Posted on 07/17/2009 2:15:13 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MUMBAI (AFP) – The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, hit the streets on Friday, as the first customer got the keys to a vehicle that its makers hope will transform travel for millions of Indians.
Ashok Raghunath Vichare took delivery of a lunar silver Nano LX model, one of three cars handed over in person by Tata Motors boss Ratan Tata at a city dealership.
The 59-year-old customs official from Mumbai said only that he was "very happy" to have got his hands on the car, as he was mobbed by cameras and press photographers.
His family, who accompanied him to the showroom, said their first drive would be to a nearby Hindu temple to have the vehicle blessed.
Mumbai bank worker Ashish Balakrishnan, who took delivery of a sunshine yellow LX model, said he could not wait to "joyride on the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link", a newly opened 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) bridge in the city.
"This is my first car. The price was a major factor," the 29-year-old told reporters.
The third car, also a lunar silver LX, was handed over to Kores India Ltd, an office products-to-outsourcing firm.
Analysts said the delivery was a positive step, after a land dispute forced the firm off the site of a factory it was building to produce the cars in eastern India, fuelling concerns about its ability to meet demand on time.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, at a showroom in Mumbai. The vehicle is set to hit the country's streets today, as the first customer gets the keys to a vehicle that its makers hope will transform travel for millions of Indians. (AFP/File/Sajjad Hussain)
0-60 .. eventually.
I’d buy that for 2000 bucks as a commuter.
0-60 if thrown off a 10 story building. I think 45 is the max speed if IIRC from an earlier article.
If I lived somewhere where most of what I needed was within 15 miles, that thing would be awesome. I’d be a little nervous about the freeway though. I see it as a “Truman Show” town type of car. Just above “enclosed golf cart”.
How much does it cost ???
That picture reminds me of the time a field mouse ran out in front of my Ford Explorer. The mouse looked just like that before...
It’s still a big step up from an ox-drawn cart for millions of people.
That’s some small TaTas
A pair of new Tata’s for $4,000? Not bad.
Small diameter wheels and tires are not conducive to surviving unpaved and potholed roads, much less off-piste exercises.
I can see this in Lubbock, as a target drone for teaching the yokel drivers the rudiments of accident avoidance.
It would be great for avoiding our forests of orange cones, which are likely to spring up anywhere in town like a plague of smallpox. Unfortunately it would end up as the hood ornament on a construction truck.
Sounds like you need a brace of tatas.
I wonder if the sale people resist the urge to say Ta-Ta when the buyer leaves.
As the former Third World countries prosper and move forward into the 21st Century, Democrats in the US want to take us back to the 17th Century.
depends on the interior options ya select,, like cushioning and manually inflated air bags. :-)
Nah, someone already removed the Chunk Tuna it was designed to carry.
ROTFLOL Good one
O-43 MPH (70 km/h) in 14 seconds...
Top Speed 75 MPH (120 km/h)
ZOOM!!!!!!
Good one LOL
Remember the Paul Shanklin song that Rush used to play to the tune of Elvis' "In the Ghetto"? IIRC, the song was about a Yugo. I wonder if the Tata has more power than the 2-cylinder Yugo. If not, I would be very afraid about merging onto a highway.
I have to admit that I’d take one of these over a Smart Car based on the one picture.
But I see this car compared to other cars as I see a scooter compared to motorcycles. And you don’t take scooters on freeways (well, the Helix and a couple of others, but you get my drift).
Me too. I remember when they first brought the six cylinders out by Toyota (a piece of junk at that time) I thought I was going to get killed entering the freeway. I still wish I had kept my 69 Firebird from that sale. Such power.
To be fair; I am not really a car buyer. I buy what I like. Like V8 engines(better engine IMO)and lots of french whore goodies on the inside. I buy a car every 15 years.
Does it have AC? Try driving it in Houston today.
LOL You might be stuck to your seats or the car might not run due to overheating.
I used a currency converter I found on the Internet and got
185,000 rupees for deluxe model = $3,800.00 US dollars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM
Do they make them as ugly as sin on purpose?
I’m trying to imaging people taking their vacations in these pitiful little crapmobiles.
They kill each other before they reach the county line.
No, the AC is an option available where the AC motor will need to be towed behind this vehicle, in a tiny, cute little trailer which plugs into the rear bumper of the vehicle.
With this model there is actually another option of a propeller, mounted on the roof, kind of like on a beanie hat, with ducting that blows down on the occupants.
My lawn mower has a Honda 2 cyl engine with 25 HP, this thing is a 2 cyl with 34 HP...
No thanks...
I used to have 6-60 A/C on my vehicle. This thing apparently doesn’t (Hint: It’s too slow).
Mine was a serious question and I would like to get a serious answer, even it it’s laughable.
Yes but as time goes by, their government will demand much smaller vehicles, reducing their size and weight considerably.
Your lawn mover is what 160 cc? This one is a 623 cc engine. Big difference.
I think it’s adorable. Look at it’s cute, shiny white paint job!
AC is optional.
Not bad for a 2nd car in a 2-car household, though. Of course my new wife is tiny :^) and hates my big ol’ Buick.
Now that was funny.
That video had the whole room laughing....Better than NASCAR any day!
Just joking — I have no intention to ever buy one. Just imagine getting hit by a skateboard. It’ll probably total the car.
I was in Pakistan several years ago, and my nephew went to India for a month last summer. He said he would never get in another one of those three wheel taxes again in his life. This is a good one watch the ending! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYS5ebAi95k&feature=related
Better than the deal Eliot Spitzer got...
Cheers!
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