be cheap affordable transport for the masses and it seems to fit the bill.

Also as the consumer we should be very happy about developments like this as to be competitive other manufacturers would have to drop their prices as well and come up with their own cars in this segment which can only be a good thing.

Well i must say your right on that it dose give safety compared to any motor cycle that is on the road!!

[The Don]

Well i must say your right on that it dose give safety compared to any motor cycle that is on the road!!

especially with a whole family in it !

I've had some seriously hairy incidents with Motor Cycles who have crept up the blind spot on single lane roads with whole families on them, and its not practical to keep looking back if you are doing 60+ kmph on a road like the Galle Road and thank goodness haven't had any accidents yet and touch wood it will stay that way ......

http://www.tatapeoplescar.com/tatamotors/i...&Itemid=131

Edited January 11, 2008 by The Don

[madmax]

Well 1 indian Rupee = Almost 3 Lankan Rupees. So the car cost around 300,000.00 in Sri Lankan rupees.

If I'm rite without tax Micro car also cost's around 3-4 lackhs. So I think we should be proud about being Sri Lankans.

I also think the Micro was priced around US$2500 when it first came out, even though no one ever made a big hype about it.

If you look at the Nano very closely, it resembles the tall lean profile of the Micro and even shares the rear engine layout of the Micro!

Did we do it before India?

Edited January 11, 2008 by madmax

[The Don]

I also think the Micro was priced around US$2500 when it first came out, even though no one ever made a big hype about it.

If you look at the Nano very closely, it resembles the tall lean profile of the Micro and even shares the rear engine layout of the Micro!

Did we do it before India?

Very possibly, Micro probably didn't have the marketing power to promote it in this way, and when the taxes were added on the price wasn't as competitive as they would have liked, which is quite sad really.

[maithri]

Big does not mean safe and small does not mean un safe-watch F1 accidents I have seen some of the carbon fibre used to make the F1 shells-feels brittle and pretty flimsy, but very few drivers suffer major injury when in a collision.

So This car needs to be tested. Then compared with European rivals like the Smart etc. The re is no real need for the motoring population in SL to travel in Hi-Ace vans when all they need is a car. If the thing cost less in running cost in real terms as in actual Foreign exchange rather than Tax then it benefits not only the owner but the society in general as well.

So a "cheap Indian car" may be far better than a cheap pile of throw away Japanese rubbish ("re Conditioned" used Japanese car)

In my younger days we used to Hark back to the well built European Morris'e Peugeot's etc, and laughed at the flimsy Datsuns and Toyota's. Look who's laughing now! So I think the time has come to stop looking at everything Chinese and Indian as cheap and poor quality and Join the Juggernaughts of the world economy and embrace some real progres. For all we know the Tata might be an excellent car for the South Asian markets!

Maithri

[ucscsades]

Big does not mean safe and small does not mean un safe-watch F1 accidents I have seen some of the carbon fibre used to make the F1 shells-feels brittle and pretty flimsy, but very few drivers suffer major injury when in a collision.

So This car needs to be tested. Then compared with European rivals like the Smart etc. The re is no real need for the motoring population in SL to travel in Hi-Ace vans when all they need is a car. If the thing cost less in running cost in real terms as in actual Foreign exchange rather than Tax then it benefits not only the owner but the society in general as well.

So a "cheap Indian car" may be far better than a cheap pile of throw away Japanese rubbish ("re Conditioned" used Japanese car)

In my younger days we used to Hark back to the well built European Morris'e Peugeot's etc, and laughed at the flimsy Datsuns and Toyota's. Look who's laughing now! So I think the time has come to stop looking at everything Chinese and Indian as cheap and poor quality and Join the Juggernaughts of the world economy and embrace some real progres. For all we know the Tata might be an excellent car for the South Asian markets!

Maithri

You have a lot more faith in this car than I do! I am quite curious to see how this car comes out in crash tests. TATA has never been in the forefront of automotive safety, and I doubt it would've been one of their major concerns when creating a budget car. Ratan Tata has said that the car conforms to all (INDIAN) safety regulations...I'm pleasantly surprised to know that they actually have any to start off with!

The car is claimed to do 50MPG which is great, and it's small size is definitely a plus...more smaller, fuel efficient cars is definitely the way to go in the future if we are to properly tackle emissions and congestion (or better yet more efficient public transportation, but is that just wishful thinking in South Asia?). So in one way, this is a step in the right direction. But I also believe that we need to focus on getting people to scale DOWN from bigger vehicles unnecessarily taking up roadspace instead of scaling up from motorcycles to cars. Just looking at India alone, can the country really handle a significant portion of the motorbike-riding population switching to cars? I think not.

A little bit of a tangent, I know..but my main thoughts are- it is a good idea, we just need to wait and see how good the car actually is, if at all.

[Gummybr]

Certainly,

Gummy where did you hear that this will be marketed in SL ?. At the press conference they had said they have no intention to market the car overseas at present.

Thats what they said, but we should expect them in the near future. It is a bit of inside info that I got from another party.

Anyhow that spec is what you can expect. what more can we ask for. If you want more options and safety go ahead and buy a used car.

[MrCat]

Anyhow that spec is what you can expect. what more can we ask for. If you want more options and safety go ahead and buy a used car.

I agree 100%... At the end its up to the consumer to decide.. If one wants comfort and a 5star safety rating, he should choose accordingly and buy..

On the other hand there will always be a huge market for affordable cars in countries like ours and people are willing to take safety risks in terms of affordable transportation..

[Thanushka]

Very possibly, Micro probably didn't have the marketing power to promote it in this way, and when the taxes were added on the price wasn't as competitive as they would have liked, which is quite sad really.

In that sence I think Micro is a better option since it got more cylinder capacity and more options.

[dinosh]

I heard many commenting about this car from Tata. The 1st thing we should consider is that, this car has been developed to create a cheap mode of transport with an affordable invesment.

Keep out the export market. India alone is a massive market for such a car with the current population & the traffic congession & this is a good offering to a low income family & of course it looks much better than a 3 wheeler which doesn't have any sort of safety.

Finally it boils down to what a purchaser wants, may be economy, prestige, comfort, safety etc or a combination what is mentioned. But all these come with a price!

From my opinion is that why not support Micro to develop such a car?? As Madmax mentioed Micro had the same concept few years ago!

[Thanushka]

From my opinion is that why not support Micro to develop such a car?? As Madmax mentioed Micro had the same concept few years ago!

Pardon me for asking this my friend but it is very easy to tell. But how many of us willing to buy Micro car? How many of us go for even vehicles which were low in quality than micro, without even thinking of buying a micro. To most of the Sri Lankan’s Micro is the worst option.

Until our locals change their attitude towards local products I don't think our automobile industry will rise.

[dinosh]

Yes, you do have a point. That's the attitude in SL when purchasing motor vehicles.

I don't want to talk further on it coz it has been discussed many times

Edited January 17, 2008 by dinosh

[GTAm]

Pardon me for asking this my friend but it is very easy to tell. But how many of us willing to buy Micro car? How many of us go for even vehicles which were low in quality than micro, without even thinking of buying a micro. To most of the Sri Lankan’s Micro is the worst option.

Until our locals change their attitude towards local products I don't think our automobile industry will rise.

Very true about none of us are willing punt for a Micro. The reasons are that we have been used to Japanese and European quality for generations unlike Inidans who were saddled with their indegenous products. If you like, - 'we have been spoiled'.

As you would agree only in recent times Indian products seem to be achieving acceptable quality.

As much as I like the idea of a local car I would not buy a Micro considering the quality levels currently achieved. It's truly well below the minimum standard I'm used to. I admire Dr. Lawrence P for achieving all that he has given all the resistence that he has faced from the state so far, when actually the state should encourage the industry. But at the end of the day if the product does not live up to my expectation and a used Jap car is available at the same price I will not let sympathy rule.

So my attitude will change when the quality and ability of the car changes.

[T20]

Hi, this is T20 and its my first post here.Considering that I am from India, I can give you a better prospective about topics related.

Tata has created history when it made the world's cheapest car.Many 'great' car manifacturers termed it as foolishness and tagged it 'impossible' when the idea was first concieved some five years ago. But, Tata has proved them wrong. Its tag price is 1 lakh Indian rupees, cheaper than the maruti 800 which costs around 2 lakh INR.It's dimentions comparing to the Maruti 800 is than on the outside, the Tata Nano is 8% smaller in length and the interior of the Tata Nano is bigger than that of the Maruti 800 by 21%. Now that impressive.The car has seen some cost cutting as the prices of raw materials are at an all time high, thanks to the massive demand India and China have created around the world.Hence lighter but more durable raw materials have been used.Safety has been a prime concern of this car. Tata has conducted the manditory crash tests and it has passed the full frontal crash test.Tata has said that the Nano causes less pollution than the average bike on the road.

Now, Toyota, Fiat, Ford, everybody wants to make a low coast no-frills car for the masses.The custumer is the man to be in this senerio.