World’s Cheapest Car Launched In India
The four-seater Tata Nano was launched today with an asking price of just £1,390 ($2,000).
With a top speed of 65miles per hour and ultra-low emissions, the car is built by the giant Indian conglomerate Tata.
The four-door four-speed super-mini is just over 10ft long a shade under five foot wide and 5ft 3 inches high and sits seats four people (five at a squeeze).
It is powered by a lightweight all-aluminium two-cylinder 623cc fuel injection petrol engine developing around 33 brake horse-power – or about a third of the pulling power of a typical Ford Fiesta).
But it is quite nimble with a tight turning circle of just 4 metres and can climb steep inclines of up to 30 per cent (about 1 in 3).
Top speed is 65mph but acceleration from rest to 62miles per hour takes a snails-pace 35.1 seconds – or three times longer than for an average family saloon.
But fuel efficiency is superb with a promised 67 miles per gallon. And environmental campaigners should lover its super-low emissions of just 101g/km.
About 50,000 Nano’s a year will be built initially at Tata’s Pantnagar factory in Uttarakand. But from 2010 production numbers will accelerate rapidly to 350,000 a year at a new purpose-built a new factory in Sanand, Gujarat.
A prototype Nano for the UK and European market – which complies with EU safety and emissions rules called the Nano Europe but is slightly larger and will cost around £4,500 – was unveiled at this month’s Geneva Motor Show. It promises low carbon dioxide emission of less than 100 grams per kilometre. There is also a plan for a US. model in next three years.
Order books for the Nano open on April 9 with the first deliveries July.
Posted on March 23, 2009 | Filed Under Tech
Leave a Reply
