Aside from the insight that most Indians and Englishmen are die-hard cricket tragics, Mark Tisshaw on Autocar shows how much of a gap there is between the Western world and our perceptions, and the developing world’s needs and values.

According to a cricketing friend of Tisshaw, many Indians are purchasing the Tata Nano to set up taxi businesses. So there is an added dimension to the revolution many of us were expecting in terms of recreational use, family mobility and one’s own slice of luxury.

Surprising? Not if we think about it. The Indians are an enterprising society, and it’s interesting to see that the world’s cheapest car could be turned into a business proposition, getting a good return on investment and providing an additional, ongoing transport option in a populated country on the move.

Whenever I’m next in India, I’m definitely going to see whether there’s any truth in this theory. It’s an intriguing idea and I think we’ll have plenty to observe and learn from as the Tata Nano starts its career. It’s got good prospects so far, and any move to Europe should prove equally curious.

Tata Nano

Continue reading: Tata Nano taxi: the real revolution

Fiat has been busy lately with corporate news and attempted takeovers and mergers, but this is one that could work for the company. Fiat and Tata have joined forces to sell the Tata Nano in South America.

The first Tata Nano has already been delivered in India and the next market for the economic car is South America. Fiat has a huge market in Brasil, its second biggest after Italy, and that country will become the base for the Nano in South America.

The joint sales venture on Nano will also extend to other vehicles to be sold in India, reportedly Ferrari and Maserati, in a total opposite to the cheap Indian car. Ratan Tata has said:

Continue reading: Fiat and Tata in South America sales partnership for Nano

The world of motoring has come a long way in the last century or so, and I sometimes wonder if in the modern world we will ever see the equivalent of the inventions of the past: the first aeroplane, the first car etc.

It is true though, that we are seeing many evolutions which may be mini revolutions in their own right. And one mini motoring revolution that will chance the face of Indian society is that of the Tata Nano.

We’ve seen the Nano crash test, the first Nano test drive and we’ve discussed what this car might mean for a nation of India. A couple of days ago, the first Tata Nano was delivered to the first happy customer.

Continue reading: First Tata Nano delivered

We’ve already posted on the Tata Nano passing the NCAP crash test laws, and here is the video of the test. The success of the Nano passing the test may mean that we could see the small city car commercialised in the European and US markets.

Continue reading: Tata Nano crash test video

In what I think is quite an amazing piece of news given the cynicism of the Western world towards Indian manufacturing, the small Indian city car, Nano, has passed European crash test regulations. The tests were undertaken in Britain, where car safety laws are more stringent then in the Nano’s home country.

With the Tata Nano currently available only in India with a price tag of about 1800 pounds, this small crash success could mean we’ll see “Western” versions soon selling in the US and Europe. India is set to adop the strict NCAP testing rules in three years’ time, and Tata executives are very happy with the results.

Only time will tell whether the car will be successful in Western markets, but after Autocar’s test drive endorsement and these new results, in a world of economic crisis that may change consumer patterns, the car is well on its way to being, at the least, acceptable.

Source | Autocar

Continue reading: Tata Nano passes European crash test

Wow, is about all I can say to this video. The guys from Autocar have given the Tata Nano about the most important endorsement it could probably have, and we could really be seeing a modern revolution, which is something we haven’t seen much of late.

Despite its unbelievable price - about 1,500 euros, the Tata Nano drives and feels like a real car. And the most important thing is that the designers have done exactly what they needed to do; design a cheap and economical small car that will revolutionise motoring in India.

The 650 cc and 110 km/hr top speed are nothing special, and there’s no power steering (it’s starting to sound like the car I drive!). But everything is in its place and there’s no fancy additions to “disenfranchise” the scooter owners who are the one’s likely to take on this proposition. Watch the video, it’s worth it.

Source | Autoblog.com

Continue reading: Autocar test drives the Tata Nano in India

There’s an atmosphere of crisis in the Indian facilities of Tata where controversy has put a spanner in the works of Nano production.

The Singur plant has been blockaded by farmers from the area who have decided not to cede 162 hectares of terrain destined for factory expansion. The West Bengal government hasn’t reached an agreement with the workers, and won’t be using force to prevent the protests, as occurred a year ago.

Given the situation production has been stopped and while waiting for developments, Tata has threatened the local government with moving production to other areas if a solution cannot be reached in the near future. Keeping manufacturing in India will be essential to maintaining production costs at 100,000 rupies, the famous 1,700 euros so talked about.

Source | Ilsole24ore (thanks to derek for the tip)

Continue reading: Tata Nano production halted after protests

The revolution of the Indian “people’s car” continues as the Tata Nano still hasn’t finished it’s international debut. The petrol 33hp engine will soon be accompanied by a compressed air unit developed with the French over at MDI.

The engine, according to the company, emits a third of the CO2 emissions of an internal combustion engine. The cold air, compressed to 300 atmospheres, enters opposite tanks, is heated and moved to a piston engine which is then activated by the expansion of gases, which happens without any prior combustion.

Continue reading: The Tata Nano could see a compressed air engine