Would you buy a Nano?

Tata Nano finds its first customer.....

Cute like a bug might be a suitable descriptor for Tata’s Nano, a tiny subcompact that could almost singlehandedly transform the Indian auto industry in the same manner that Ford’s Model T did in its day, putting a car in the driveway of more North Americans than ever before.

The Indian market represents close to a billion people, however, the second largest potential market in the world next to China, and the Nano is priced well enough to tap that market better than any car in history, with the hopes of getting entire families off of mopeds (often families of five can been seen riding a single moped) and into a safer enclosed car.

That dream has become real as the first of what is expected to be millions of Nanos has found a home, delivered to Mr. Ashok Raghunath Vichare of Mumbai who paid a mere 100,000 rupees ($2,292 CAD) to park on in his driveway.

The price might be low, but so are its fuel economy numbers, rated by the Automotive Research Association of India, and carbon emissions at 4.2L/100km and 101 grams of CO2 per km, respectively.

Numbers like these make the Nano a viable alternative for other markets too, with the Europe high on Tata’s priority list. A Euro-specified model just passed all necessary crash tests to make it legal in the EU, and Tata is also targeting the North American market, which has already embraced the smart car and will soon have Fiat’s 500 and Scion’s iQ to pave the way.

Unlike these European models, the North American-spec Nano would sell for a great deal less, although more standard features and the need to meet stricter North American regulations would mean its entry price would be significantly higher, yet still likely the lowest priced vehicle sold here, by a long shot.

Author: Staff, Canadian Auto Press
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source: calgaryherald.com