Cheap transportation

[Towntalk]

Thanks for putting the picture up Jay.

I fully agree with you that this is a run-about car that would be handy for chores that don't require a SUV like grocery shopping trips and going back and forth to work. Certainly it wouldn't do for long trips.

[jay]

I saw this car on TV last night.  The tires are just a little bigger than the tires on a golf cart.  Actually the car looks like a golf cart with a fancy body over it.  The car would be good for short trips in one's neighborhood.

Here is a photo from the web.

[northside lurker]

They can't be sold in the US because they don't meet our safety standards.  I've heard that, if they were built to meet our safety standards, they would cost about $10,000.

[Towntalk]

Detailed Information about the Nano

http://www.business-standard.com/india/nano/

[Towntalk]

I'm sure that by now you have read about the Tata Nano, the worlds cheapest car that will price out at $1,979.00 that's being made in India.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7957671.stm
(Photo and video at this link)

The basic model has no airbags, air conditioning, radio, or power steering. However, more luxurious versions will be available. A slightly bigger European version, the Nano Europa is due to follow in 2011, and is expected to cost nearer to £4,000. The maximum speed is 65 mph. Tata hopes the 10-foot (3-metre) long, five-seater car will be cheap enough to encourage millions of Indians to trade up from their motorcycles.

Needless to say it's a very basic transportation car absent all the extras that drive the price of cars through the roof, but could it catch on here in America as a second car?

Why is it that innovations like this are coming out of other countries and not right here in America?

Think about the jobs a company making cars like this could bring to the valley.