NationStates Jolt Archive

The Tata Nano is supposed to be the world's least expensive car. Or is it?

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/23/supplier-ceo-attacked-and-killed-by-laid-off-workers/?icid=200100397x1210312186x1200578325

It's not only that - there's also the question of CO2 emissions and petrol consumption. It might have a tiny engine, but if you put a few dozen millions of them on the road, that's a whole lot of hybrids cancelled out right there.

It's not only that - there's also the question of CO2 emissions and petrol consumption. It might have a tiny engine, but if you put a few dozen millions of them on the road, that's a whole lot of hybrids cancelled out right there.

The car is also no frills. And that probably means less than optimal or even subpar infrastructure and crash protection.

The car is also no frills. And that probably means less than optimal or even subpar infrastructure and crash protection.

Yah, but only poor people will drive it. I still feel quite safe in my car, so I'm not overly concerned about this development.

That's pretty bad, to hear.

Not really. My car is super safe, and really fast. So I speed all the time. Think of it as evolution in action. It's actually the opposite of sad.

One day in the future, the world will be dominated by brain people cybermechanically linked to their supercars, mocking the peasants who's ancestors could only afford TATAs.

Plus, it's a 'green' vehicle. So I am saving the planet while being a fascist.

*snip*

Who are you talking to with this last post?

the NSA

Yah, but only poor people will drive it. I still feel quite safe in my car, so I'm not overly concerned about this development. Am I a bad person for wanting you to crash your car into a brick wall right after I read that?:(

It's not only that - there's also the question of CO2 emissions and petrol consumption. It might have a tiny engine, but if you put a few dozen millions of them on the road, that's a whole lot of hybrids cancelled out right there.
Hybrids do loads of damage in their production. A small diesel will actually get better mileage for its fuel input, and doesn't take having tons and tons of rare materials (even compared to other cars) and the like shipped in from all over the world to make.

Am I a bad person for wanting you to crash your car into a brick wall right after I read that?:(

Not really. It's been tested for such an eventuality, so I'd be perfectly safe.

Now if you wished me harm on the other hand....

Oh none that I would admit on this forum, I'm sure :p

The Tata Nano is supposed to be the world's least expensive car. Or is it?
A single CEO loss is nothing compared to what's going to happen.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/jeremy-clarksons-motorworld-india/2231393501

About driving in India. Safety part begins around after 5 minutes.
Basically, there is no driver education, and no rules on the road.


It's not only that - there's also the question of CO2 emissions and petrol consumption. It might have a tiny engine, but if you put a few dozen millions of them on the road, that's a whole lot of hybrids cancelled out right there.
Hybrids don't really make much difference.

The concern is that Nano will be replacing bicycles and motorbikes.


Not really. My car is super safe, and really fast. So I speed all the time. Plus, it's a 'green' vehicle.
Speed all the time -> rice-burner Subaru Impreza driver.
Something ain't right here. It may be some of the "hybrids" with an AA battery making them such, but they aren't super safe or fast; some come to mind, but again not fast, and they're out of the range of what people with Subaru Impreza Driver Mentality consider.

yeah well the good news is they will be making the worlds cheapest SUV there next year. so everyone in India will upgrade to SUVs by then.

Doesn't this seem like the most effective form of population control?

I mean, if you're going to let everyone drive what may just end up being the Indian equivolent of the Ford Pinto, I'm sure THAT will reduce your population by a couple of scores... :p

The car is also no frills. And that probably means less than optimal or even subpar infrastructure and crash protection.

Depending on where it's driven, that shouldn't be an issue. I don't have a whole lot of experience over there, but when I was in Mumbai for a month, there were quite a few accidents, but considering the fact that most cars moved somewhere between 0 and "dead crawl" they were rarely serious or caused many injuries.

Their website describes it as the "people's car." An affordable, mass-produced vehicle for the masses, called the People's Car, hm . . . Ein Wagen des Volks.
NAZIS!!

Their website describes it as the "people's car." An affordable, mass-produced vehicle for the masses, called the People's Car, hm . . . Ein Wagen des Volks.
NAZIS!!

Yeah, but I'd rather have a cheap German car than a cheap Indian car anyday. :D

Yeah, but I'd rather have a cheap German car than a cheap Indian car anyday. :D

Yeah, but if everyone drives those our children will beat each other to death!

Not really. My car is super safe, and really fast. So I speed all the time. Think of it as evolution in action. It's actually the opposite of sad.

One day in the future, the world will be dominated by brain people cybermechanically linked to their supercars, mocking the peasants who's ancestors could only afford TATAs.

Plus, it's a 'green' vehicle. So I am saving the planet while being a fascist.

Your car is super safe, huh. Well, fortunately for the rest of us, evolution seems to weed out the arrogant and over-confident, too.

Anybody who drives any sort of car (maybe excluding a Prius) has no business telling others how Nano is bad.

The car is also no frills. And that probably means less than optimal or even subpar infrastructure and crash protection.

It's better than this.

http://dcostanet.net/blogimages/scooter.jpg

When the car is offered near a place you live and is offered to you for sale, you can comment on its "subpar infrastructure and crash protection", thank you.

When the car is offered near a place you live and is offered to you for sale, you can comment on its "subpar infrastructure and crash protection", thank you.

We can comment on whatever we damn well please, including the safety issues with the Nano.

Yeah, but I'd rather have a cheap German car than a cheap Indian car anyday. :D

Especially when some of the components of the cheap German car is the same as the expensive German car.

We can comment on whatever we damn well please, including the safety issues with the Nano.

And I can also comment on the utter irrelevance and ignorance of such comments. :tongue:

The car is not build for those who drive F150s in I-30 in Texas. It is not for those who drive Roadsters in I-90.

It is for people who are middle class in India who need something better than the two wheeler that they are having, who cannot pay for cars currently sold and who do not want to pay for features that they do not want or care about.

What's the word..oh..yes...let the market decide.;)

And the most hypocritical of the "criticisms" are..."Oh look...all these people are going to drive cars...this is a environmental disaster" and then starting their own gas guzzler car to a suburban home.

Especially when some of the components of the cheap German car is the same as the expensive German car.

It's not often that I come across the words "cheap" and "German" used in the same sentence, unless the person doesn't know what they are talking about or is complaining about the high cost of replacement parts for their car.

It's not often that I come across the words "cheap" and "German" used in the same sentence, unless the person doesn't know what they are talking about or is complaining about the high cost of replacement parts for their car.

Well I don't know tell me how much a Volkswagen Polo costs in your country because they are fairly cheap in Australia about IIRC $22,000. But a Volkswagen Polo is cheap compared to an Porsce 911, hey?

Well I don't know tell me how much a Volkswagen Polo costs in your country because they are fairly cheap in Australia about IIRC $22,000. But a Volkswagen Polo is cheap compared to an Porsce 911, hey?

It's called the Golf/Rabbit here. :P

But yeah, they're pretty inexpensive and fun to drive. Holden has been developing some good cars here, though...

And the most hypocritical of the "criticisms" are..."Oh look...all these people are going to drive cars...this is a environmental disaster" and then starting their own gas guzzler car to a suburban home.
Fair enough. But we don't pretend to be better.

Rather, the problem is that while all European countries are moving away from cars and to mass transit, and in US half the people want for there to be public transport, India and China are moving to cars.


It's the wrong thing to do. Their focus should be on mass transit, due to high population density and already congested, dangerous roads.

And I can also comment on the utter irrelevance and ignorance of such comments.

You can, and you'd be wrong. The car has well-documented safety issues, notably that the version that is being touted as the "world's least expensive car" has almost none of the safety features that got the car approved for sale. The version that has the saftey features costs almost twice as much as the version they're marketting in India. That version, the "world's least expensive car" would not be authorized to be on the roads in the United Kingdom or the United States.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/news/article3168303.ece

So, spare us your "I'm from India so I know better" bullshit attitude. The car has known safety issues, and we can talk about how putting thousands of these on the roads will cause problems. As the above article states:

India has 8 per cent of the world’s vehicle fatalities and less than 1 per cent of its cars, with more than 90,000 people killed on the country’s roads every year. Introducing a million Nanos into the mix may bring more – and unwelcome – headlines.