(CBS/AP) India’s Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much anticipated $2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that brings car ownership into the reach of tens of millions of people. But critics worry the car could overwhelm the country’s roads and create an environmental nightmare.
Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introducing the Nano during India’s main auto show, drove onto a stage in a white version of the tiny four-door subcompact, his head nearly touching the roof.
With a snub nose and a sloping roof, the world’s cheapest car can fit five people - if they squeeze. And the basic version is spare: there’s no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. If you want air conditioning to cope with India’s brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.
The radio guys on “CarTalk” had great fun with the Yugo. I already can hear their comments about this car if it ever gets into the USA. The car supposedly emits less pollution than a motorcycle. Since two-cycle motorcyles are great polluters, along with 2-cycle lawn mowers, I don’t think that the car will score many green points.
Agreed that most motorcycles are 4-cycle, however, some of the smaller motocycles, mopeds, scooters, etc. are still 2-cycle. Honda, for example, makes several models of 2-cycle bikes, 250 cc and smaller. Their 250 cc 2-cycle motorcycle sells for $6,500, so it isn’t a toy. I’m guessing that there are many 2-cycle motorcycles in India, based on the blue exhaust that I see on news reports of street scenes.
Roughly what my dad paid for our new VW Beetle in 1973. My sister wanted him to order orange. I wanted red. He got light blue. I remember really admiring the Karmann Ghia on display.
I bought my first new car in 1965. The VW bug cost $1,750. I remember than my payments were $75 a month for two years. I sure would like to buy another one just like the pretty blue one that I was so proud of.
In reading the article, it sounded like they were saying that The Nano was a very good product, and something much needed. But that if there were millions of them, this could
overwhelm the country’s roads and create an environmental nightmare.
Not to mention the effect this would have on sessions in the Twin Cities area.
