Tata Planning Nano For US Market

The Tata Nano, the sub-$2,000 world's cheapest car, is being considered for sale in the United States in 2011 and 2012. Tata believes our economy is so bad we'll buy their cute death traps.

In perhaps the only good new product news to emerge from the Carpocalypse, Tata has announced they're developing plans to sell the Nano in the United States in the 2011 or 2012 calendar year. The faltering US economy has convinced the company there's a space for the bargain priced car, which went on sale this week in India for about $1,980 USD. Because of US safety and emissions requirements, the price would be considerably higher, priced closer in line with the Tata Nano Europa, planned for European sales and starting at $4,000 USD. Regardless of the final price, it should come in significantly cheaper than the current cheapest car in America, the $9,970 Hyundai Accent.

Now the question becomes: what do you do with a new car so cheap it's practically free? A Hayabusa engine transplant would be most excellent, considering the current rear-mounted horizontally opposed twin powerplant makes all of 33HP. Of course, why limit the fun to internal combustion? Rocket engines might be entertaining.

Could an extremely inexpensive, minuscule little car like the Tata Nano actually sell in America, the land historically enamored with powerful V8 engines surrounded by as much sheet metal as possible? According to reports, Tata Motors may be about to find out, as the Indian automaker is said to be looking at an introduction into the U.S. market by 2011 or 2012.

What makes Ratan Tata, chairman of the automaker that bears his name, think that his diminutive machine might sell in the United States? The economy, of course. Americans may be willing to accept some of the sacrifices that would go hand-in-hand with owning the World's Cheapest Car, though the version likely to sell in the States would surely differ in major ways from what's is now on sale in India.

If the Tata Nano were to hit the U.S. market, it would need to pass the same safety and emissions regulations as any other car currently sold in America. Those are not insurmountable tasks, however, as proven by the version of the Nano that's planned for European markets. So far, there's no indication how much a Tata Nano would cost in U.S. dollars if it were sold here.

Source: jalopnik.com