tata

Press, Indian public give Tata's Nano good marks

Sure, there was the occasional wisecrack. "Its 623cc engine whines like a little blender when pushed to its top speed of 65 mph," said a British reviewer in The Guardian. But when Tata Motors rolled out its tiny Nano last week in India, most reviewers cheered.

"It's a credible car that does the job brilliantly for its target customers and in the process trounces much more expensive cars in areas like passenger space," said Autocar India, a trade publication.

The Indian public, which won't see the cars in significant numbers until summer, mobbed journalist … Read more

Test driving the Tata Nano

With the Tata Nano finally on the road (in India), first impressions are starting to roll in from all over the web. Here's the elevator pitch: a rear mounted 623 cc two cylinder engine outputing 33 horsepower to the comically small rear wheels. However, what makes the Nano interesting is that it retails for about $2,000.

So what does the world's cheapest new car feel like on the road? Check the video to find out.

Tata Motors revs up its Nano plans

An update has been added to this story. See below for details.

The Tata Nano may be small in stature, but it could be a big deal for car buyers in India.

Mumbai-based automaker Tata Motors on Monday announced that the time has come for the commercial launch of the Nano, a diminutive design intended to put four-wheeled transportation in the driveways of ever more Indian families. Some analysts also say the Nano signals positive development in the Indian auto industry.

"Nano is good for India. It marks the country's coming of age," Abdul Majeed, auto analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, told ZDNet Asia in a phone interview.

When it unveiled the Nano in January 2008, Tata billed it as "the people's car," a step up from overcrowded, unsheltered scooters. (On Monday, for whatever reason, the "people's car" phrase was not to be found on the company's press material or the Tata Web site.)

That remains the driving notion behind the car. "It is to the credit of the team at Tata Motors that a car once thought impossible by the world is now a reality," Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said in a statement Monday. "I hope it will provide safe, affordable, four-wheel transportation to families who till now have not been able to own a car."

Just 3 meters long by 1.5 meters wide by 1.6 meters high (about 10 feet long by 5 feet wide and tall), the Tata Nano provides what the company says is "an incredibly spacious passenger compartment which can comfortably seat four adults." The company goes on:

The Tata Nano has the smallest exterior footprint for a car in India but is 21 percent more spacious than the smallest car available today. A high seating position makes ingress and egress easy. Its small size coupled with a turning radius of just 4 meters makes it extremely maneuverable in the smallest of parking slots.

… Read more

U.K. commissions 'green' Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has received a grant worth 27 million pounds--more than $37 million--to mass-produce a "green" crossover vehicle.

The car will be a street version--or a more practical variation--of the LRX concept vehicle that Jaguar Land Rover debuted at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2008.

The concept version was a hybrid 2-liter turbo diesel crossover vehicle, combining features of a car and an SUV. The concept got about 50 mpg on average, according to its specs.

Jaguar Land Rover's announcement comes as the U.K. government held a meeting Wednesday … Read more

World's cheapest car, from Tata, set for production

Here's a good way to build a cheap car: take out the airbags, power steering, rear seat belts, antilock brakes, and most cylinders, all frills, and other standard safety equipment. Do that and you'll end up with a four-door, four-seater, 33-hp two-cylinder car that you can sell to a hungry market with decidedly low expectations for about 100,000 rupees ($1,988). This still seems kind of expensive when you consider that you can buy a new Kia Rio for $10,000.

Often called the Model T of the 21st century, the Tata Nano is expected to go into production for the growing Indian automotive market on March 23, with orders being accepted in April.… Read more

76: When is a hybrid a fraud?

Electric Mini's, cars that run on air, hybrids that aren't and a test drive that almost puts Wayne to sleep! Listen now: Download today's podcast

Video: Tata Nano

From the size to the price--and possibly the build quality--everything about Tata's new two-cylinder ecomobile is "nano." It may not have a radio or power windows, but it proves that four wheels don't need to cost anywhere near five figures.

Click here for our coverage of the 2008 Geneva auto show.

Photos: Compact cars in Geneva

Small is big in the automotive world lately as new and existing manufacturers scramble to downsize in the face of tough emissions regulations and changing consumer tastes. At this week's Geneva auto show, we took a look at some of the latest micro cars destined for forecourts around the world. Check out our photos.

Click here for our coverage of the 2008 Geneva auto show.

106 mpg Air Car to come to U.S. by 2010

A company named Zero Pollution Motors says it plans to bring a car powered by air to the U.S. sometime in 2009 or 2010. The six pistons in the Air Car's engine are pushed by compressed air rather than gasoline combustion, an idea developed by F1 race car engineer Guy Negre. The car carries a compressor, making it possible to fill its compressed air tank by plugging it into an electrical outlet. At low speeds, the engine is cranked solely by air from the tank. At high speeds, it uses gasoline to heat a chamber, giving the air … Read more