By SN
Saturday January 16, 2010
Consumerist Jan. 16, 2010:
Back in the early ’00s, I saw Smart cars zipping around my neighborhood in France and thought, “Europe is so weird! They’d never sell those in the US.” But I was wrong. And the relative success of tiny cars like the Mini Cooper and, the Smart fortwo has led to the inevitable. The world’s cheapest car, India’s Tata Nano, is coming to America and Europe in about three years.
The Nano sells for about $2,500 USD in India, and will be more robust and safer before it shows up on the American and European markets. But it’ll still be tiny, and cheaper than a base-model Hyundai Accent, currently the cheapest new car on the US market.
FYI, the Hyundai Accent lists for about $13,000, so will they price the Tata Nano for less than 10 grand?
In urban environments, there need to be fewer automobiles not more even though the vehicles themselves might be smaller.
Tata may be trying to sell this as a commuter car. That’s all this Nano can be right now … no trunk space, luxuries etc. It will probably find a niche and might be a leader in a new market segment.
There is a video of a head on collision between a Smart Car and a Mercedes-Benz, both made by Daimler-Benz. The Smart Car is lifted UP and goes BACKWARD. Can you imagine the g’s – deceleration, stopping and then backwards? The Nano is probably lighter and will turn into a pinball in real world accident scenes. There shouldn’t be such a larger variance in mass for automobiles.
Also there needs to be good pavement wherever that car is driven.
Considering that the executives at the big Three are of the same crop as the NBC executives I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
I have to chuckle every time I see a Smart car. They look like a Tonka Toy.
Hmmm, interesting comments from all the Americans.
The Ford F-Series is the number one selling vehicle in the US:
- 225 million Americans live in urban settings, 60 million in rural
- I’m guessing some of those trucks aren’t for construction and farming
- Blue books show the F-Series depreciates $7,000 to $10,000 when you drive it off the lot (varies by state)
- The 5 year maintenance and fuel costs are 6 times higher than a Corolla
- Let’s not even talk insurance and financing
- The new F-Series has heated cup holders. Couldn’t make it to the soccer field with out that…
You can drive whatever you want, but don’t tell me there’s rational reasons for driving that much steel.
Small things amuse small minds. Which explains why so many of the denier / right wing nut crowds are amused.
Mr Fusion, I’m guessing “compensation”.
The great thing about cars that are small, is the ability to raise all kinds of hell in one, and not ever exceed 35 miles an hour. Fond memories of my 1968 Volkswagen Beetle.
#24=qb-You can drive whatever you want, but don’t tell me there’s rational reasons for driving that much steel.
What does it matter if there is a rational reason or not? If you you can afford a F-Series whose to say you can’t drive it?
Certainly not me.
#25 Odd, conFusion writing about his fixations. While on the subject of small brains, was yours that small or were you a victim of an Amazonian tribe?
#2 The Smart car demonstration you saw was on “Top Speed.” The car did not fold up like a pretzel, but the occupants would still be dead. Ram an SUV into a jersey wall straight on at 70 mph and the result would be the same. When a car comes to a sudden halt due to an immovable object the consequences are usually severe.
#5 Assume that making it street legal in the U.S. adds 5k to the cost. A $7500 car would have many buyers. Cars have become stupidly expensive, mostly due to extra size that Americans seem to love. There is plenty of room at the lower end of the spectrum. There are a lot of people who live in big cities.
#12 I don’t think we know for certain how this car is engineered, but I wouldn’t assume poor reliability. As a car gets bigger it tends to be more unreliable. Size matters, big vehicles tend to have many more reliability issues because the parts are subjected to so much stress.
Asian car companies have been making small cars and dominating for decades. American car companies have tried to jam SUVs down consumers’ throats. Guess who is winning? Any reason to assume the trend won’t continue?
And your point Dodd?
pedro, death by snu snu?
How can anyone with measurable self-respect drive one of these pieces of shit? Fine for non-American peasants, but come on – get serious about life, please.
#24 “You can drive whatever you want, but don’t tell me there’s rational reasons for driving that much steel.”
Try pulling a boat with this little thing, or a 30 ft camper, or just about any type of trailer. I see F-series trucks pulling things all the time.
I also see many F-series trucks hauling the kid’s furniture to and from college, lumber to build that tree house, and motorcycles, go-carts, ATVs, Jet skis, snowmobiles.
All very rational reasons to be driving that much steel.
As long as American car companies insist on making big vehicles they will continue to get trounced in the market. That’s great news!
#34 Your “motorcycles, go-carts, ATVs, Jet skis, snowmobiles” are all optional accessories. There are uses for trucks and SUVs, but the production of these vehicles is all out of proportion to legitimate uses. Most big vehicles are not hauling many people or used as work vehicles. Thankfully, market forces that conservatives love so much are driving consumers away from stupidly large vehicles.
#33 Power to weight ratio, buddy. Small cars will win eventually. Toyota puts a conscious zit-factor into every Prius. That will change. Electric motors provide instant on torque, and smaller size provides more dynamic response. Look at the Tata(super name, btw) as a baby-step towards the next new car reality.
#35: There are things you can *NEVER* do with a small car, some of which you listed. For those of us who do those things on a semi-regular basis, having a small car is pointless because they can never fulfill our needs. A bigger vehicle, while it may not always be used for those purposes, can do the job when the job needs to be done.
#31-qb-And your point Dodd?
The point is too many people assume they have the right to tell others what they can and can’t buy.
Take you for instance, in a backdoor cowardly sort of way you degrade someone because they might want to purchase a F-Series vehicle. Frankly, it’s none of your business especially since you have no financial stake in the decision.
Socialist are such nannies.
I apologize for degrading you Dodd.
#32 I’ve had my suspicions about conFused being that (makes sense, what with his nickname and all). I’ve imagined conFusion & Dullas but I didn’t know you swung that way too.
#37 said: “Socialist are such nannies.”
Let me fix that for you: Socialist are such ninnies.
#38-qb-I apologize for degrading you Dodd.
I forgive you, but my F-150 tends to carry a grudge.