Discussion on:

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

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?

Long live the Yugo. Reincarnation comes to the car industry.

...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.

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.

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.)

Hope this will be coming to Canada. It would be all I need. What about price in Canada?

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!

Of course the Steering Wheel will be moved to the opposite side for USA.

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.

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..

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!

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.

Import Taxes, are probably running the price up to $10,000.00

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.

What is the MPG?

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.
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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.

Great, so raise the price for us sharp Americans.
Bye the way, does the auto come with Burial Insurance?

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?