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World’s cheapest car coming to the U.S.

By | October 16, 2012, 1:22 PM PDT

Indian auto manufacturer Tata Motors is planning to launch a redesigned version of its $3,000 Tata Nano in the United States in three years.

Ratan Tata, the billionaire chairman of Tata Group — which also owns Jaguar and Land Rover – told Automotive News that the redesign of the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, for the American consumer will come with a bigger engine, power steering, and traction control, among other “bells and whistles.” It is expected to be priced below $10,000.

A combination of poor marketing, safety concerns, and (ironically) a price tag that might have been too low caused sales to lag in India.

“The Smart and the Fiat 500 have high sticker prices, and people buy them because they are small cars,” said Tata at the opening of a Jaguar Land Rover dealership here. “But everyone knows you put a lot of money into it. We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal.”

If the company sticks to its sub-$10,000 price tag, it will be the cheapest car in the United States. Right now the Nissan Versa is the cheapest car in the U.S. at $11,750. But will a tiny, cheap car that’s made for driving in the city find a market in the U.S. or will urbanites stick to services like car2go for their tiny car fix? We’ll find out in a few years.

Photo: Tata Nano/Facebook

[h/t Huffington Post]

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Tyler Falk

About Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk

Contributing Editor

Tyler Falk freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was with Smart Growth America and Grist. He holds a degree from Goshen College.

Follow him on Twitter.

Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk

Tyler does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what he covers.

He writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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0 Votes
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Whoo Hoo
A $3,000 Tata Nano that will sell for less than $10,000. Amazing!

They shouldn't call it a Ta-Ta Nano in the USA unless they plan to paint them all pink. They might sell more of them that way.

Maybe for someone in a large city that needs something small and cheap to drive to work/school/groceies and never need a car for anything else, but not for the rest of us. Besidse, if you live in Manhattan NYC you don't need a car anyway.

We've been down this road with the Yugo; how did that work out?
Posted by bb_apptix
17th Oct
+1 Vote
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Yes!
Long live the Yugo. Reincarnation comes to the car industry.
Posted by YourFavoriteMartian
17th Oct
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The only problem with the Yugo...
...was that it was crap; a defective design that was too poorly conceived for even FIAT, who sold it to the Yugoslavian communists to assemble in their moribund factories to be inflicted upon gullible westerners. What could go possibly go wrong?

Hopefully, Tata will be building these to a slightly higher standard.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
17th Oct
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Interesting about the sales lag
My understanding when they launched it was that it was intended to get families off of motorcycles, as it is not uncommon to see 4 or 5 people on a 125cc bike. It was deliberately made inexpensive so that those families would be able to ride in something safer. Perhaps $3000 was still too much for that purpose, and too little to be taken seriously as a car.

The Nano might do better in the U.S. than the Smart, simply because of the price. The Smart is priced higher than some much nicer and larger cars, so the only reason to buy it is if you never, ever, ever expect to be on the freeway. Then, the convenience of its small size might make it a better choice than a Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta, or Chevy Spark. If the Nano comes in under $10,000, it would fit with the "smaller costs less" view.
Posted by AlanLaRue
17th Oct
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Better than a scooter...
I live in a mid-sized Midwestern city, where the hilly terrain makes bicycling impractical for someone my age, and the mass transit system is designed to be as inefficient as possible for business people. (If you're a student or retired, it's adequate.) I used to have a scooter, which was perfect, but only for 8 or 9 months out of the year when it's not too cold or snowy.

The Nano would be perfect for my needs, allowing me to get around town, run errands, etc. in all kinds of weather. They would also be perfect for my school-aged kids. Not sure I would trust it on the highway, at least for anything other than the local university (about 30 miles away by interstate.)
Posted by Muzhik1
17th Oct
0 Votes
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Coming to Canada as well?
Hope this will be coming to Canada. It would be all I need. What about price in Canada?
Posted by Paul D. Martin
17th Oct
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Designed for driving on the right side of the road
I'm pleased to see the steering wheel is on the right side...for driving on the right side of the road., which is the left!
Posted by RobSlack
17th Oct
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Steering Wheel
Of course the Steering Wheel will be moved to the opposite side for USA.
Posted by acyron
17th Oct
0 Votes
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No need for a casket
This car is so small and flimsy that if one gets in an accident, he/she will not need a casket to bury them. Even in India where every family has more than one car, I have rarely seen this as one of them. For US standards, it will have to go through crash worthiness. I seriously doubt if this car in its present condition it will ever pass. By the time it is brought to the US market, we will probably will be driving electric cars.
Posted by usdoc1
17th Oct
+2 Votes
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Not so dangerous
Great can't be more dangerous than riding a motorcycle and I love riding my bike. When riding a bike one has to be constantely on alert for road hogs..
Posted by acyron
17th Oct
+2 Votes
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Great point.
I have been using the same logic for years. I don't feel safe on a bike or motorcycle etc. I think the Nano is a lot safer. I have seen too many motorcycle accidents!
Posted by ronwagn
17th Oct
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Thank You
You nailed it. Why are people so shorted sighted that they compare everything to a tank/SUV, instead of comparing it to all the vehicles that are driven on highways.
Posted by dennyinusa
Updated - 17th Oct
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Import Taxes
Import Taxes, are probably running the price up to $10,000.00
Posted by acyron
17th Oct
+1 Vote
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Not taxes, but having to meet American emission & safety standards.
When these kinds of vehicles sell elsewhere in the world for such low prices, it's because they do not have to meet the stringent emission and safety standards that all cars sold here must exceed. The air quality in the places you traditionally find these kind of vehicles is horrendous.

I say this not as an argument against clean air or safety; Just as a reminder that such benefits do come at a cost and it's useful to know what those costs are.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
Updated - 17th Oct
0 Votes
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MPG
What is the MPG?
Posted by ronwagn
17th Oct
0 Votes
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MPG to be determined
They won't be able to run tests for that until they've completed the redesign to meet US safety and emissions standards. Both of those will affect either the weight of the car or the power of the engine, both of which will affect the final MPG.
.
I'm more interested in knowing what the top speed will be; i.e., yes it can hit 70MPH, but that's going downhill with a stiff tailwind. Personally, I wouldn't mind that -- I'd only be using it to go in town and on the secondary roads, so I wouldn't need to go over 60.
Posted by Muzhik1
18th Oct
0 Votes
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low pricew in India slowed sales?
Great, so raise the price for us sharp Americans.
Bye the way, does the auto come with Burial Insurance?
Posted by affordablecomputerguy@...
17th Oct
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Economical, but DOA!
The Indian version of the Yugo kit car with a boost in price! Does it come with a "fold up" option. Brakes, mirrors & safety glass will be options. I'll bet it comes unassembled with instructions written by a Mumbai call center operator and 6 week wait on parts...you get to take the bus in the meantime!

Can we see the Dealer list early....we have some new old stock Saabs to move?

North Americans have no idea what unsafe junk is on the road in ROW.

Does Tata know US cars require steel? Does the tow truck driver take it straight to the cemetery? Do DIY shade tree mechanics call Customer Service in Mumbai?
Posted by Javelineer2
22nd Oct
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