Planet weather warning!

[grober]

Yours for £1300! Expect them to rain down on the planet soon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7180396.stm 600cc engine I believe-wonder what its carbon footprint will be? they predict demand to be about 1 million of them a year Soon they may be able to call it a Jaguar! I'm not laughing we might all be running about in something like this eventually.

 

[Gollom]

Yours for £1300! Expect them to rain down on the planet soon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7180396.stm 600cc engine I believe-wonder what its carbon footprint will be? they predict demand to be about 1 million of them a year Soon they may be able to call it a Jaguar! I'm not laughing we might all be running about in something like this eventually.

The scary thing is that you could buy 20 of them for the same price as an average C class!

 

[MBManInKen]

The scary thing is that you could buy 20 of them for the same price as an average C class!

I could buy well over 60 of them for the new price of my car, but I'd rather have one s-class .

 

[KillerHERTZ]

No wing mirrors?

8" Wheels?

 

[jaymanek]

That car will do astonishingly well in India... its just the ticket...

The cost over here would more than likely be double with all the import costs and duties etc..

 

[mattc]

Some of the rural roads in India will swallow those cars whole! you see all the old cars jacked up as high as they can to give clearance.

that said Jay is right - they will sell like hot cakes; India has a middle class larger in size than the population of the UK.

 

[verytalldave]

Would sell well in the UK if price was kept below £3000.

 

[umedc]

Buy it in india and drive it back i wonder howlong would it take to drive it to uk

 

[mattc]

Given the first bit of the drive would probably be through Pakistan and then Afghanistan I suspect the answer to that is about 2 days before it disappears . Possible not the safest places in the world to be driving new vehicles unless you now the local warlord!

Buy it in india and drive it back i wonder howlong would it take to drive it to uk

 

[grober]

one or two more facts-no CO2 figures yet?

Dimensions: 3.1 metres (10.23 feet) long, 1.5 metres wide and 1.6 metres high. Can seat four to five people.

Engine: A two cylinder 623 cc, 33 horsepower rear mounted, all aluminium, single balancer shaft multi-point fuel injection petrol engine can power the car to top speeds of 105 kilometres per hour (65 miles per hour).

Fuel Efficiency: 20 kilometres per litre, or 50 miles per gallon is claimed.

Pollution: Exceeds Indian regulatory requirements and can meet strict Euro IV emission standards.

plus a little video of the launch:- http://www.business-standard.com/general/newbsvideo.php?cat=top&videoid=6921

 

[Howard]

Be fun to get one of those and drop a Type R engine in it

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Press Release (From worldcarfans.com)​

A comfortable, safe, all-weather car, high on fuel efficiency & low on emissions
Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, today unveiled the Tata ‘NANO’, the People’s Car from Tata Motors that India and the world have been looking forward to. A development, which signifies a first for the global automobile industry, the People’s Car brings the comfort and safety of a car within the reach of thousands of families. The People’s Car will be launched in India later in 2008.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, Mr. Ratan N. Tata said, “I observed families riding on two-wheelers – the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors’ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realise this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People’s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility.”

Stylish, comfortable
The People’s Car, designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

Yet with a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.
When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual’s preferences.

Fuel-efficient engine
The People’s Car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements
The People’s Car’s safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly
The People’s Car’s tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today. The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.

I thought it looked familiar?:

 

[Howard]

Looking at those pictures , the centre of gravity must be proper high up ...

Reckon it would pass the elk test ?

 

[grober]

AND its RHD!!!!!!!!!! How soon before they're on E-BAY?

 

[Howard]

Be nice to see the NCAP crash test

 

[robert.saunders]

This is what SMART should have been

 

[Benzowner]

Not too dissimilar to a Daewoo Matiz or whatever they are called now. They were a 600cc 3 cylinder engine but a lot more expensive

 

[Nibbo]

I don't see a filler cap anywhere.
Do you just throw them away when the fuel runs out like those disposable cigarette lighters?

 

[maddog]

What do you use for the other foot???

 

[NW_Merc]

I am not going to go to my local boxing gym in that thing