Tata Nano: World’s Smallest Sedan
I am not exactly sure if the Nano, the newest offering by India’s Tata Motors, is necessarily the tiniest sedan on the roads anywhere on earth, but just one look at this thing gives that impression.
Yet’s certainly the world’s cheapest car at $2,200. The Tata Nano was introduced to the Indian market as an inexpensive vehicle for the everyman worker struggling to enter the city in reliable, somewhat comfortable transportation that can also be used to haul the family around in.
At first glance from a considerable distance it looks like an exotic, oversized bug, the kind you would see in children’s computer-animated cartoons. The only things missing are the wings. But the closer you come into contact with it, the more lovably cute you make it out to be.
This car is not a powerhouse by any means. For starters the Nano has a 0.6 liter two-cylinder engine. Yes, that’s right, two cylinders. It takes a good 30 seconds for it to each 60 miles per hour from a standing position. But the top speed is 65 mph. Forget about airbags and a rear-view passenger-side mirror. And no disc brakes, the Nano has four good old-fashioned drums.
No power steering either. But the car aided by its 4-speed manual transmission burns only 50 miles per gallon. Talk about fuel efficiency. The New York Times writes more about the Nano’s performance:
Despite its seeming power deficit, in the cut and thrust of Indian traffic the Nano proved to be more of a hare than a tortoise. The Nano easily zipped around the ponderous trucks and wheezing auto rickshaws — noisy three-wheel taxis — clogging the streets. Though only 122 inches long (two feet shorter than a Mini Cooper), clever packaging somehow provides plenty of room for four full-size adults.
The no-frills Nano does not come with many options. For one thing there is no radio. If you want conveniences like air conditioning and power front windows, you have to go for the LX package, which puts the Nano at around $3,800. American consumers are going to have to wait for the Nano or something like it to hit US showroom floors, however.
There’s no word yet about how or when it could be sold in the States, but seeing as Tata has a partnership with Fiat, not to mention that Fiat has effectively taken the reins of Chrysler Motors, you may not necessarily have too long of a wait. And considering that a European version with a 3-cylinder engine and airbags will be available in 2011, an American model will probably be right around the corner. It will certainly be an interesting few years ahead of us with several fuel-efficient vehicles about to be introduced.
The Tata Nano may be the most exciting one, if not for the price factor than for its good looks. On second thought, maybe not.
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