World's Cheapest Car Goes On Sale - Neatorama

The world's cheapest car is set to go on sale in India as the first customer receives the key to the vehicle, handed to him personally by the chairman of the car company.

The Tata Nano, created by Tata Motors costs only 123,360 rupees ($2,531), with upgrades such as air conditioning and cup holders available for up to $3,536 more. The Nano is set to revolutionize the transport industry in India.

From the 203,000 people who pre-ordered the Nano, 100,000 of them were selected from a ballot to be the first to get their hands on the car.

With an engine of just 624 cubic centimeters, it is smaller than those found in motorcycles and has been compared to the European Smart Car and the Volkswagen Beetle.

The vehicle is set to come to the U.S. in two years...Just in time for us to be out of the recession?

Link - via pigjockey

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by pigjockey.

India has 1% of the world's cars, and 8% of it's road deaths. Things can only go up from here.

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This would make an exceptionally nice golf cart.

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Quite a savings compared to those massive gas-hogs, the Smart cars.

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Im sorry but I would not be driving one of those things on the roads around here. I have seen a smart car here and it looks like a micro machine on the road and in a parking spot. Imagine have semi blowing though a red light and you happen to be driving though the intersection. You will not be around to see the end result as the car would be destroyed. There are semi's that cannot stop for a red lights here as we are mostly highways. I see these at least 1 or 2 times every few months. The semi's are carrying large concrete beams/blocks which mean if they try to stop when the light just turned yellow they will be on the other side of the intersection anyways. They just hold the horn and hope for the best.

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and how many other cars on the road would be able to survive a side impact collision with a semi? not too good of an argument josh.

very cool joltinjoe!

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The world does not need this. Cities need fast, reliable, unexpensive subway systems.

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So when do the 12 clowns jump out?

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Im going to buy one for me and four more for my friends. They combine into a robot right?

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In a smart car you are a lot safer than yu are in one of those ridiculous US SUV things.

here it is taking a monster mercedes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3bFhVvdlaI

The TATA NANO is a terrible idea.

India and China should be be leap frogging not tail coating

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Wow, that is cheap. And it seems to be cleaner and more efficient than some other tiny cars. Or many scooters, which are notoriously dirty and not particularly efficient.

The world does not need this. Cities need fast, reliable, unexpensive subway systems.

Fast
Reliable
Inexpensive

Choose any two. And then figure out how to build them to everywhere people would like to go, and how to persuade people to use them all the time in preference to personal transportation. Best of luck.

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I bet pragmatic Americans will find small cars quite useful, cheap to buy and cheap to run.

And they'll discover too that small cars can pack up lots of power : 120hp is a lot when you weight only 1700 lbs. Street legal go karts!

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Bryan C, I live in Europe and people take the subway. It's fast, reliable and inexpensive. If you factor in the costs when people keep using cars/roads (accidents, illness, timewasting, urban pollution etc) I think subways are the best solution. And the Government has a say on the matter, cars sales should be taxed and the use of public transportation should be rewarded.

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When there are fast, reliable subway systems up into the mountains and wilderness near my house (gods forbid!), then I'll take the subway. Until then, I'll opt for the most fuel-efficient and convenient vehicle I can get.

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Xinavera, you are, unfortunately, an exception. If the world population were smaller and more evenly distributed cars would not be an issue.

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Driving small frail cars, in my experience, makes you a very much more careful driver. Although I tend to have large estate cars now, I spent much of my youth in things like Fiat 126s or Minis/Austin 1100/Allegros. IT makes you very careful indeed! I've not made an insurance claim for over twenty years, which is probably getting on for 300,000 miles.

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Used to have a Honda CRX and loved it, but here in Texas, there are too many bad drivers piloting huge vehicles. A fender-bender for a big truck is a fatality in a small car.

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Nano may work in warm, snow free, climates, but here in Canada we need to burn more fuel just to keep window frost clear! Small engines bog down in snow, small wheels lose traction, and small interiors do not accommodate Winter Parkas, and heavy lined pants! Great cars for their intended purpose, but don't expect sales to soar in Canada, just the snow drifts on a Winter's road would be deadly for us! We already have snow sleds, with no bodies to speak of and tracks instead of wheels, just to get through sme snow storms, Nano's may do well in summertime, spring and fall, but winter here? Forget it!

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