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Tata Motors Unveils the “People’s Car”: the Nano
10 January 2008
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| Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Motors, introduces the Nano. |
Tata Motors unveiled the long-anticipated Tata Nano—the low-priced Rs 1-Lakh (US$2,550) “People’s Car”—that is intended to expand greatly the market for automobiles in India. The Nano will be launched in India later in 2008.
The Nano has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623cc, 24 kW (33 hp), multi-point fuel injection gasoline engine coupled with a CVT or 5-speed manual transmission. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with a single balancer shaft, according to Tata. The lean design strategy helped minimize weight. Fuel consumption is projected to be 5 L/100m (47 mpg US).
I observed families riding on two-wheelers—the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors’ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realize this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People’s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility.
—Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Motors
The Nano has a length of 3.1 meters, width of 1.5 meters and height of 1.6 meters. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to combine both space and maneuverability.
With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. The vehicle is designed to pass international side offset and side crash tests.
The vehicle is designed to met Euro 4 norms. In response to criticism that the Nano will add to India’s pollution problem by expanding the number of cars on the road, Tata says that the Nano will pollute less than a two-wheeler it might replace.
Tata is offering a standard and luxury version of the Nano at launch, and will expand on the platform.
Down the line, as we widen our range, we will have dressed-up versions with higher-powered engines, diesel engines, automatics and the like. We have a whole bunch of innovations coming along on this platform. What we now have is a car that is truly low-cost which has, approximately, the same performance as a Maruti 800 in terms of acceleration, top speed, etc.
—Ratan Tata
January 10, 2008 in Fuel Efficiency, India | Permalink | Comments (61) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
I am generally impressed by this vehicle as it significantly undercuts other manufacturere efforts whilst still looking reasonably attractive as a car.
obviously it isn't going to be the last word in luxury - especially not on indian roads, but that isn't really the point - it is targeted at current indian scooter users who want more comofrt and safety than a motorcycle.
The specification is very basic but perhaps they could allow a modular approach allowing people to add air cond, radio, (and the other windscreen wiper!) as and when funds allow ?
also the wheels seem too small. Great to achieve a large cabin in a car with a small footprint, but poor in terms of road comfort and cornering and handling.
i'm surprised that such a small basic car doesn't achieve more than the 50mpg claimed. perhaps the engine, despite being fuel injected is rather basic by 'western' standards.
At first tata said that the Nano woudln't comply with European emissions or crash protection standards but they they plan to export to europe - either it can comply or they will produce an improved version that can - if they do it will really be a shock to the european manufacturers who's most basic car costs around 3 or 4 times as much.
daniel
Posted by: daniel billinton | Jan 10, 2008 8:03:28 AM
He describes this four (?) seater car as the solution to the problem of a family of four shoehorned onto a two-seater scooter. Sounds good. Meanwhile, in the US, highways get blocked up with massive cars, each housing a single person, taking up a wide space on the road and using all sorts of extra fuel to haul all that steel against the wind, not just themselves.
I do wonder if, given this serious growth push by Tata, India can avoid the American model of oil dependent sprawling suburbs. I suppose there are some contrary factors: rural areas that are already densely populated and oil promising to be less available in the future. But as folks grow wealthier, will middle class husband, wife and son want to do like Americans do and each drive their own car to a different place at a different time? We'll see.
Posted by: Jim G. | Jan 10, 2008 8:10:39 AM
For a while we have had disposable cameras and disposable diapers, now introducing the disposable car. The new TATA Nano!!!!!!!
Tired of getting rained on, bugs in you teeth or the sun burning your scalp. Well it's time to make a CHANGE, get OFF that scooter and INTO the new TATA Nano!!!!
Think a car is too expensive or maybe JUST out of your price range. Not this bueaty, for a mere 2,500 you could be the talk of your hovel and the dryest guy at work. The new TATA Nano!!!!
Warning: Avoid other objects at all times. Not responsible for fatalities.
Posted by: Joseph | Jan 10, 2008 8:53:52 AM
Unfortunately India does seem to follow a poor man's version of american model. Environmentally It would be better to have a good public transportation system. But since the government is in no hurry to improve that, this will be good alternative for middle class families.
Posted by: sri | Jan 10, 2008 9:11:54 AM
Soooooo....It's finally happened! The Lilliputians have started making cars!
Amazing price point for this vehicle, but for American roads, more beef would be required as to not disintegrate during a collision.
Posted by: Schmeltz | Jan 10, 2008 9:34:02 AM
Good for them !!!
Indians deserve to have mobile independence just as much as any American or European does.
It may not be up to our standards, but so what.
We won't be the ones driving it.
Enjoy your new car Apoo, enjoy !!!!
May the seven arms of Vishnu hug and embrase your new found freedom !!!!
Enjoy !!!
Posted by: Patrick | Jan 10, 2008 9:38:52 AM
This is the Zen of green automotive: Ingenuity in the utmost simplicity. Achieving Prius' level of fuel efficiency with 1/10th of the cost and 1/5th of the complexity! The Nirvana of eco-conscious automotive (and cost-effective). The West: take note!
Indeed, it has been my contention here all along that great fuel efficiency can simply be achieved by downsizing the engine, the drive train, and, why not, the whole damn thing (car), without any expensive technology. A little slower acceleration won't hurt anyone, especially if everyone drives similarly powered vehicles. Why use a super-duper V-8 on a 5,000-lb vehicle with all kinds of tricks such as DI, VVT, cylinder deactivation blah blah blah...when you can make do with 2 cylinders engine on a 1500-lb vehicle?
What? you need bigger hauling capacity once in a blue moon? Just join a car-sharing club wherein you can automatedly rent any kinds of vehicles for almost every occasions (hot dates, fast-and-furious down-town drag racing, camping trips, off-road safari, U-haul truck etc...)
Now then, fine tune the engine a bit more to get ~60-70 mpg and make it run on compressed and adsorbed methane in light-weight fuel tank (bio and synthetic methane) to reduce petroleum depedency.
Posted by: Roger Pham | Jan 10, 2008 9:44:24 AM
We don't need any more cars in the world, even at 40 miles per gallon. Lots of luck being actually being able to actually driving these cars anywhere in congested India.
Posted by: Tom Street | Jan 10, 2008 9:45:00 AM
Hopefully, peak oil will off this car.
India needs ultra-high rise megacities that reduce the need for transport, and nuclear and renewables powered mass transit.
But Indians will decide for themselves what to do with their future. We can only tell them, as 'friends', that putting millions of more cars on the planet's roads, is not a smart bet.
Posted by: Jonas | Jan 10, 2008 9:54:17 AM
SCHMELTZ:
'the lilliputians have started making cars'
+1
Good play Sir.
Posted by: Joseph | Jan 10, 2008 9:54:19 AM
The Enviromentals wakos (comunists) are going crazy about this.
Posted by: xgalie0 | Jan 10, 2008 10:20:17 AM
Thanks Joseph. Like Drew Carey on "Who's Line is it Anyway?" would say... "nice job and 100 million points to you for that skit!" Can we accumulate points on GCC? Anyone?
Posted by: Schmeltz | Jan 10, 2008 10:49:53 AM
I'm guessing this car weighs 1250 pounds. With 33 hp that's less hp/pound than an old VW bug. I'm totally fine with low horse power, but why couldn't they get 80-100 mpg if they were going so light and underpowered? It's not a Loremo, but it's not far from it, really.
Posted by: Healthy Breeze | Jan 10, 2008 11:45:35 AM
I saw various references to fuel economy (US) - both at Wall Street Journal and here. There should not be a US number quoted because this vehicle is not intended for US markets nor will it pass crash, emissions, safety or any other tests here, and I can almost bet the fuel economy was not tested on US test schedule (wouldn't make sense). 5L/100km was suddenly quoted at 50mpg as well - even by Ratan Tata - which is arithmetically wrong. It is 45.6 miles/ US gallon. May be they were using imperial gallons.
Of course, all that is not the point of this car in the first place. The point is that it is poised to expand the personal transportation to millions who have never been able to afford a car yet. If it's $2500 new, imagine the used car price for this one! So, it's going to permeate *down* the income levels, while other Tata products (and some higher-end versions of Nano) can fill in the other side of the price-value continuum.
And more than anything else, it's the thinking that went into making the trade-offs that are necessary to get the right balance of cost, performance, fuel economy, safety and saleability / marketability, that is the most important. Once you have the process down, every time you change the relative importance of these parameters, you get a new vehicle, but for emerging markets!!
Posted by: CarNut | Jan 10, 2008 11:53:26 AM
Think of this as a Yugo with 40% less durability, reliability and safety, WOW, I scarred myself. The secondary market will be the recycling piles. If these cars last more than 3 years or 30K miles, it will be a miracle.
Posted by: Joseph | Jan 10, 2008 12:43:48 PM
Now the emerging Asian and African middle class can realistically aspire to automobile ownership. Will this increase the demand for gasoline worldwide? How will that affect my SUV-driving friends (getting 14 mpg) who are patiently waiting for fuel prices to come down? :-o
Posted by: Mick | Jan 10, 2008 1:11:14 PM
Jonas: "India needs ultra-high rise megacities that reduce the need for transport, and nuclear and renewables powered mass transit."
And we're just the ones to say so.
Posted by: pauln | Jan 10, 2008 1:12:42 PM
The snag is that traffic in many Indian cities are already severely gridlocked. The trend will worsen as peasants move from the land into cities in search of higher earnings, a typical migration pattern of countries in transition from (essentially) subsistence agriculture to an industrial economy. Transporting your family of four or five in a four-wheeled car rather than a two-wheeled scooter is indeed a lot safer. Unfortunately, it also cuts road capacity by a factor 2-3, so Indians will soon be going nowhere fast.
At least the Nano is lightweight and has a small engine. A stop-start system to eliminate idling losses and emissions ought to be high on the list of options Tata should make available.
Even so, India will soon need to reserve lanes in its inner cities for electric bicycles and high occupancy vehicles (3 or more) just to keep traffic moving at all. Unfortunately, the country has a poor reputation for enforcing its traffic laws, i.e. if push comes to shove it's more about who you know than what actually happened. The driving test used to be a joke, perhaps that's been tightened up by now. Otherwise, might pretty much makes right, which bodes ill for the future of anything with less than four wheels. Here's couple of recent clips of actual traffic in Hyderabad (not nearly as bad as e.g. Mumbai):
video.google.com
video.google.com
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | Jan 10, 2008 2:08:40 PM
Sorry, wrong URL on the second video:
Posted by: | Jan 10, 2008 2:16:20 PM
Happy New Year folks
There is a joke like this
"Since there is no gravity in SPACE and PENS cannot write as the ink does not flow, Americans spent $ 5 million on research to create a PENS that writes in SPACE.
And Russians wrote with PENCIL"
Same way, GM has invested billions to create 2-Mode Hybrid only to apply on vehicles with 6 liter engine and costing $50,000 which is outside the reach of many.
Tata is much smaller company by standards of GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, yet they were smart enough to create a vehicle with 623 cc 2-cylinder engine that seats 4 which is good enough for many Indian families who have only 1 or 2 kids.
Also Indians are not going to commute with the car, since the parking charges are exorbitantly high. They may just use it for weekend shopping or festivals & functions. Yes, if they drive 30,000 km (not miles) in 10 years, thats enough.
As for the transport problem, they have to use the combination of MRT (Mass Rail Transit), LRT (Light Rail Transit) and BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)
Indians may be Lilliputian by the standards of 250 lb Americans, but also note that those obese Americans have a huge health bill as they age.
5 years ago, when Americans drove Big SUV's with V8 engine, and they mocked at those who had Crossovers
In 2007, the sales of
Pickups - down by 5 %
SUV's - down by 10 %
Minivans - down by 15 %
while CUV's went up by more 15 %
Hybrids went up by 38 %.
Wake up guys, $3 gas and $100 oil has arrived, time for Americans to move to CUV's, Hybrids, Natgas, Carpooling, etc instead of dictating others.
Posted by: Max Reid | Jan 10, 2008 2:28:33 PM
Are they going to make a luxury version? If so, can I suggest that they call it the Bodacious. Because then you could buy two and you'd have yourself a pair of Bodacious Tatas.
Posted by: David | Jan 10, 2008 2:47:12 PM
Peak Oil, Global Warming, and the Population Explosion are three interconnected phenomena, and its human population that is the driver of the first two.
Human population has survived wars, famine and plague and always bounced back. The one factor that appears to permanently decrease the population growth rate is prosperity ( a relative, not absolute, phenomenon). When you have more wealth to invest in your children, you have fewer of them.
India has a very good public intercity and intracity transportation system. Certainly much better than the U.S. India's megacities are filling up because of rural poverty. Ratan Tata has said that this car was specifically designed with rural, not urban, transportation in mind.
Education, transportation and communication, again, three interconnected phenomena, are essential to the development of prosperity. Instead of making war against the Taliban, we should pave 50,000 miles of highway in Afghanistan and donate 5 million Tata Nanos to the people. It would be cheaper and more effective than what we are doing now. They could then start growing fuel instead of poppies.
It's poverty that creates warlords and its poverty that results in high population growth rates.
Tata is really on to something that I think most of us are missing. It's similar to the concept of the Grameen Bank. Give the poor the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty. Make those tools affordable to them.
And we in the west have something to learn. That parsimony can be a more effective problem solving tool than complexity. A simple solution like the Nano accomplishes what high tech and vaporware can only dream of.
Oh, and the small tires? The original Austin Mini-Cooper owned the Monte Carlo Auto Rally for years, and it did it on 10 inch tires.
Posted by: fred schumacher | Jan 10, 2008 2:55:32 PM
Max,
I would say you missed the mark on interpreting the earlier "lilliputians" comment.
Tata was smart as they saw the opportunity to address a new market segment rather than wrestle with giants over existing markets. The vehicle itself isn't anything special...the marketing + price point are.
BTW - you really shouldn't spread such silly rumors or I'll have to accuse you of being a chain e-mailing spammer:
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp
Nasa paid all of $2.95 per pen for 400 pens and not a penny of NRE. They spent some Engineering time testing the pens for safety. Before the pens, Russians AND NASA used pencils...now everyone uses pens.
I'll let your one off the wall comment speak for the rest of your post.
Posted by: Patrick | Jan 10, 2008 2:58:14 PM
Viva Tata...Good for India.
The Nano PHEV version will be out soon followed by the Electric Nano a few months latter. It's going to be a major burst.
Wonder how long it will take China to catch up.
Unfortunately, the Nano will NOT be exported to USA or Canada. How can you fit four 350-pounders into a Nano car? F-250's, Hummers', Dodge RAM, and other 3 tonnes monsters will be around for a while in USA and Canada. It is a plain given neccessity for almost 40% of our population.
What will happen when our 350-pounders becomce 400+ pounders? Super Hummers???.
Posted by: Harvey D | Jan 10, 2008 3:27:16 PM
Oh I love Tata motors so much. Tata Motors is the same company that is coming out with the Compressed Air Car (i.e CityCAT, and MiniCAT)...unfortunately the CAT won't be $2,500...but hey $10,000 isn't bad for a Zero Emission Vehicle :)
Posted by: Karl | Jan 10, 2008 4:47:13 PM
This reminds me of a skit on Saturday Night Live about the Adobe car. The body was made of clay. Their motto was "you could buy a cheaper car, but we would not recommend it".
Posted by: sjc | Jan 10, 2008 4:59:40 PM
This car is not very different from the Fiat 500, Citroen 2cv and VW Beetle that got the European middle class into cars not so long ago. The main difference being that it is more fuel efficient, safer, more powerful, more affordable and environmentally friendlier. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be much more reliable as well.
If only Western Europeans and North Americans purchased cars with their heads instead of their egos...
Posted by: Bernard | Jan 10, 2008 5:13:38 PM
I think they should make a US version. At $2500 and 40 mpg, it would give us a chance to invest the saved money in things other than all the extra steel and gas -- i.e. keep us from financing terrorists and Chinese imports. The reverse SUV. I like it!
Posted by: Robert Marston | Jan 10, 2008 6:00:27 PM
"Tata is really on to something that I think most of us are missing. It's similar to the concept of the Grameen Bank. Give the poor the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty. Make those tools affordable to them."
I agree wholeheartedly. Very well said.
Posted by: Robert Marston | Jan 10, 2008 6:06:20 PM
@ Max Reid and Patrick,
The NASA pressurized Space Pen had another use that proved very valuable, as well as writing checklists in Space.
It was used to jam across a pair of contacts and "hotwire" the Eagle to fire the rocket, and lift off Tranquility Base to return to Earth...
A pencil would not have served; as the metal body of the pen is electrically conductive and served as a great electrical jumper. It helped by bypass the wrecked firing switch.
And now you know... The Rest of the Story. It is only now that NASA is declassifying the problems that nearly stranded Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on the Moon.
Posted by: Stan Peterson | Jan 10, 2008 6:53:44 PM
@ Max Reid and Patrick,
The NASA pressurized Space Pen had another use that proved very valuable, as well as writing checklists in Space.
It was used to jam across a pair of contacts and "hotwire" the Eagle to fire the rocket, and lift off Tranquility Base to return to Earth...
A pencil would not have served; as the metal body of the pen is electrically conductive and served as a great electrical jumper. It helped by bypass the wrecked firing switch.
And now you know... The Rest of the Story. It is only now that NASA is declassifying the problems that nearly stranded Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on the Moon.
Posted by: Stan Peterson | Jan 10, 2008 6:54:55 PM
By putting a new car firmly into the price point of used cars, Tata is probably doing more to improve air quality in Indian cities than any other player.
How many old dirty polluting clunkers will get scrapped and recycled into something better because people are buying these instead? Especially in say, five years when the first of them start hitting the used vehicle market?
How many 2-stroke 3-wheelers, scooters and motorcycles will be retired because the owners can "move up" to a Nano?
I think the ramifications of this car on net emissions (maybe not CO2, but at least VOCs, NOx, SOx, particulates) in India are being seriously discounted by so-called "enviromentalists."
I wish Tata every success.
Posted by: rob | Jan 10, 2008 7:46:24 PM
I hear so much envy here.. the fact is that this car would be very popular even in the States.. but the airbags and stability control stuff would probably double the price :)
I would love to have one.
Bodacious Tatas!! that was a good one.
Posted by: Herm Perez | Jan 10, 2008 8:14:45 PM
This is absolutely frightening. Not that I think it is right to deny other countries their right to enjoy car freedom. The timing is just so off...
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
Posted by: marguerite manteau-rao | Jan 10, 2008 9:14:13 PM
David:
"Bodacious Tatas"---now that's funny! That comment still brings a smile to my face!
Posted by: Schmeltz | Jan 11, 2008 5:04:58 AM
I'm surprised at how much people miss when analyzing this. Basically you have a replacement for the scooter that is safer and less polluting. Factors such as resale value are unimportant here, do you really think that scooter a family of four is going to have much if any resale value? As to mileage, it doesn't really surprise me. About 20 years ago Four Wheeler magazine did an interesting test, they compared a I6 full sized GM pickup to a V8, both equipped identically (in fact they were even the same colour). Now, common wisdom would tell you that the 6 would win for fuel mileage, right? Nope, except when unloaded, the V8 got better gas mileage. Why? Because the engine was just loping along making no effort to move the vehicle, while the 6 had to work hard, particularly when loaded, so there was never that significant a difference. Likewise in this case, the engine is prolly working very hard to move this car, hence the lower mileage, it would prolly get better mileage with a 3 cylinder version of the same engine. Its important to size the engine to what it does, here we too often have too big a vehicle with an engine that's too big for the vehicle, which is a waste, but just as much as too small an engine. I'll be more interested in seeing what mileage the diesel gets, that'll bring a more durable engine with an inherently better fuel economy, and I'd happily buy one as a courier, if it was both diesel and a little stronger, as some of the roads here have 75MPH speed limits, and I don't care about my acceleration, just my fuel mileage.
Posted by: Javarod | Jan 11, 2008 6:27:57 AM
Warning: Avoid other objects at all times. Not responsible for fatalities.
Think of this as a Yugo with 40% less durability, reliability and safety, WOW, I scarred myself. The secondary market will be the recycling piles. If these cars last more than 3 years or 30K miles, it will be a miracle.
Yes Joseph, your SUV is superior in every way and would literally crush a Nano! I really have no idea why anyone would choose something other than a full sized SUV for all their driving needs.
Posted by: Bob Bastard | Jan 11, 2008 7:48:52 AM
I think the Tata NANO is more an experiment to test a lot of new technologies to lower the cost of building an automobile. What is learned from this project could be applied to a larger vehicle in a similar configuration that meets Western safety standards and could be a candidate for fuel-cell or advanced electric power with supercapacitor batteries, but costs less in retail than the competition.
Posted by: Raymond | Jan 11, 2008 7:55:22 AM
Tata nano is not an engineering marvel or an entirely new concept. Post-WWII europe had its Isettas and other people's cars. What is bothering me is that this car could be rebadged as the entry level Jaguar if Tata decides to stretch the brand if it succeeds in its bid for the company :)))
Posted by: Hasan | Jan 11, 2008 8:18:20 AM
Bob B
It is well known that I do have an SUV. However, it is used as much if not more for my business than it is for my personal use. 80% of my miles is in a 45MPG TDI running a heavy mix of BIO-D. I expect to get 250K - 300K miles out of my TDI. Please don't use part of the story to sling mud.
Thanks
Joe
Posted by: Joseph | Jan 11, 2008 8:32:16 AM
Yes, Japanese & Europeans have tiny cars as well, but having the technology is 1 thing, but bringing it to market is another important thing. It took 8 years for a mighty company like Daimler Benz to bring the Smart car to USA.
If they bring it to USA, they will apply a slightly more powerful engine which will cruise at 70 mph and that will be a good secondary vehicle.
Sorry, if my Space Pen comment has offended anyone. Ofcourse the Pens cost $2.95 / pen for 400 pens, but what about research cost, NASA wont spend anything less than $ 1 million.
Often, the SUV owner talk about hitting a small car, but they dont realise that they are pumping American Dollars into Arab countries. Recently, an Arab company took a small stake in Citibank, how long will it take for them to grab a company like Chrysler or Ford.
Posted by: Max Reid | Jan 11, 2008 10:00:15 AM
Joseph, I wasn't slinging mud, I was simply taking issue with your baseless bashing of the Nano. You stated "Think of this as a Yugo with 40% less durability, reliability and safety..." without providing any basis for that claim. The assertion that this car will be a safety hazard is a complete canard, considering it's target market is people who are currently using scooters and three-wheelers. Coupled with the fact that these cars are not being marketed toward N. America, it might appear that your disapproval of this vehicle comes from the mindset of someone who simply dislikes small vehicles, not necessarily for any logical reason. I would refer to it as an SUV-centric point of view, although I've observed the same mindset from those who cruise around town on Friday nights in big tricked-out pickups, and years ago, in those who felt the need to assert the superiority of their big Cadillacs or Lincoln Town cars, etc.
Posted by: Bob Bastard | Jan 11, 2008 10:19:28 AM
India does not have a system to validate the condition of used cars unlike the US, thus most Indian car buyers are extremely weary of second hand cars. This is yet another reason why the Tata Nano will be so successful.
Posted by: Karl | Jan 11, 2008 12:42:22 PM
i cant wait to geta nano and carry it on the back of my pickup to a parking lot on the edge of downtown then unload the nano for use in the in urban congesion areas.....
Posted by: | Jan 11, 2008 1:28:42 PM
If the Nano proliferates it will be interesting to watch the traffic injury curve. And the attendant medical care costs? It seems that India already has many desperately disabled people. People in bumper cars with little safety equipment looks to be exploitive.
Posted by: gr | Jan 11, 2008 11:17:11 PM
And it is a somewhat unfortunate name in the West(David's hilarious comment aside,) since the etymology of "Tata" is the cockney for "Goodbye."
"goodbye," 1823, a word first recorded as infant's speech. Abbreviation T.T.F.N., "ta-ta for now," popularized 1941 by BBC radio program "ITMA," where it was the characteristic parting of the cockney cleaning woman character Mrs. Mopp, voiced by Dorothy Summers.
Posted by: gr | Jan 11, 2008 11:44:55 PM
The US, Australia and Canada are by far the highest emitters of CO2 per capita. The emitted CO2 levels per person in these three countries is 25 times as high as the emitted CO2 levels per person in India.
We now know, why both the US and Austrlia did NOT sign the Kyoto protocol. For shame !
So, instead of preaching to India on the dangers of the Tata Nano leading to increased emissions, the US and Australia should get their houses in oder, and cut down on the CO2 emissions per capita in their own countries. Right away.
Posted by: chris | Jan 12, 2008 9:49:11 PM
I would have to agree with Chris.
Assuming that every person on the planet has equal rights, it would translate that every person on the planet should be entitled to emit the same amount of CO2 per person, regardless of their country of citizenship.
Therefore, it is nothing short of CRIMINAL on the part of the developed countries like the USA and Australia to keep driving their gas-guzzling SUVs, and keep emiting CO2 at 25 to 30 times higher levels than those emitted by persons in the developing countries, and still have the gall to preach down to the developing countries on their contributions to global warming. It is clear that the fox is in charge of the hen-house !
Posted by: Wayne | Jan 12, 2008 10:00:46 PM
Anyone know the weight of the Nano?
Posted by: Peter Samuel | Jan 13, 2008 1:25:54 PM
chris @ wayne:
Well said.
Australians, Canadians and Americans don't want to know comparative GHG stats.
Those of us who happen to know quickly find reasons such as the size of our countries, too cold, too hot, too humid, too windy etc as if those conditions don't exist in other countries.
The reality is that we are about the worst polluters (per capita) and would be even much worse if the GHG created to produce all the goods we import were added to our already high score.
Canada with almost +40% in the last decade or so is probably one of the worse offender but we like to tell the world that we are a shining example to follow. The average Canadian believes that C.... and buys F-150 +++ to feel more powerful etc..
Posted by: Harvey D | Jan 14, 2008 8:30:31 AM
Congratulations to Mr. Ratan Tata for your visionary leadership resulting in the Tata Nano today! Congratulations too, to the Tata Nano development team! Great achievement!
I am Joel Lee from the Philippines and have been following the the milestone development you are contributing to the world.
I am looking forward to the day we shall be able to drive the Tata Nano in the Philippines, especially in Cebu.
I have also found out that you are now in the process of preparing the Tata Nano to run on the new compressed air engine technology....... we look forward to that with even greater excitement.
finally, since we are now in the realm of vision and dramatic paradigm shift thinking, would it be possible perhaps to create a DIY assemble your own Tata Nano model, that can be shipped in a box..... local mechanics can be qualified to assemble it, thus lowering the cost for remote users of the Tata Nano!
Hurrah!
Green Cheers to all of you at Tata Motors!
But most especially, my grandest gratitude and admiration for the visionary that you are, Sir Ratan!
Joel Lee
cebu permaculture initiatives
ecojoel@gmail.com
Posted by: joel Lee | Jan 14, 2008 3:17:13 PM
Congratulations to Mr. Ratan Tata for your visionary leadership resulting in the Tata Nano today! Congratulations too, to the Tata Nano development team! Great achievement!
I am Joel Lee from the Philippines and have been following the the milestone development you are contributing to the world.
I am looking forward to the day we shall be able to drive the Tata Nano in the Philippines, especially in Cebu.
I have also found out that you are now in the process of preparing the Tata Nano to run on the new compressed air engine technology....... we look forward to that with even greater excitement.
finally, since we are now in the realm of vision and dramatic paradigm shift thinking, would it be possible perhaps to create a DIY assemble your own Tata Nano model, that can be shipped in a box..... local mechanics can be qualified to assemble it, thus lowering the cost for remote users of the Tata Nano!
Hurrah!
Green Cheers to all of you at Tata Motors!
But most especially, my grandest gratitude and admiration for the visionary that you are, Sir Ratan!
Joel Lee
cebu permaculture initiatives
ecojoel@gmail.com
Posted by: joel Lee | Jan 14, 2008 3:18:36 PM
"We now know, why both the US and Austrlia did NOT sign the Kyoto protocol. For shame !"
Australia has signed the Kyoto protocol recently. Get your facts straight.
Posted by: Rastus | Jan 15, 2008 7:38:53 PM
A real "Go get the groceries car." If available in the US, I would buy one today and keep my old Ford Escort for the 5% of the driving that I do on freeways. My 84 Honda CRX got 60 mpg at 70 mph. Why not build more like that?
Posted by: Duane Landin | Jan 19, 2008 7:33:59 AM
It would be interesting to see a version of the Nano in U.S. markets. Of course, it would need to be tweaked a bit to meet air quality and safety standards. Perhaps a slightly more powerful engine using a Transonic Inc. fuel injection system to maintain good fuel economy. I bet there'd be a market for a version priced at $9k or less. The only real question is what name the north American division would go by. Perhaps Tata, north America or TnA Motors for short. After all, who wouldn't want a little TnA?
Posted by: averagejoe | Jan 23, 2008 6:08:02 PM
two questions;
1.when will the Nano be available here in Orkney(Scotland/U.K)& more specifically will it be available through Motability?
2.Will you be making an electric version?
Dave
Posted by: David Webster | Feb 3, 2008 2:03:23 PM
I am saluting to Ratan Sir to make this car in a developing country & this is phenomenal to world that Ratan Sir is really a rich, kind & successful businessman not only in India but in world.
Because he announced the cost 4 years back when it could be bit profitable to him but now the cost of raw material is increased yet he said:
"I know this is not profitable for me but I gained a lot of money & if my coming 10 generation will be not doing anything yet they can pass my wealth to their next 15 generation. All the money he made by 'Rama'(God)'s grace by indian's people so I should give them this gift"
You are really great Ratan Sir, we are proud of you because you are the most famous person in world now & you will be remember always because in other country businessman can't dare to take any step like this...
Posted by: Sunil Gusain | Feb 11, 2008 10:26:45 AM
Mabuhay Mr Ratan,
Im Jomer Tumbaga from Las Piñas Philippines,actually i already own and running one of your 1995 tata 207 pick up untill now here in Manila,and all i can say is I can't wait to own also a small but a terrible vehicle'TATA NANO"
Posted by: JOMER E TUMBAGA | Feb 18, 2008 7:19:37 AM
OK, for the American suv loving rednecks with inverted peters:
"I observed families riding on two-wheelers—the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors’ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realize this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People’s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility."
—Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Motors
This is from the article on this very page (scroll up). Tata is not intending this for the U.S. (thats 'merica to you) So you can unclench your intestines.
Posted by: Cletus' master | Mar 15, 2008 8:46:04 PM
when will the nano car be available in philippines?
Posted by: | Apr 15, 2008 12:36:55 AM
Mr. Ratan,
when can we possibly ride your tata nano here in davao city, philippines?
Posted by: anli | Jun 24, 2008 11:40:44 PM
