Indian company Tata to introduce 100,000 rupee (US$2,447) car
01-10-08, 03:55 AM
#16
World's Cheapest Car
India's Tata Motors Rolls Out $2,500 Car
The Indian automaker touts the Nano, the world's cheapest car, as a boon to the developing world; environmental experts worry about increased congestion, pollution.
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India's Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much anticipated $2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that brings car ownership into the reach of tens of millions of people. But critics worry the car could overwhelm the country's roads and create an environmental nightmare.
Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introducing the Nano during India's main auto show, drove onto a stage in a white version of the tiny four-door subcompact, his head nearly touching the roof.
With a snub nose and a sloping roof, the world's cheapest car can fit five people - if they squeeze. And the basic version is spare: there's no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. If you want air conditioning to cope with India's brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.
While the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Others have said Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.
The chairman, though, insists the car will meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcycles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon (20 kilometers per liter).
Chief U.N. climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared last year's Nobel Peace Prize, said last month that "I am having nightmares" about the prospect of the low-cost car.
"Dr. Pachauri need not have nightmares," Ratan Tata said at the unveiling. "For us it's a milestone and I hope we can make a contribution to the country."
The basic model will sell for for 100,000 rupees - $2,500 - but analysts estimate that customers could pay 20 to 30 percent more than that to cover taxes, delivery and other charges.
Tata (TTM) has long promised that he'd create a 100,000-rupee car, a vow that was much-derided in the global industry but created a frenzy of attention in India. On Thursday, nearly every news station covered the unveiling live.
"A promise is a promise," Tata told the crowd.
The company has said they expect the car to revolutionize the auto industry, and analysts believe the Nano may force other manufacturers to lower their own pricing. French automaker Renault SA (RNSDF) and its Japanese partner, Nissan Motor Co., (NSANY) are trying to determine if they can sell a compact car for less than $3,000.
For now, the car will be sold only in India, but Tata has said it eventually hopes to export it. The Nano could become the basis for other similar super-cheap models in developing markets around the world.
As rising middle class incomes drive demand for cars in India, automakers expect the ranks of car owners in the country to expand dramatically in coming years.
But for some, a huge influx of cars is a terrifying prospect of traffic jams at midnight, hours-long commutes and increasing pollution.
"If you're talking about urban environment, it will cause serious problems," said Jamie Leather, a transport specialist with the Asian Development Bank. "It's a major concern."
In 2005, Indian vehicles released 219 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.
By 2035, that number is projected to increase to 1,467 million tons, due largely to the expanding middle-class and the expected rise of low-cost cars, according to the Asian Development Bank.
"The cheaper and cheaper vehicles become, the quicker those pollution levels will increase," Leather said. To top of page
Ford plans $500M expansion in India
The elephant and the bull market
The Indian automaker touts the Nano, the world's cheapest car, as a boon to the developing world; environmental experts worry about increased congestion, pollution.
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India's Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much anticipated $2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that brings car ownership into the reach of tens of millions of people. But critics worry the car could overwhelm the country's roads and create an environmental nightmare.
Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introducing the Nano during India's main auto show, drove onto a stage in a white version of the tiny four-door subcompact, his head nearly touching the roof.
With a snub nose and a sloping roof, the world's cheapest car can fit five people - if they squeeze. And the basic version is spare: there's no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. If you want air conditioning to cope with India's brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.
While the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Others have said Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.
The chairman, though, insists the car will meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcycles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon (20 kilometers per liter).
Chief U.N. climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared last year's Nobel Peace Prize, said last month that "I am having nightmares" about the prospect of the low-cost car.
"Dr. Pachauri need not have nightmares," Ratan Tata said at the unveiling. "For us it's a milestone and I hope we can make a contribution to the country."
The basic model will sell for for 100,000 rupees - $2,500 - but analysts estimate that customers could pay 20 to 30 percent more than that to cover taxes, delivery and other charges.
Tata (TTM) has long promised that he'd create a 100,000-rupee car, a vow that was much-derided in the global industry but created a frenzy of attention in India. On Thursday, nearly every news station covered the unveiling live.
"A promise is a promise," Tata told the crowd.
The company has said they expect the car to revolutionize the auto industry, and analysts believe the Nano may force other manufacturers to lower their own pricing. French automaker Renault SA (RNSDF) and its Japanese partner, Nissan Motor Co., (NSANY) are trying to determine if they can sell a compact car for less than $3,000.
For now, the car will be sold only in India, but Tata has said it eventually hopes to export it. The Nano could become the basis for other similar super-cheap models in developing markets around the world.
As rising middle class incomes drive demand for cars in India, automakers expect the ranks of car owners in the country to expand dramatically in coming years.
But for some, a huge influx of cars is a terrifying prospect of traffic jams at midnight, hours-long commutes and increasing pollution.
"If you're talking about urban environment, it will cause serious problems," said Jamie Leather, a transport specialist with the Asian Development Bank. "It's a major concern."
In 2005, Indian vehicles released 219 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.
By 2035, that number is projected to increase to 1,467 million tons, due largely to the expanding middle-class and the expected rise of low-cost cars, according to the Asian Development Bank.
"The cheaper and cheaper vehicles become, the quicker those pollution levels will increase," Leather said. To top of page
Ford plans $500M expansion in India
The elephant and the bull market
Last edited by GS69; 01-10-08 at 04:04 AM.
01-10-08, 08:35 AM
#18
Out of Warranty
Want a world car? The French did it best!
Citroen produced the 2CV for many years as an entry-level car, but it found its way into the third world as an eminently practical bit of transportation hardware. The engine, designed after that of a BMW motorcycle, was an air-cooled 2 cyl opposed powerplant displacing in its 42 years of production from, 375 cc (9 hp DIN) to a 602cc (33hp SAE) tire smoker. The car was surprisingly reliable and could be repaired by any reasonably competent blacksmith. That tiny engine was not picky as to its diet and would run on practically anything that would pour, vaporize, and burn.
Restored 1949 Citroen 2CV - Photo courtesy Wikipedia
1965 Citroen 2CV - Photo courtesy www.citroenet.org.uk
A few odd features abounded on this vehicle - inboard front brakes reduced unsprung weight of this little front-driver, while a thin steel body shell over an aircraft tubing structure reduced overall avoirdupois. The cloth top and doors as well as the canvas sling seats were removable to give the 2CV the hauling capacity of a pickup. While later models boasted shock absorbers, the first years production had only tuned mass dampers to control wheel movement. Spring rates were in the French tradition, extremely soft and with an extremely long suspension travel, it was able to soak up potholes like nothing else in its class. Because passenger loading had a pretty drastic effect on the attitude of the vehicle, the headlights could be adjusted on the fly by means of a big lever that tilted the whole headlight assemblies up and down.
Although regular production ceased in 1990, the Citroen 2CV remains probably the finest "world car" ever developed. It was cheap, simple, incredibly rugged and repairable with not much more than a hammer and pliers. It finally went out of production due to stringent safety legislation it could never hope to meet. Maybe this opened a few eyes . . . the 2CV is in the back of the line, the first car hit.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3v...-polodelt_auto
A few years ago Chrysler developed an experimental composite construction car very much like the 2CV that was intended for the third world market. That design took advantage of more modern construction materials and adhesives to produce a far safer car in a crash, but it retained much of the utility and economy of the Citroen. As an homage to its predecessor and thanks to a long term relationship with the French automaker, the Chrysler CCV borrowed some of the original's styling (and engineering) cues.
Photo courtesy www.citroenet.org.uk
Restored 1949 Citroen 2CV - Photo courtesy Wikipedia
1965 Citroen 2CV - Photo courtesy www.citroenet.org.uk
A few odd features abounded on this vehicle - inboard front brakes reduced unsprung weight of this little front-driver, while a thin steel body shell over an aircraft tubing structure reduced overall avoirdupois. The cloth top and doors as well as the canvas sling seats were removable to give the 2CV the hauling capacity of a pickup. While later models boasted shock absorbers, the first years production had only tuned mass dampers to control wheel movement. Spring rates were in the French tradition, extremely soft and with an extremely long suspension travel, it was able to soak up potholes like nothing else in its class. Because passenger loading had a pretty drastic effect on the attitude of the vehicle, the headlights could be adjusted on the fly by means of a big lever that tilted the whole headlight assemblies up and down.
Although regular production ceased in 1990, the Citroen 2CV remains probably the finest "world car" ever developed. It was cheap, simple, incredibly rugged and repairable with not much more than a hammer and pliers. It finally went out of production due to stringent safety legislation it could never hope to meet. Maybe this opened a few eyes . . . the 2CV is in the back of the line, the first car hit.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3v...-polodelt_auto
A few years ago Chrysler developed an experimental composite construction car very much like the 2CV that was intended for the third world market. That design took advantage of more modern construction materials and adhesives to produce a far safer car in a crash, but it retained much of the utility and economy of the Citroen. As an homage to its predecessor and thanks to a long term relationship with the French automaker, the Chrysler CCV borrowed some of the original's styling (and engineering) cues.
Photo courtesy www.citroenet.org.uk
Last edited by Lil4X; 01-10-08 at 08:38 AM.
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