[Greenbuilding] Tata reveals the world's cheapest car

[Lawrence Lile]

Here is a $2500, 50MPG car that seats five (presumably five people who
haven't been binging on twinkies).  Environmentalists are howling, yet
we are also lauding the Prius, which gets the same mileage and costs ten
times as much.  I could really see using one of these as a commuter car.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_bi_ge/india_ultracheap_car;_yl
t=AnwOyroENom8KMTDQoI1bYOs0NUE

>Tata reveals world's cheapest car

By GAVIN RABINOWITZ, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago

NEW DELHI - For millions of people in the developing world, Tata Motors'
new $2,500 four-door subcompact - the world's cheapest car - may yield a
transportation revolution as big as Henry Ford's Model T.

The potential impact of Tata's Nano has given environmentalists
nightmares, with visions of the tiny cars clogging India's
already-choked roads and collectively spewing millions of tons of carbon
dioxide into the air.

Industry analysts, however, say the car may soon deliver to India and
the rest of the developing world unprecedented mobility.



The basic model, expected to roll off assembly lines later this year,
will sell for 100,000 rupees, or about $2,500, but analysts estimate
customers could pay 20 percent to 30 percent more to cover taxes,
delivery and other charges.



In terms of performance, it doesn't offer much more than the Model T.
The Nano has a two-cylinder 0.6-liter gasoline engine with 33
horsepower, giving it a top speed of about 60 mph, according to Tata. It
gets 50 miles per gallon.