The car that has all of Detroit talking

[doh]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...N.htm?csp=N008


Tiny Tata has all of Detroit talking


Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY
DETROIT — The most talked-about car at the Detroit auto show is a car that isn't here, and isn't intended to ever be sold in U.S. showrooms.
It's the Tata Nano, a car that will cost just $2,500 and was unveiled last week at a car show in India. The bare-bones vehicle is meant not as an aspirational car but as a safer replacement for mopeds, which can even be seen carrying small families around neighborhoods in India.


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Some say the Nano could be a revolutionary car that could change the developing world.

Even if it runs on just 7-inch wheels.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Detroit | India | Ford | Nissan | Renault | Nano | Photos | John Parker | Carlos Tavares | Ratan
The Nano could repeat what automakers in the past — like Ford (F) with its Model T and Volkswagen with the Beetle — did successfully: Build a car that the masses can afford to buy.

"Cars like that could be the new Volkswagen," says Ken DeWoskin, a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers' Detroit office. "They could have a huge impact on the world."

The Nano came up in conversations all over the North American International Auto Show here, and there were even rumors that it was on display in a small showroom in the basement of Cobo Hall, the area where the Chinese automakers and specialty carmakers have their stands.

The big automakers are taking notice.

"They are going to create a whole new market," says John Parker, executive vice president for Asia Pacific and Africa for Ford Motor. "It's a different mindset, a different attitude. They're going to break through the paradigms."

Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, (GM) says he's being careful not to dismiss the car simply because it is cheap and minimalist.

"In the developed world, we kind of miss the point," he says. "We think, 'How would that car do in a crash test?' But we miss the point that it's better than being in a crash in a two-wheeler."

As Tata Motors chief Ratan Tata explained in a press release last week: "I observed families riding on two-wheelers — the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family."

Despite the show chatter, a car like the Nano likely won't be sold here any time soon. Stricter U.S. safety and emissions standards would drive up the price.

"I don't think in America there is an appetite for that kind of vehicle," Ford's Parker says. But in India, "If somebody's offering a vehicle that's a little more safe, even if it doesn't meet all of our first-world requirements, it could do well."

[doh]

Originally Posted by doh

Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, (GM) says he's being careful not to dismiss the car simply because it is cheap and minimalist.

"In the developed world, we kind of miss the point," he says. "We think, 'How would that car do in a crash test?' But we miss the point that it's better than being in a crash in a two-wheeler."

"

Great point.

[BigAls87Z28]

That quote by Rick was amazing. GM needs to stop thinking inside the Box of Detroit and outwards when it comes to these markets.

[t-rex]

Again, I think it's obvious the raison d'etre of the Nano, even without Mr. Tata's explanation, was to provide an alternative to two-wheelers. So I think it's silly that anyone would compare the Nano to normal cars.

I'm wondering if Tata have their eye on exports to Vietnam, with its huge motorcycle and scooter market...

[GrandPrix08]

I don't like small cars, and if they ever have plans to export them into North America, they should really think about safety first. I don't think any foreign makes can make it into the North American market with only the low price in mind. Sure, they will sell, but if the cars fail the crash tests like those Chinese cars did, more consumers will ignore them if they ever makes it into US/Canada. If they can make it as safe as Smart Car did(which fared well I heard), then they have the chance.

[prowlerjc]

^I wouldn't worry too much about them being sold here.