Value item: Tata Nano. A car christened “the peoples car” debuted in 2007 amid a lot of controversy. Its an unremarkable car if you don’t take into account that it’s sticker price is $2,500 USD. The negative is it is manufactured in India as an easy-entry into owning an automobile. Many feel that India’s densely populated cities, and streets, are ill-equipped to handle the additional emissions.
The car will have a 624-cc petrol engine generating 33 bhp of power. It will sport a 30-litre fuel tank and 4-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering. It will have front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 23 km per litre.
The car’s dashboard features just a speedometer, fuel gauge, and oil light. The car does not have reclining seats or radio. The shock absorbers are basic.
The Nano car is expected to be commercially launched in the second half of 2008. News reports say that Tata Motors hopes to sell 500,000 units.
Let’s give Tata Motors a little time to come up with a green solution to their car. After all, Toyota recently revealed that it’s 2007 top seller is its full-size pickup Tundra, not the green Prius.
