Photo gallery: Tata NanoNote: there are currently no announced plans to bring this car to Australia.
Almost every car today, except maybe the Bugatti Veyron and the Rolls-Royce Phantom, is engineered down to a price. But when Ratan Tata, chairman of India's Tata Motors, now owners of Land Rover and Jaguar, instructed his engineers to make a "people's car" that could be sold profitably for around 100,000 rupees (AU$2,870) they must have had more than a few sleepless nights.
Upside
Despite being made from steel the Nano weighs just over 600kg, about half that of an average car. Because of its height it can carry four people within its three-metre long body — that's about 30cm larger than the diminutive Smart ForTwo. Thanks to a combination of India's traffic and the paltry 624cc two-cylinder engine, they won't be travelling quickly — Tata quotes a 0-60km/h time of eight seconds, a top speed of 105km/h and fuel economy of 4.2L/100km — but that's not really point, it's meant to be a cheap yet safe step up from scooters and motorbikes.
Expect to work on your conversational skills too as the Nano has no built-in radio, just the necessary wiring and mounting points for one. Items we take for granted, like air-conditioning, tinted glass, reclining front seats, central locking, boosted brakes, and cup and coin holders aren't available on the entry-level model, although they are present further up the food chain. There's only one exterior mirror, a single windscreen wiper and, because of the rear-engine layout, the spare wheel and fuel-filler are located under the bonnet. Also, the rear hatch doesn't open — the rear boot is accessible via the rear seats which fold down in one piece. While power windows are available on the top-of-the-line model, powered steering isn't an option. Intriguingly, the headlights feature a clever self-levelling function that's connected to the car's suspension.
Downside
Due to protests about the location of the factory, only about 50,000 Nanos will be produced this year, well short of the annual target of 350,000; the first 100,000 lucky customers will be drawn via a lottery system.
Despite exceeding current Indian safety standards — there are crumple zones and intrusion resistant doors, for instance — the absence of certain safety items, such as airbags and disc brakes, it's likely that the Nano would fall foul of safety regulations in Europe, America and Australia. According to the Indo-Asian News Service, Tata is planning to bring the Nano to Europe by 2011 and the US by 2012. The addition of safety gear, like airbags, according to Ratan Tata, would preclude it from being a "$2,000 or $3,000 vehicle" in export form. No mention was made of potential sales in Australia.
Outlook
We're not keen on the idea of an extra 350,000 cars a year spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but the extra mobility and safety that it will bring to hundreds of thousands of Indians each year is not to be sniffed at.
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