Tata Nano: The World’s Cheapest Car

After months of delay, Indian auto maker Tata Motors will finally launch the world’s cheapest car on March 23. At only 100,000-rupee ($2,005), the sporty-looking four-door Tata Nano is cheaper than many laptop computers. Dubbed as the "people’s car", this minicar is not only super cheap and super tiny. It is also super efficient.

The Tata Nano is 122 inches long, shorter than a Honda Fit by three feet and narrower by six inches. Space is maximized by placing the wheels at the far corners of the minicar and mounting the engine under the rear seat. The roof is unusually high to accommodate an upright seating position.

Tata’s major challenge was to keep the cost down for budget consumers in emerging markets. It was partly solved using a number of unique touches. The car’s instrument cluster, which only houses a fuel gauge and an odometer, is centrally mounted so it can easily be adjusted for right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive countries. Additionally, the door handles are also identical on both sides to trim costs. The Tata Nano also makes do with a non-articulated, although big, windshield wiper.

The Tata Nano’s powertrain is designed not so much toward drag racing but more toward fuel saving. It is powered by an aluminum two-cylinder, 623cc engine that makes 33-hp. It should be economical enough to manage 50 mpg. It is mated to a four-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.

Image Source: Tata Motors

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