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Since the Nano will initially be sold in India, and is not headed for our shores, it can only be of interest to Americans from a historical perspective, as it has the potential for becoming the Model T and VW Beetle of the developing world. Nevertheless, here's AutoWeek's test of this car for the masses...
"Nice Tata: Driving the Nano four-seater is OK, but slow"
By BOB RUPANI (Mr. Rupani is executive editor for Auto India)
"We're finally getting to drive the Tata Nano, and the first thing that impresses is the space. Four adults can sit comfortably in the simple and spartan interior. The seats are thin and flat but surprisingly comfortable. Plastic and fabric quality is better than expected, though the carpet looks cheap.
To get to the trunk, the rear seat has to be folded forward. Access to the engine is even more difficult; a panel secured with six wing nuts needs to be removed to access the tiny two-cylinder engine.
Start up the Nano and you immediately know it's powered by a rear-mounted engine. The all-aluminum twin uses a single balance shaft, yet it is not very smooth or refined and sounds a bit like a lawn mower. The passenger compartment has been well isolated from the sound but not from all of the harshness. Even at idle, you can feel the engine rocking, and under hard acceleration the vibrations become quite evident. Thankfully, the four-speed gearbox is precise, light and pleasing.
Push the accelerator and the Nano launches with all the grace it can muster, but with redline fuel cutoff coming at a somewhat-low 5,600 rpm, you have to upshift quickly to keep up momentum. Tata says that unlike other cars, the benchmark for the Nano was not the acceleration figure of 0 to 62 mph, but 0 to 38 mph because it will primarily be used as an urban vehicle. In our tests, 38 mph arrived in about 10 seconds, but getting to 62 mph took nearly 33 seconds. Top speed is limited to 65 mph.
Though not impressive at the test track, in the dense and slow-moving traffic of Pune, India (the city where Tata Motors is based), the Nano acquits itself well, feeling more than adequate and well qualified to play the role of an urban city commuter. The short turning circle makes maneuvering and parking easy. Even without any power assist, the steering is reasonably light because of the limited weight over the front wheels, and playing nip and tuck in city traffic is easy.
But the tall body and narrow track produces considerable body roll, made even more pronounced by the flat, nonbolstered seats. Throw the Nano through curves and though it leans like the Tower of Pisa, it retains its grip with barely any understeer, and a slight oversteer if you try really hard to induce it.
Tata engineers have tried to address the car's engine-heavy rearward weight bias by mounting the spare tire and fuel tank up front under the hood, and putting heavy items such as the battery under the driver's seat and the jack under the passenger's seat. The Nano's rear tires are also wider than the front tires.
The Nano has drum brakes on all four wheels, and these do a fairly good job of arresting momentum. The ride on less-than-perfect Indian roads felt a little firm without being uncomfortable.
Other impressive features: good air conditioning, which comes on upper-trim models. Power windows and door locks are reserved for the top-of-the-line model.
Though prices have yet to be announced, the most expensive Nano is expected to retail for $3,500. Of course, the promise of a car for 100,000 rupees ($2,200) has meant that the designers and engineers have had to look for every possible compromise and some innovative solutions. The next-cheapest car in India is more than $2,000 more expensive, and the only vehicle cheaper is a motorcycle.
For Europe (and potentially for the United States if the car makes it to our shores), the Nano Europa (when it arrives in 2011) will have a bigger, 934-cc, 60-hp three-cylinder engine and have a top speed of 95 mph, a five-speed automatic, a wider track, disc brakes, ABS, stability control, improved driving dynamics and ride, better equipment and a finished interior, along with driver and passenger airbags. It will also be slightly longer and comply with all safety and crash-test standards, while still being the cheapest car in the world at less than $ 5,000. Add an estimated fuel economy of at least 67 mpg, and the Nano Europa may be right for many an economy buyer's shopping list.
SPECIFICATIONS (Indian market version):
Engine: RWD, rear engine, inline two cylinder
Bore: 73.5 mm
Stroke: 73.5 mm
Displacement: 624cc
Camshaft: SOHC
Valves: two per cylinder
Max power: 35 hp at 5,250 rpm
Max torque: 35.4 lb-ft 2,500 to 4,000 rpm
Top speed: 65 mph
0 to 37 mph: 10.12 seconds
0 to 62 mph: 32.6 seconds
Front suspension: McPherson strut
Rear suspension: Independent with semi trailing arm
Brakes: Drums front and rear, 7.2 inches
Overall length: 124 inches
Width: 64.8 inches
Height: 66.1 inches
Wheelbase: 89.2 inches
Turning circle diameter: 26.4 feet
Curb weight: 1,397 pounds
Fuel tank: 3.9 gallons"
The rumor mill says it's possible that a version of the Nano could very well make it to the US.
"We have been looking at the U.S.," Ratan Tata said, adding that the company is currently working on a prototype (based on the higher-spec Europa version) that will meet American safety and emissions requirements. He said U.S. sales will have to wait until the car proves itself in India and then Europe. But judging from recent comments, U.S. sales of the Nano are now firmly on the company's radar."
Tata Launches Nano in India; U.S. Intro May Follow (AutoObserver)
That being said it will probably sell well in India. :shades:
I live in the city and have seen a few SmartCars. They look incredibly unsafe, have no back seat, and were pricey when I went on the website.
They are all over Europe though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0
You bet. The one they're exporting to the U.S. will be called the HaHa NoNo.
I saw them in Europe about five years ago. The best thing about them was being able to park in crowded cities.
Speaking of, I think the insight is going to be my next car. Looks good, goes far, and has seating for 4.
None of the cars we have discussed have any attraction for more than a very short trip to town, for me. I think the Yaris is Toyota. I drove one and just doubt I would put up with anything that small for more than 30 miles. A car like the Insight would be good for a commuter. The Nano with a 65 MPH top speed would get run over on our freeways with 70 MPH speed limit. No thanks, I will continue to drive a full size SUV for any trips over 50 miles. Though I am going to have a diesel SUV within a couple years.
These cars constitute about 60 percent of the Japanese car market, so they're pretty sophisticated vehicles.
Having said that, I don't think that America will be much of a market for the Nano, any more than it's been for the Kei class cars or the Smart. One writer said that most Americans would be better off with a very well used $5K Civic than a new $5K Nano, and I think he's right.
So, I think the Nano will be a big success in Asia, but won't (other than being a novelty item) sell in the states.
Personally I would not feel safe smart on the highway. I would not feel safe on a motorcycle either.
Nano goes 0-60 in 23 seconds! that's all win. There's an aftermarket donkey kit that adds 1 horsepower and shaves 2 secs off that time.
I don't know how much U.S. specs would affect mileage or cost, but it would probably still be viable.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
There might be a niche market for an upscale Nano (upscale for a Nano, that is) with good air conditioning, and the back seat replaced with easily accessible storage space.
I agree with the idea of a "golf cart substitute" vehicle for the booming retirement communities.... where you don't really need a highway vehicle but do need something in which to drive the grocery store. These folks would almost never carry 4 people... they'd use the Grand Marquis that sits in the garage for that...
So it would require some redesign, replacing the rear seats with grocery storage space... and maybe a vertical golf bag holder too!
But the Tato Nano could be something that would sell with retiring boomers who just need a medicine or grocery getter, yes. I would not expect a higher price than $5,995 from Nano for the refinements forementioned, either, or Tato will price themselves out of business with the Nano in America.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I think these old dudes have special City of Willcox/Cochise County passes, though, here, for their golf carts, and they know where they can and can not ride in them. So I think the idea remains an open one for Nano to shoot for, don't you?
The Nano has an ICE and the golf cars are electric, so classifications are different from the get-go.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
...and cost about $16K!!!
Who knows as soon as we become a third world country. We might all be driving little bugs. :shades:
They look happy to me. I don't think being in a Buick will make a person any happier than being in a Nano. I have learned to be content in whatever I drive. I have not found a vehicle sold in the USA that really turns me on. All have glaring faults. A Buick would get lost in many of our pot holes. Nothing less than a full sized SUV is safe on our highways.
Bentley is going to need to make cars with 6" armor plating at the current rate of socio-economic devolution.
I don't know what warms my heart more - seeing the British motor industry taken over by Indians or Germans.
I don't think we'll see a Nano in the US any time soon simply because it would need a break from emissions standards, and there's no way lawmakers are going to give a cheap imported car a huge break like that with the auto industry as bad as it is now.
I think the Senate would vote 100-0 against a bill like that.
And I agree that a Nano bumped up to meet all emissions and safety standards for a normal car would end up costing double, weighing double, and sort of miss the entire point of the car in the first place.
NEVs are different - they run on batteries and don't pollute (locally).
Having said that, Nano will succeed in places like India and China (if they allow it, if not a clone will). They have more than 2 billion customers, why on earth do they need the USA?
The Citroen 2CV6 had a maximum engine size of 602cc and about 30 horsepower.
The Volkswagen Beetle, by comparison, had much larger, more powerful engine choices, from 1200cc in Europe, to the 1600cc engine in the later US models (around 1972-1975).
Ratan Tata, unfortunately, won't be there much longer though as the Tata Nano was his inspiration. I believe he's been thinking about retirement very shortly. Seeing how it's been in his family line for several generations and how he has no children, I'm wondering who will take control next.
Or so a friend here on a H1B1 visa tells me.
How do you buy the stock? Symbol? Exchange? Or did you do an ETF?
Uhm, Lemko, buddy..... as much as we like you.... I just can't put the Buick and Nano memes together.... :P
It's noble of you to volunteer though, and we thank you. :shades:
Think about it - there are a billion people in India and more than than right next door in China. More than half the world's market.
They don't need a lot of Buicks. They need cheap wheels, and Nano can meet that need for 10 times as many customers.
A decade from now you'll be rich and we'll all be saying shoulda woulda coulda.
It may be time to recharge the Are car stocks driving you out of the market? discussion.