Would you spend $4000 dollars on a brand new Tata Nano–the word’s cheapest car?

Tata_nano_2941543 The word's cheapest car might be coming to America.

The Tato Nano is a massive success in India where Tata Motors, the company that also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, has received 203,000
orders
for the $2000 no frills car.

That amounts to almost 25 billion rupees ($501
million), Mumbai-based Tata Motors said in a statement today.

The Nano has gotten good reviews from much of the world's press and in a recent published statement Ratan Tata, who heads up Tata Motors said, "A year ago, I would not have been interested in taking this car to the U.S.A. Now I think there is an opportunity for a low-cost fuel-efficient car there."

The Nano is indeed a very very low cost car.

Here are some of the vital stats:

– Four speed manual gearbox and four drum brakes
– No power anything and that includes steering
– No ABS
– One windshield wiper and one side mirror
– 35-hp 624 cc two-cylinder engine that gets good gas millage
– Top Speed 65 mph
– 0-60 just don't even ask.

You get the picture. No? Well check out this road review from Indian television:

In a country where a scooter is often the family truckster, the Nano is a huge step up in the world.

So will it sell in Peoria?

Tata is working on a European version due out in 2011 which will have a bigger engine (about 950cc) with three cylinders instead of just two, plus all of the stuff that you need to sell a car in America such as ABS, airbags, power steering and such.

That could double the price which would make it a $4000 dollar car.

Are you interested now?

According to USA Today:

"The first Nanos will be made in Pantnagar in northern India,
Bloomberg News says. The plant can produce 60,000  a year, but output
will increase sixfold when a second plant in added in Sanand in western
India at the end of this year. Six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News
last month had estimated Tata Motors would get between 120,000 and
500,000 orders for the Nano. 

The Nano was designed as a
rupee-pinching alternative for families who currently can only afford
motorcycles, not cars. The basic car is powered by a two-cylinder
engine, lacks air conditioning or a radio and the seats don't recline."

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Roman Mica
Roman Mica is a publisher, columnist, journalist, and author, who spent his early years driving fast on the German autobahn. When he’s not reviewing cars or producing videos, you can find him training for triathlons and writing about endurance sports for EverymanTri.com as our sister blog’s publisher. Mica is a former broadcast reporter with his Master’s Degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He is also a presenter for TFLcar’s very popular video review channels on YouTube.