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$3,000 Tata Nano Car Coming To US

Posted by samzenpus on from the getting-small dept.

walterbyrd writes "The Nano is currently powered by a 37 hp two-cylinder engine and lacks common safety features such as power steering, traction control and airbags. It was originally designed to compete in the Indian market against scooters and motorcycles. . . Along with added safety equipment, it's likely the car will get a larger, less polluting engine for export markets. Unfortunately, that means the price will increase, as well, possibly tripling by the time it goes on sale in the U.S.."

5 of 658 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Power steering isn't a safety feature. by timeOday · · Score: 5, Informative

    In 1990 the number of deaths per mile driven was 30 percent higher than it is now.

  2. Re:OK, triple the price by TheSync · · Score: 5, Informative

    The VW Beetle came to the US, if memory serves, at $1666 in 1960s dollars.

    Inflation Calculator says "What cost $1666 in 1960 would cost $12476.90 in 2011."

  3. Re:Good by artor3 · · Score: 5, Informative

    What a load of nonsense. There are plenty of used cars to be had. According to Wikipedia, there are around 200 million passenger cars registered in the US. And that doesn't include the 8 million motorcycles and 40 million light trucks.

    So, around 0.3% of them were destroyed, and you're gonna spout some conspiracy nonsense about evil Islamo-Commie Obama making it impossible for poor people to find used cars?

    I don't know where you got that crap from, but you need to stop listening to that source. They're poisoning you with lies.

  4. Re:Power steering isn't a safety feature. by Zalbik · · Score: 5, Informative

    Citation needed. Crash tests I've seen for Smarts show that they are quite survivable.

    Correct. Crash tests against fixed barriers (the standard test quoted by manufacturers), indicate good survivability.

    However, crash tests against even mid-sized sedans indicate very poor results for a smart car:
      http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr041409.html

    Keep in mind that cars are typically manufactured to specifically perform well on the standardized barrier crash-test. It's similar to how CPU's are designed to specifically perform well on standardized benchmarks.

    Damnit, I just used a computer analogy in a story about cars....somehow, that just...feels....wrong.....

  5. Re:Power steering isn't a safety feature. by jabberw0k · · Score: 5, Informative

    You need to leave even more space. Two seconds behind the car in front of you. And if he is tail-gating, his two seconds; and if the car in front of him is tail-gating, another two seconds again. Once you leave that six seconds in front of you, not enough cars can pass you to fill the space, so you can easily keep a five or six second gap. Try it. Works for me, has for decades.