3703 You know the iPod nano, and you've probably heard rumors of a possible Apple-branded "iCar," but there is already an automotive Nano, and it's not an Apple, although it has some Apple-esque design nuances, and can legitimately be considered a car for the rest of - if not us here in North America - at least.for a lot of the rest of the world. And it's really cool.

Yesterday, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, today unveiled the Tata 'NANO', the People's Car from Tata Motors of India, signifying a first for the global automobile industry. To wit: 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. Never heard of Tata Motors? The company is long famous throughout much of the developing world for its heavy duty trucks, also builds conventional sedans, SUVs and pickups, and the company's profile may be on the cusp of being substantially raised in the West since it is pipped as the leading contender to buy Britain's illustrious Jaguar Motors from the beleaguered Ford Motor Corporation.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, Mr. 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."

The Tata Nano 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 easily 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.

The People's Car has a rear-wheel drive, and an all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 horsepower, multi point fuel injection gasoline 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 tires further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly

The People's Car's tailpipe emission performance exceeds tough European 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.

Mr. Tata is quoted commenting:

"It is a four-door car, five-seat, rear engine and in many ways conventionally constructed. What has been done is like (in the case of) door locks, we have the same lock on all four doors, both left hand and right hand. We have some parts that are wing locked from inside.

To remove the engine you can work at from the top, it is in the rear. Probably when you see the car, we have really packaged it rather tightly and I think most of the benefit we got on cost was that we used less steel and we just made the car smaller outside yet big inside.

Will we ever see the Tata Nano here in North America? Not really likely, although the four-door design appeart to this commentator to be more attractive and considerably more practical than that of the Daimler Benz Smart ForTwo minicar that has been marleted here in Canada for the past several years, and is reportedly about to be launched in the U.S. However, with a top speed of only about 60 miles per hour, the Tata Nano, at least with its current engine, whould be simply overwhelmed by North American driving conditions. On the other hand, with the price of gas predicted by some to be headed for US$5.00 a gallon, all bets a reports: off, and it should be quite feasable to put a larger engine in the Nano and enhance its performance.

Mr. Tata does hint at having an eye toward possible marketing in the West in the future, saying: "I think I would rather not look at it geographically. I would say: who might be the buyer of this small car? Let's start at the top. If I were to look in the United States or in Europe, in some of the garages you would have a Bentley or two Bentleys or a high-end Mercedes, and you may find a Smart also in that same garage because that person thinks it’s a fun extra car to have. He may have four cars, but also have a Smart because he thinks it is cute. Doesn't need it, but he may have it...."

Maybe this is the platform Steve Jobs should latch onto to develop an iCar product. Just thinking.....

For more information, visit:
http://www.tatapeoplescar.com

Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with revenues of US $ 7.2 billion in 2006-2007. With over 4 million Tata vehicles plying in India, it is the leader in commercial vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles. It is also the world's fifth largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer and the second largest heavy bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South America. Tata Motors and Fiat Auto have formed an industrial joint venture in India to manufacture passenger cars, engines and transmissions for the Indian and overseas markets; Tata Motors also has an agreement with Fiat Auto to build a pick-up vehicle at Córdoba, Argentina. The company already distributes Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors' international footprint includes Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co. Ltd. in South Korea; Hispano Carrocera, a bus and coach manufacturer of Spain in which the company has a 21% stake; a joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based body-builder of buses and coaches; and a joint venture with Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Company of Thailand to manufacture and market pick-up vehicles in Thailand. Tata Motors has research centres in India, the U.K., and in its subsidiary and associate companies in South Korea and Spain.

For broadcast-standard and streaming quality video content about Tata Motors, log onto:
http:// http://www.thenewsmarket.com/tatamotors


Charles W. Moore

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