The People's Car from Tata Motors.

[eldaec]

You also have to remember that this is being sold as a alternative for families of 4 travelling on a scooter. It isn't competing with 'other cars' it is competing with 'not owning a car'.

As for making it legal in the US, you'd undoubtedly have to do some work, because the US safety standards are very different to the rest of the world (the US requires protection from different types of accident - basically you're safer in the US from head on collision, but not so much from off-centre or side impacts), but the engine would probably be fine. It is impossible to understate how much the motor industry uses the US as a dumping ground for inefficient engines. I've no doubt you could tweak this engine, or introduce a modified version that would meet western legal requirements.

On emissions it meets Euro IV. Which means it is almost certainly close enough to be tweaked to meet whatever market you wanted to sell in.

Clearly it won't, however, be sold in the US or Europe. Because if Tata even wanted to enter either market they'd have so much headroom on pricing that they'd be daft not to bring along something bigger.

[tkinnun0]

That car brings to mind two things:

• Oil at 200$ a barrel.
• A morbidly funny Top Gear crash test waiting to be filmed.

[Strazos]

I'd give the car a shot if I had a chance. I pretty much only drive on surface roads, and the MPG rating would be sweet.

[Merusk]

And there's the "whoops" again.

The Ameri-centric thinking.  My point was, they obviously don't give a flying fuck about the US.  And with good reason, car sales are competitive enough here with several companies hanging on by what seems to be only luck and a prayer. (I'm looking at you specifically, Chrysler)

They're the largest automobile manufacturer in India, and that's where the car's for.  Oh noes, it doesn't appeal to Americans and doesn't meet their safety standards!  It's not meant to.  Ever.  It's a car for crowded cities in India, where getting up to 65mph is probably moving way too fast.

[Venkman]

Trippy's point about emissions and crash safety are big hurdles. I was more talking about the general appeal of them to the American crowd, but you can't consider having them here without those other factors.

So, change their classification to a motorcycle with a roof I live in the Northeast. Highway speeds are there to piss people off by telling them how fast they could theoretically go. If they worked third shift, or everyone else went away...

Again too, this assumes these are road worthy, and not just some contrived prototype for a press conference that's leaving the staff engineers scratching their heads.

[eldaec]

Trippy's point about emissions and crash safety are big hurdles.

Not really any more than they are for every other car.

Every non-US car needs rejigging for the US, and every US car needs a bit of rework for non-US sales.

It's more that the US insists on different standards, rather than higher standards. Similarly what US customers value most (size & comfort for crusing on straight roads) is just plain different to what is valued everywhere else (acceleration, handling, comfort in city driving and on roads with corners). And despite that, most car companies can modify their products fairly easily, I don't see anything here that is inherently difficult to modify for the US if they wanted to.

When you think about it, it's pretty remarkable that US based companies own as much of the global motor industry as they do, given how disconnected US vehicles are from the pretty broad agreement on standards and the fairly consistent customer demand everywhere else.

[MahrinSkel]

The last time Americans looked at a dirt-cheap car and said "That's so fugly people will never buy it" was the Beetle.    There's a market for "dirt cheap", even in the US.  For people who can only afford a $2500 car, this is going to look like a pretty good alternative to a 10+ year old car.  If it doesn't have the shitty, unreliable power train of the Yugo, I'd expect to see these running around every college town and concentrated metro area.

--Dave

[Signe]

Put a little wagon behind it and it's still cheaper than a golf cart!

[Morat20]

That car brings to mind two things:

• Oil at 200$ a barrel.
• A morbidly funny Top Gear crash test waiting to be filmed.

I haven't verified this, but my father mention oil futures for December are almost that high. He claimed it was based on this new car. If several million people (or several tens of millions of people) can now suddenly afford a car, they're going to want gas for it -- driving up demand.

I'm thinking 200 a barrel is a little high -- they have to be able to afford to fill their tank, after all. I suspect the car won't be the price bottleneck, but the gasoline that powers it.

[JoeTF]

Wonder if you can use it on LPG, CNC or good ol' cooking oil.

[Raging Turtle]

$2,500?  Psssh, this one is only $1,100!

Introduced to the nation in an ad aired during Super Bowl XXXV, the Whim's "Hi.... And Bye" spot features a rapid-fire succession of slogans touting advantages of the new car, including "Enjoy That New-Car Smell All The Time," "No Rust, No Repairs, No Fooling," and "Never Pay For A Car Wash Again. In Fact, We Urge You Not To Wash The Whim, As Hot Water Can Melt The Glue Holding The Frame Together."

 

[Lantyssa]

In the three US cities I've lived in for any appreciable amount of time (San Diego, Austin, and now Houston) I doubt I would have opportunity to use one of these things even once a week. These are medium to big cities where affordable and safe housing is often many freeway miles from work. I suspect a lot of other people are in the same situation.

Welcome to the Houston contingent of f13!  We're up to a whopping three.

I could get away with one of these, but I rarely have to get on the major freeways.  Most Houstonians would have troubles with road safety, especially with the number of oversized SUVs and trucks here.

[Signe]

Tatas are boobies, you know.