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Looking to widen the accessibility of automotive transport in India for those prospective drivers lacking substantial spending power, Mumbai-based Tata Motors Limited has this week uncovered the world’s cheapest car.
Cheap. Enough said. Image: bbjee/Flickr.
Labelled as "the people's car" and set to launch across India within the next two weeks, the new Tata Nano remains closely tied to its name on all fronts thanks to an accompanying price tag of 100,000 rupees, which is the equivalent of just $1,979 USD or £1,365 GBP, a length of 3.1m (10ft) and a width of 1.5m (5ft).
Established as the eighth largest car manufacturer in the world, Tata is hoping that the emergence of the Nano will see India’s motorcycling masses relinquishing the grip on their handlebars in favour of parking their rears on an affordable soft seat while gripping a steering wheel.
However, while Tata’s functional four-door, five-seat offering is likely to tempt many due to its pocket-friendly and city-centric physical sizing, analysts have said the little car’s distinctly value price point could see the automobile maker requiring up to six years in order to turn a profit if the car is successful.
Of course, the Nano’s extremely low pricing means a shortage of otherwise standard features that most drivers in the west would take for granted on the majority of mainstream cars.
However, while the core Nano lacks internal and external features such as airbags, air conditioning, power steering and even a radio, Tato has indicated that more feature-rich models are likely to roll off the production line in the not too distant future – which will include a £4,000 GBP Nano designed specifically for the European market.
Given the estimated seven million motorcycles currently populating India’s roads, Tata is hoping its Nano will find purchase with a sizable road-using demographic, but not too fast.
More pointedly, the company’s central Nano manufacturing facility, which will be capable of pushing out 250,000 cars per year, won’t be ready until 2010. Until then, Tato will be forced to rely on the longevity of 50,000 units.
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