Tata Motors' $2,500 NANO automobile gets official

While many around the globe have their eyes fixated on the events going down in Las Vegas this week, the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, India is managing to steal at least a hint of the limelight. Announced today, Tata Motors' $2,500 "1-Lakh" car will actually see production in India later this year, and it has affectionately been dubbed the NANO. For those not keen on such a title, it can also be recognized as "The People's Car," but it seems "The Person's Car" may have been more appropriate. Nevertheless, this little bundle of automotive joy will feature an all-aluminum, two-cylinder engine that can deliver around 54 US miles per gallon, and while stripped down would be a gross understatement, it does promise to "exceed current regulatory (read: safety) requirements." Hit the read link for Tata's official release along with a plethora of photos.

[Image courtesy of Manan Vatsyayana/Raveendran for Getty]

[ra @ Jan 30th 2008 3:05AM]

why doesn;t a company get wise and sell these type vehicles in the usa. instead of just teasing us with articles.

[ezra @ Feb 13th 2008 8:35PM]

It's pitched as the contemporary VW beetle, the peoples car or the VESPA scooter.The technology at TATA is revolutionary, particularly the compressed air engine and this is enormously refreshing considering the general commitments of the automotive industry which is characterized by greed and resource excess.I have to agree with other contributors its still "golfcart goofball" in appearance compared to the aethetics of say the TESLA Roadster,however revolutionary design doesnt necessarily have to elitist or expensive.The aesthetics are a serious problem, but its companies like TATA that will out trade the likes of G.M because of the brand equity they are developing out of there commitement to consumer need and ecological responsibility.

[Karl Faux Rove @ Mar 19th 2008 10:41AM]

why does the fourth world insist on copying the failed model of the first? There is only so much in the way of resources to go around. Someone has to loose - and it is the third and fourth world - their living standards - although low has been increasing and may consider plateauing and consolidating their gains. We - the first world - are like Gods to these people - we must help save them and not allow them to be smote. Power to the correct people.

[Karl Faux Rove @ Mar 19th 2008 10:53AM]

stay with horses and shoe leather - this is the thin edge of the wedge - learn from your betters - define another way with values that you can afford. Only so many of us can have a SUV , a sport sedan and large wastefull lifestyles. Revel in what you have - we will always need peasants.

[acidslice @ Jan 10th 2008 9:13AM]

you GO TATA!!!!!
these cars are seriously ugly, but for the masses its a step to the future, now we just need to stick some solar cells all over it and make it green!!!

[KC @ Jan 10th 2008 10:12AM]

What blows me away is that it only costs $2500 and does 54 MPG. Add solar panels to it? No way. That would only drive the cost up.

[siddharth s @ Jan 10th 2008 2:40PM]

Seriously, this is good news. Now folks can have an OPTION on picking a $2500 car. It would be awesome since parking spots would be easier to fit into.

Plus India does NOT have its own oil supply ... this helps cut dependence on oil. FYI, there is also research into real, deployable and cheap electric (and alt. source) vehicles. Good stuff Tata ..

To the usual "cow and elephant" idiots, looking at the dollar fall and rising oil prices, I think we might need these in the US ... I filled 91 octane gas at $4/gal the other day (san diego).

[Will H. @ Jan 10th 2008 2:59PM]

$4.00 a GAL is cheap as far as petrol goes, when compared with overseas markets.

[Randavance @ Jan 10th 2008 4:06PM]

This is awesome, and I don't know about Ugly, sure it's not attractive, but compared to most other "next generation" fuel efficient cars it's at least decent.

Though I feel it needs something. Like a pale blue base covered in a rainbow of giant flowers.

[skulldriveshaft @ Jan 10th 2008 8:23PM]

I want one more version - an RV Slot Car - something that can fit in the cargo hold of a larger RV would be awesome :]

bonus points if they make it come with a removable roof :]

[Big Sam @ Jan 10th 2008 9:17AM]

I'd like one to use as almost as a "golf cart" around the neighborhood.

[Wonderkid @ Jan 10th 2008 11:26AM]

This otherwise well designed vehicle is a massive lost opportunity to introduce a mass market car based on environmentally friendly technology. Within a few years, they will be spewing fumes into the air. Why didn't they invest all that money in hybrid, electric or even that new French air powered car? All the effort to reduce our carbon footprint in the UK and elsewhere is wasted now!

[josh @ Jan 10th 2008 11:16AM]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that there isn't a feasible way for them to have achieved that in their given market. A electric/gas hybrid would have increased the price many fold and an electric car, while feasible in the highly developed areas, would be worthless in the many parts of india (and eventually china, where they hope to get a pretty decent penetration) where the grid is *much* less reliable.

And then there is always the fact that currently both hybrid and electric cars are worse for the environment. Do you happen to know what they make batteries out of? Do you know what it takes to mine the heavy metals used in the batteries, and then to refine said metal and manufacture the batteries How about the likelyhood those batteries will be disposed of properly (where that doesn't even happen in the US in any regularity)? Carbon emissions suck, but there are many worse forms of pollution and heavy metal pollution is pretty close to the top of that list. When carbon nanotube battcaps are commercially feasible I will change my opinion, but until then straight fuel burning is the lesser of the evils (especially as zero emissions fuel combustion engines are in production)

[broli @ Jan 10th 2008 12:33PM]

Dude "that new French air powered car" is also licensed by tata!

Check out... http://www.tata.com/tata_motors/media/20070206.htm

[x3qt0r @ Jan 10th 2008 12:57PM]

They are.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and TATA are in process of manufacturing an electric car.

[bhavananda nadimpally @ Jan 10th 2008 9:19AM]

No doubt this will be a big hit with 1/6th the world's population........will be interesting to see what kind of an impact this will have on the world economy.

[Sukhminder @ Jan 10th 2008 12:35PM]

hmmm, laptop, car, laptop, car....

[Dirk Lucas @ Jan 10th 2008 2:19PM]

We're doomed. Fuel prices will surge, I think.

[Sasha S. @ Jan 10th 2008 12:53PM]

Perhaps this will finally made obvious how much are we all being overcharged for our cars. Go TATA - kick some butt!

[Superevil @ Jan 10th 2008 9:25AM]

I think Apples gonna sue someone.

[Aditya @ Jan 10th 2008 11:15AM]

Why? Because of the word nano? Nano is a common word (just like the word, apple) and Apple has no, and cannot have a trademark over 'nano'. Before Apple even came out with iPod nano, 'nano' had in been in use for ages - nano is a UNIX-style editor. Nano is also a Star-trek character. And don't forget about nano measurements, long used in science.

[Superevil @ Jan 10th 2008 11:32AM]

sar·casm
–noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.

[superfresh @ Jan 10th 2008 11:39AM]

Nice try, but we know you meant what you said.

[Joe @ Jan 10th 2008 3:03PM]

Right. Can you seriously imagine a person buying a car by mistake when what he really wanted was an MP3 player?

[Praveen @ Jan 14th 2008 7:59AM]

@Aditya: perfect :)

@Joe: rofl!

btw, since Tata's Nano comes without any sound system, it'd be in Apple's interest to sell their Nano with the car! ;)

[lowdowndirty @ Jan 10th 2008 9:27AM]

Has engadget become enmotor or is this in because the thing is called NANO?!

[broli @ Jan 10th 2008 9:28AM]

I'm pretty sure college students would buy these by the lot.

[Bob @ Feb 29th 2008 9:21AM]

Haha, it's like the colleges giving out the iPod Touches and iPhones. "Sign here that you will go to (insert college here) and you will get a free Tata Nano!" Of course, they would have to make sure the guys realize it's a car. wink wink

[tedweb @ Jan 11th 2008 4:37PM]

All it needs is a 4 inch suspension lift and some swampers.

[dudeInAmerica @ Jan 10th 2008 9:33AM]

They are going to sell a multitude of these in emerging countries and in Hollywood (see "green" zealots)

Of course in the US, the sense of vanity, privilege and entitlement would cause dismal sales, until gas hits $10 per gallon.

[macona @ Jan 10th 2008 12:52PM]

At only 54mpg you can get gas powered cars that will match that.

Compressed air is one of the absolute worst ways to store energy.

And at 750kg can you imagine what would happen if a suv or semi hit it? There is no way this thing would pass DOT crash test ratings.

[skulldriveshaft @ Jan 10th 2008 7:57PM]

@macona can you please tell me of the magical cars you're talking about?

[Bob @ Feb 29th 2008 9:27AM]

@ macona - Maybe you could drive it on the "back roads" and be somewhat safe. Or, better yet, get clearance from your local bike path people to see if you can drive it on there, haha.

[blade417 @ Jan 10th 2008 9:39AM]

Tata Nano: The Adult Power-Wheel.


....pow pow power wheels!!

[blinkcowz182 @ Jan 10th 2008 10:18AM]

Wow ban that guy's ass right now.

[sjdurfey @ Jan 10th 2008 10:29AM]

@blade, haha, loved that comment!

@silver stfu, no one wants to hear your ignorant thoughts.

[silverblackvoid @ Jan 10th 2008 10:43AM]

okay sorry, i made a mistake. i apologise.

[blade417 @ Jan 10th 2008 10:46AM]

Hey I don't mind, I find it amusing that people say things like that on a computer and would never say it to mine or a "nagger's" face.

@ silverblackvoid

Go hug a rainbow

[blade417 @ Jan 10th 2008 10:46AM]

Hey I don't mind, I find it amusing that people say things like that on a computer and would never say it to mine or a "nagger's" face.

@ silverblackvoid

Go hug a rainbow

[blade417 @ Jan 10th 2008 10:48AM]

hmm... don't know why that posted twice, I only clicked once. What's up with that engadget?

[transparentduck @ Jan 10th 2008 9:40AM]

Your humour is refreshingly original... or would have been in the 30s.

Didn't you know, we Indians still ride elephants to work?

This is not an American car, it needs to do better than 8 miles per gallon, doesn't need to resemble a truck and you don't need to be able to fit a semi-automatic gun in the glove compartment.

[Andrew @ Jan 10th 2008 11:13AM]

Come on, any REAL American carries his gun concealed in his crotch. That is why half the people in Texas have no testicles, had to lose 'em to make room for a bigger gun.

[granny down east @ Jan 11th 2008 1:09AM]

Real Americans carry their guns between their titties.

[Yo Howdy @ Jan 10th 2008 9:52AM]

I feel funny that I've spent more on individual computers than this car costs.

[moe @ Jan 10th 2008 9:54AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M88k6Ipp3c

[malone @ Jan 10th 2008 10:07AM]

This is great. It may appeal in Canada/USA as well, where average cars do only 27.5-30 US MPG. The majority of the time spent in these cars (seemingly 95%) are for commuting or bags of groceries. 54 US MPG is a huge step forward. The Mercedes Benz Smart cars (which are likely even smaller than this NANO) sell quite well in Canada, however they're expensive at $18,000, are less fuel economical, and have less trunk space.

54 US MPG is only marginally better than a 1996-2003 Volkswagen Golf and Jetta TDI 5spd (diesel), which easily yields ~50 US MPG on the highway. Some even reported 55 US MPG, with modifications that churn out over 170 horsepower and over 250 torque. 45 US MPG if driven more in city or driven hard. Drop that TDI engine into a NANO and the result should be amazing, in terms of fuel economy and performance.

Drop a bio-diesel compatible motor in a NANO and it'll be even more impressive, but who can argue with $2,500? Minimal car payments and low insurance! Bring it to Canada/USA!

[sab6300 @ Jan 10th 2008 10:07AM]

A post about Tatas and that Veronica chick is no where to be found?

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Jan 10th 2008 10:08AM]

For What it's Worth....
One Lakh is equal to 100,000 Indian rupees (INR).
There are ~40 INRs per $1 USD, hence the "$2,500 '1-Lakh' car"

[phil @ Jan 10th 2008 10:17AM]

Does anyone else look at this and see the Toyota Prius' front end?

[elbow @ Jan 10th 2008 11:22AM]

yeah! Not only does the shape look similar, the logo does, too, if you kinda squint...