Subscription Center
Mar 26, 2009 07:36 PM | 29
Tata Motors’ Nano, billed as the world’s cheapest (new) car, with base models selling for about $2,000 (or 100,000 rupees) is expected to sell like hot cakes when the company starts taking orders for it on April 9.
The no-frills Nano has a two-cylinder engine mounted in the rear (like the classic Volkswagen Beetle), giving it a top speed of 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour. The base model comes sans air conditioning and power windows, but those amenities are available in deluxe models.
The Nano is aptly named as it stretches just a bit over 10 feet (3 meters) long, making it about four feet (1.2 meters) shorter than the 2008 Ford Focus hatchback, a compact car by U.S. standards. The ride weighs in at just 1,300 pounds (660 kilograms), about half of a Focus hatchback. This light weight partially explains the Nano’s low cost because fewer raw materials were needed to make it, according to the Chicago Tribune. A big bonus: Lightness also gives the Nano a very fuel-efficient 55 miles per gallon (24 kilometers per liter) of gasoline, Tata Motors says.
Small as they may be, the Nano gives millions of low-income people in India and other places a chance at buying a comparatively safe automobile rather than sticking with the two-wheeled motor scooters that whole families sometimes use to get around. Nearly 50 million people own such scooters in the subcontinent alone, according to the India Times, and as these drivers upgrade to four wheels, the Nano is expected to boost Indian auto sales by a soaring 65 percent.
That prospect has some environmentalists very alarmed, including the United Nations' top climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri who told USA Today that he's "having nightmares" about the Nano. Flooding the developing world's streets with carbon-emitting gas-powered vehicles is not exactly what green-conscious policy makers have in mind when it comes to stemming global warming.
Nevertheless, Tata Motors says that the Nano will be the least-polluting car in India, and that it plans to debut even greener hybrid and electric versions of it. The company says it may begin exporting the car to other countries including the U.S. as early as 2011.
ScientificAmerican.com would like to thank atulskulkarni for Twittering us about the Nano after reading a run-up post yesterday to today’s unveiling of the Tesla Motors' all-electric Model S Sedan prototype.
The Nano, in Sunshine Yellow. It also comes in Racing Red, Summer Blue, Ivory White, Champagne Gold and Lunar Silver. Image Credit: Flickr / SanDev
Tags:
india,
tata nano,
small cheap car
More News Blog:
Next: Federal raid on California marijuana dispensary has cannabis advocates clamoring for answers
Previous: Psychotherapists trying to "treat" patients for homosexuality
See what we're tweeting about
Deadline: Jul 15 2013
Reward: $5,000 USD
SciBX: Science-Business eXchange, a joint publication from the makers
Deadline: Aug 31 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative (GBFAI) is launching the 2013 Geoffrey Beene Global NeuroDiscovery Challenge whose
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
29 Comments
Add CommentThe Nano gets 55 miles per gallon and environmentalists are complaining about it!? I have no patience for their eco-imperialism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswell this time environmentalists are being muddle-headed
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't know how advantageous the Nano would be, but the only picture I get in my head is, after it is introduced in the market, there will be more traffic jams, pollution, more requirement for fuel (and hence price inflation), more space required for car parking. These days it has become indispensable to have a mobile phone, now that would be replaced by the Nano.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is somewhat ironic that this is seen as the future over 'two wheeled motor scooters' - the scooters offer better fuel economy (90 to the gallon from a 50cc machine is normal), produce less congestion of the roads, and are much easier to park, as well as using considerably less raw material and energy to produce. The only advantages I can see a car having is safety and the ability to carry more luggage - but with such a tiny car the latter advantage is likely to be marginal. In essence a drive for better maintained motorcycles and scooters, more rider training and protective clothing to increase safety would be environmentally the best solution for most cities around the world.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCars are inherently safer. They protect one from the elements. you can put kids in it. You can lug groceries around. For most people (ie. the ones who can only afford a $2,000 car), this makes a whole lot of sense, the environment be damned.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm not saying I agree - but there are two sides to this coin.
Scooters are actually quite bad for the environment... They get great gas mileage, but the kick out tons of hydrocarbons and CO2. The problem is the two-stoke engine which isn't as efficient at burning fuel. Some studies show that certain scooters are worse for the environment than SUVs.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNano's Engineering innovations are to match rear engine with front wheel drive, to synchronize pistons in two cylinders precisely to generate 48Nm torque over the entire city driving range of 2000-4500 rpm from a 624cc engine, to make it drivable over traffic, on the expressways and across the hilly slopes and curves, and to create internal space of 49sft and 270cft from these dimensions Sudhakar
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow if only the apple iphone was given to Tatas team of brilliant engineers,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswe'd have the iphone for a buck and the battery would last a lifetime. Environmentalists need to focus on space junk debris and give up their share of cars. Let the poor man have his cake and eat it too. Greeners(environmentalists) are just abunch of manicured losers living in rich subarban houses worried their lawns might disapper. Im Nanofied.
Dcprego, that's a load of misinformation. That might have been true for old 2stroke Vespa, but this is 2009. Most scooters today are 4stroke with clean emissions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswho are we to tell other people they can't have cars. they should have a chance to evolve quickly and have a more comfortable life. the u.s. uses 25% of the world's oil supply and we don't even have ten percent of the population (300 million- u.s. and seven billion in the world ). Also about half is used on vehicles. We are lucky this hasn't happened sooner, but now that it has the government should make sure vehicle emissions are that more efficient to offset the additional global warming caused by developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswho are we to tell other people they can't have cars. they should have a chance to evolve quickly and have a more comfortable life. the u.s. uses 25% of the world's oil supply and we don't even have ten percent of the population (300 million- u.s. and seven billion in the world ). Also about half is used on vehicles. We are lucky this hasn't happened sooner, but now that it has the government should make sure vehicle emissions are that more efficient to offset the additional global warming caused by developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswho are we to tell other people they can't have cars. they should have a chance to evolve quickly and have a more comfortable life. the u.s. uses 25% of the world's oil supply and we don't even have ten percent of the population (300 million- u.s. and seven billion in the world ). Also about half is used on vehicles. We are lucky this hasn't happened sooner, but now that it has the government should make sure vehicle emissions are that more efficient to offset the additional global warming caused by developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswho are we to tell other people they can't have cars. they should have a chance to evolve quickly and have a more comfortable life. the u.s. uses 25% of the world's oil supply and we don't even have ten percent of the population (300 million- u.s. and seven billion in the world ). Also about half is used on vehicles. We are lucky this hasn't happened sooner, but now that it has the government should make sure vehicle emissions are that more efficient to offset the additional global warming caused by developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere could be a mad rush on the streets once the Nano's production starts. The major chunk of the buyers for the Nano could be the middle class and lower middle class people of India.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo doubt, the pollution would increase significantly but i think that Tata Motors would provide eco-friendly models...
http://talk-english.blogspot.com
Hey allhatnocattle, it's not misinformation - scooters are heavy polluters. First off, it's not just the engine but also emission control components that cannot be easily fit on a small vehicle. Check out the EPA's emission standards - they are much more lax for scooters/motorcycles than for cars. Coincidence? Second, these are being released in INDIA. How many modern Vespas would you expect to see on the roads there?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow when its our turn, these environmentalists are having nightmares !! Where they were while all over western world enjoyed decades of car comfort?? Mr Pachouri, have you ever tried to ride a scooter along with your wife & 2 kids if you have?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm happy that this is coming from india(I'm an Indian). Glad that we are making great progress.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor the whiners, stop crying. Please. If you can't recognize innovation or at least an effort to move in the right direction then you should stfu to say the least. I agree that a lot of people are gonna buy this and hence more pollution is gonna be created but not only do people have a chance at buying a car, but also has Tata said that they will get hybrid versions of it. At least they are making an effort and you could recognize this as a first step in the right direction. Unless you are riding a bike or walking you shouldn't talk coz this is by far and large one of the most least polluting vehicles out there. I am willing to bet that one of you has a Lexus!
Yeah, dcprego, it is misinformation, at least in the way you phrased it. Scooters don't release heavy amounts of "hydrocarbons and CO2." First of all, there is no such thing as hydrocarbon emissions from burning hydrocarbons. Secondly, the amount of CO2 produced is a component of fuel efficiency and scooters typically get 60-90 mpg. I think what you mean is that other pollutants are much higher, such as nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, etc.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs for everyone bashing environmentalists, I don't think you understand their concerns. They are not trying to keep the man down. They are concerned that nations are essentially following America's path in their development, which is essentially a failed paradigm. Developing nations, especially countries like China, India, and Brazil, have a unique opportunity to develop in new ways. More cars, more highways, more sprawl, is a development path that does not work effectively and is incredibly hard to change, as we're finding in the US. Their point is not "Dammit! Poor Indians should not have cars!" It is "learn from our mistakes and develop in a smarter way, rather than following in our footsteps." And no, I don't own a Lexus.
I'm not saying that you have a Lexus. I'm saying that there are hypocrites like Gordon Brown(was it him who said that he goes to his office by a bicycle and had his PA accompany him in a Lexus?) and Al Gore. I too am concerned by the environment. But what I am saying is that this is a chance for people who don't have a car but want to buy one to get one. Not a chance for EVERY damn Indian to get one. There are many other things that will stop them from getting a car. Agreed, there will be a good increase in the number of cars bought but it should also be remember that Tata(at least in their press conference) has hinted at making a new hybrid version of the same model.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd Angema, no one is following your footsteps. We are going in our own way(China included). You see many Indians buying SUVs and such en masse? Do you see Indians driving the way Americans drive? I've been to India, am studying in the US(now), and I live in the Middle East. Things are vastly different. And money is not a major factor like it once was.
Just for the record my dad drives an LS 430 and we are planning to get an LS 460. If we had the chance of getting the 460H then maybe. But then again I don't know about it's efficiency(performance-wise, not fuel-wise) vs pure petrol. So I can't comment.
Ian_the_chemist, I think you are forgetting the fact that neither a car nor a scooter are running on an empty street, safety comes from three points, first, if you panic on a scooter you'll get hurt, second, if you have an accident, it is far better that your car's metal gets the impact than your flesh (even with a suit), and third, if you are in a closed car, you are less affected by weather, try driving a bike or scooter on a rainy day, wearing glasses just for fun.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe downsides that you point, more traffic jams, more fuel consumption and less parking places available per area are true, but in some third world countries (like here in Mexico), you are lucky if you only need 45 minutes to cross 20 kilometers (and in some streets even an hour is a feat, due to pedestrians, salesmen on the street and other vehicles), so your traffic jams are there already, and the only cost to the owner is more gasoline per hour of jam, the cost to the environment, sadly that is another story.
I remember they said similar stuff (not so enviromental as now) about two other cars on their time, the VolksWagen (called KdF at the time) and the Ford T, because they were running on another paradigm, a car for the masses, like the Nano, we tend to think a car is a status symbol, and having a "lower" class person having one is a bad omen... well, let's see what happens.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIndia is making breakthroughs everywhere, so you should expect more criticism from people who says "darn!, how comes I didn't thought of that!"
(as if GM wouldn't want a piece of the market Tata has found for the Nano)
When I was a child in the fifties, Plymouth had roads and pavements, but virtually no cars. The roads were used by mobile shops, and people travelled on an excellent regular bus service. Now the city is grid-locked and it is clear that the private car has no future. All the more surprising now to see India making the same stupid decisions we did. Development in the Third World will be a catastrophy for them unless they learn lessons from our errors!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhere do you base your research on the claim that "the private car has no future"? And since when are we following your "stupid" decisions?! One manufacturer makes a cheap car. THUS he follows the American paradigm(WHAT?!)!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI feel it's too tough to call it since it's quite early. Yes, traffic will increase and more people will face traffic jams and so on. But there is innovation going on in the auto industry and will take time for it's change to come into effect.___> That's for the pollution part of it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs for logistics and managing of traffic, if traffic becomes too much of a pain, people will resort to other forms of transportation. Some way or the other, people will get to work. When hover crafts are invented and are made cheap, there will be congested airways and people will again resort to other means of transportation once again. So just forget it.
As for India following American traffic jam and pollution problems, well...we already have 10x your problem in big cities! We all will come to a solution and I'm pretty sure the solution will be implemented almost as soon as the developed nations implement it(when they find it, that is) with increasing globalization.
And for the last time: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "THIRD WORLD"! It's either developed, developing or under-developed! The stance of a third world country collapsed as soon as the cold war ended. So get out of your 80s mindset and move on to the 21st century.
*2nd para last line: didn't mean to add "once again" twice:P
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, After a long waiting, one can book it from 9th April 2009.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thismore Details are at <a href="http://www.tatananodlx.com">www.tatananodlx.com</a> | <a href="http://www.tatananolx.com">www.tatananolx.com</a>
| <a href="http://www.tatananocx.com">www.tatananocx.com</a>
Times 55 miles per gallon by 1 billion people... Who's the imperialist now?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMultiply 55 miles per gallon by 1 billion... And who's the imperialist?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, every person in India is going to buy that car! Mclassie, you make a lot of sense! There are farmers who are committing suicide because they are not able to pay off their fertilizer loans and they are suddenly going to forget all those and buy this car! Ooo, the Indians are really destroying our planet now! THOSE IMPERIALISTS!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<I hope you got the sarcasm>