Nano Is Rolling Out...

[varalu 0]

DId you know that Nano is rolling out this month?

 

Did you know about NANO car in the first place?

Ok. Here it goes. Nano is an ambitious car project from the Tatas (TATA Motors). It is supposed to be the cheapest car in the world priced at 1 lakh (INR) which is close to 2k US dollars. It follows all emission and other standards.

 

Read More about the NANO here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

 

Now the car is rolling out this month and its like everyone wants to have one. The demand is quite high due to less price and families planning to have a bike will go for a Nano instead.

[kleong 0]

Ya, read about it in the news. I wonder how is the quality of it. There are a few made in china cars that is in the market. Their prices is definitely cheaper than most. But their quality, to be frank, real sucks. Since Nano is gonna be price even low, I am very sceptical. I might be wrong thou.

[Spyda 0]

That is such a small car lmao. I could NEVER EVER EVER see myself driving one of those no matter how cheap the price is or no matter how fuel efficient the actual car is as well. I think people would just laugh at the sit eof that you know it doent even loook like an ordinary car that most people in the world today are dirving so to save myslef the embarssment I would rather go ahead and buy a car that is considerably priced higher then go ahead and drive that and give laughed at

[xpress 0]

Yeah, the dream car of all Indians is coming, the most cheapest car in the world which has almost all features a luxorious car have. I had seen the photos of the car and pretty impressed by its design. Its really cool yaar...Its look is great. I think it is going to dominate the car sales in India. And its fuel consumption and safety measurements are also pretty nice. Really Tata's are the ones who are fulfilling the dreams of a common Indian. Hats off to them. They are far better than our so called politicians who did nothing to our country except improving their own assets. This is the one all middle class need in this economic crisis situation... Nano rules.....

That is such a small car lmao. I could NEVER EVER EVER see myself driving one of those no matter how cheap the price is or no matter how fuel efficient the actual car is as well. I think people would just laugh at the siteof that you know it doent even loook like an ordinary car that most people in the world today are dirving so to save myslef the embarssment I would rather go ahead and buy a car that is considerably priced higher then go ahead and drive that and give laughed at

Oh, No bk. Its not a small car. The inner space of the car is well adjusted to carry a normal family. Nobody will laugh at something that they are waiting for. Most of the middle class families are waiting for its launch after Tata's had announced about this car. You know its going to dominate all other cars in India... and its a common man's car, not for rich people..

[jlhaslip 4]

Indeed, the car is small, but I like where it is going.. economical, fuel efficient, eco-friendly???Did anyone catch the GM product on Yahoo! the other day? PUMA? a two-seater designed for Urban travel. looks like a Stroller, sort of

[Baniboy 3]

Nice!

I don't think they come in any other use than in crowded cities of where you drive at very low speeds

My review:

Safety:

I did some research and it seems pretty sturdy for a car that doesn't weight a lot. I'm worried about the handling tho, the balance point/place/whatever( I don't know how to explain it in English) is quite high, it will be more likely to flip in high speeds when drinving into a corner. I also noticed that it has pretty small wheels do it has less traction, which means again it's gonna flip, or at least get out of control in corners

I'm not impressed with the engine:

2 cylinder petrol with Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 33 horsepower (25 kW) 624 cc (38 cu in)Value Motronic engine management platform from Bosch
2 valves per cylinder overhead camshaft
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
bore × stroke: 73.5 mm (2.9 in) × 73.5 mm (2.9 in)
Power: 33 PS (33 hp/24 kW) @ 5500 rpm[58]
Torque: 48 Nˇm (35 ftˇlbf) @ 2500 rpm

That engine pretty much sucks, really, let's face it. I mean: 25 kW? are you kidding me? You gonna have some children pushing it to have some extra watts?? or does it say "max 300 kg" on the side door? Also: REAR WHEEL DRIVE?!?!?! I also think it should have more injectors than one, it improves energy-efficiency to have two smaller ones than one big one (although nothing is big in this car apparently, and producing smaller parts would make the car more expensive).

4.55 L/100 km (21.97 km/L

I'm pretty impressed with the fuel consumption tho, it seems pretty energy-efficient! So bravo for that!

* the Nano Europa, European version of TATA NANO has all of the above plus a larger body, bigger 3-cylinder engine, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and meets European crash standards and emission norms.
The base model will have fixed seats, except for the driver's, which will be adjustable,[clarification needed] while the deluxe and luxury models will get air conditioning and body coloured bumpers.

They really like cutting the budget don't they?

Overall I think this is a good ride in the cities of India (disclaimer: I know pretty much nothing about India, so don't attack me if this isn't correct, I only know what I've heard ) but not a big success in other parts of the globe.
Edited April 9, 2009 by baniboy (see edit history)

[k_nitin_r 8]

That is such a small car

It isn't *that* small - it's a 4-seater. It's like an old Daewoo Matiz or Chevrolet Spark. The Reva is definitely smaller. If it was available with a larger engine, it would certainly have been more popular.

There are rumors of Tata creating a diesel and an electric version of the Nano, but it's hard to tell at this point... with such low fuel consumption, it isn't really worth researching a diesel version because the consumers wouldn't want to take on the additional cost for a negligible decrease in fuel expenses. An electric version would have a very low range as it is heavy, compared to the Reva.

[kagerioshu 0]

I don't think the Nano is honestly something that would be drivable in America, but it does represents a manufacturing ideology that would be outstanding to have over here. If countries like India are experiencing rapid development, then it is because they are making nationwide financially sensible choices regarding their resources and level of income. The Nano isn't simply a cheap vehicle; it's a car that is meant to fit a sensible budget.I think the biggest hurdle for having cheaper cars in the states is due to the excessive nanny protection we have regarding vehicle safety and emission standards. There's also the fact that a freewheeling credit system has allowed people to live well beyond their means, giving them the opportunity to buy and buy again the "next biggest thing" which applies especially to the automotive market. So, for decades it has been easy for certain manufacturers to sell heavy, inefficient, incredibly expensive and poorly designed cars on the basis that they'll be quickly replaced anyways. Regardless, I think a lot of the laws governing car design is ridiculous -- especially emission standards. I don't think cars output make any tangible impact on the environment, and I have done my studies regarding this, but that's debatable as always.If Americans can learn to adapt to living within the realms of their income and not the expansive consuamer terrorities allowed by credit, then they can learn to appreciate cars like the nano that are lighter, smaller, more efficient, and generally cheaper by design. Of course, they have to be designed to fit the needs of our interstate and highway system, but be applicable for town driving as well.

[inverse_bloom 0]

Although very practical and all the good points associated with it, it does look gumby. Imagine stopping at the lights with a thumping track in that? That would be a laugh.

Edited May 29, 2009 by inverse_bloom (see edit history)

[k_nitin_r 8]

The Tata Nano is currently available only with a petrol engine, but a diesel variant is being considered. The diesel variant is expected to deliver 40 kilometres per litre, which would make it more fuel efficient than pretty much all other diesel vehicles. The Nissan Micra gets a fuel efficiency of 23 kilometres per litre and the Suzuki Swift gets a fuel efficiency of 19 kilometres per litre in the old variant and 23 kilometres per litre in the new variant (apparently, they replaced the metal fuel tank with a plastic fuel tank to achieve the higher fuel efficiency).Given the size of the Tata Nano, you fit any small engine in there and as the engine does not have to do a lot of work to power the miniscule body of the vehicle, it can be tuned for fuel efficiency. The drawback of the Tata Nano design is that the engine is fitted at the rear, which makes cooling a challenge for the automobile engineers. The engine fires in the early Tata Nanos were considered to be a result of overheating because of the rear-engine design although the dealers and manufacturer remain tight-lipped about the exact cause of the engine fire.The Tata Nano may be seen as something that adds to pollution, but if the diesel variant were to run on biodiesels, it would be carbon neutral because the carbon dioxide produced from burning the biodiesel would be re-absorbed by the plants used to make the biodiesels.The small size of the Tata Nano makes it possible to fit an electric motor in there too so speculations are not only about the diesel variant but also a possible electric car based on the Tata Nano. Also, if you think the Tata Nano looks like a clown car, there's the Tata Pixel which is of about the same size of the Tata Nano but with improved looks. Though the Tata Pixel is not in production, it is probably a glimpse at what you can do by some serious body mods of a stock Tata Nano.