After a few years of admiration and curiosity from afar, it appears the U.S. will welcome another miniature car into the mix.$3000? Well not exactly.
Indian automaker Tata is redesigning their $3,000 Nano minicar for release in the U.S. within the next three years, according to Automotive News.
But in the process of adjusting the car to fit American standards, the Nano will end up losing its incredibly cheap price-tag, the company says. "The structural changes that would need to be made, the changes that would be required as far as emissions are concerned, and some of the features that would be appropriate to add to the vehicle for the North American market, obviously that would drive up the price point," said Tata executive Warren Harris in an interview with the Associated Press.But still.
Tata's billionaire chief, Ratan Tata, said the new features will include power steering, traction control, a bigger engine and "more bells and whistles." With these additions in place, the new Nano Tata would cost around $8,000. If this price were to a hold, it would make the Nano America's cheapest car behind the likes of the Nissan Versa ($11,750) and the Hyundai Accent ($13,205).
Reminiscent of the Citroen CV2 of the 1950's and, of course, the original VW Type 1, affectionally called the "VW Beetle" and the "VW Bug," designed by none other than Dr. Porsche himself as the "people's car, which went into production in 1938." Porsche had already designed a "car for everyone" in 1931 for Zundapp.
Maybe we are coming full circle?
This was the year of the scooter at University of Iowa. Until now, acceptance of scooters as anywhere near "cool" was non-existant. Motorcycle, yes; scooter, no. Now they are parked in front of frats and sorority houses — you know, where the coolest of the cool live.
So I think that a low priced car has a shot here. It's too cold to comfortably ride a scooter here in these parts from late fall to early spring.
5 comments:
this is an example Tom of where I do not see "US hegemony" or "USD hegemony".
This looks like this India firm wants to accrue USD balances and they will do all of this to get them...
say good-bye to much demand for US domestic production when this goes down...
rsp,
Not to worry, Matt. The US drives a hard bargain for access to the US market. India will have to open up to the multinationals, which they have been resisting since it will wipe out the mom & pop enterprises, just as Wal-Mart did in town across the US. And accept US property rights that India has been resisting. Etc.
Tom,
That is not in their best interests imo...
This looks like we are seeing how this works right before our eyes... the mercantilists seek to foment surpluses.
Then once their is surplus (like here with the case of small auto manufacturing output, ie they are creating a surplus of this output in India) once this excess/surplus is created, then they seek to export and accrue balances of foreign currencies and it shuts down segments of the import nations domestic economy... this is baaaad news... rsp,
Matt, the point is that US global finance and the multinational corps see the future in emerging markets and want access there. They put pressure on US politicians to make it happen, including allowing low priced goods into the US, off-shoring, etc.. This keeps inflation down and provides cheap goods for displaced workers who get their wages crammed down.
What "good for America" is not necessarily good for Americans. We can be sure that the US elite is making out on the deal, or it would not be happening.
Well then what we should do Tom is say OK we'll let you bring your small cars in, but, any US citizen who buys one for $8,000 will get an instant $8,000 tax credit... they would STILL do it.
If the elite are making a decision, it is a short term decision that is not in our country's long term interest imo...
rsp,
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