The first details on Indian automaker Tata’s Nana Europa model have been announced, giving us a closer idea of what the car might be like when it arrives in the U.S. in 2012. Famous for being the world’s cheapest car, the Nano sells for $2,000 in India, but the European model will cost far more than that at around $6,500 to $8,000 (£4000 – £5000) due to safety upgrades, creature comforts and a more powerful engine.

The body of the car is made entirely of steel, with a length of 3300mm or 130-inches. By comparison the Smart fortwo is 106-inches long – or two feet shorter than the Nano. Under the hood there’s a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine making 60-hp, up from the 35-hp unit used in India. A five-speed manual transmission is standard – an upgrade from the 4-speed unit in India.

Impressively it gets a fully-independent front and rear suspension, as well as ABS, traction control, electric power steering and two airbags.

The Nano Europa is expected to go on sale in Europe in 2011, with scheduled sales in the U.S. in 2012. Pricing in the U.S. is expected to be at or below $8,000.

GALLERY: Tata Nano Europa Concept Debut in Geneva

[Source: Autocar]

Well, here’s an exciting follow-up to yesterday’s story about the launch of the new Tata Nano in India; Tata is looking to bring the $2,000 Nano to the U.S.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Tata boss Ratan Tata is hoping to take advantage of the worldwide recession by bringing affordable (and we mean REALLY affordable) cars to markets worldwide, including North America.

Tata told the Times that this decision is a serious one and that no one at the company is taking the possibility of expansion into the U.S. lightly. “The US is very unforgiving of mistakes,” he said.

As for meeting strict U.S. emissions and safety requirements, that actually shouldn’t be too difficult as Tata has already announced that it plans to sell the Nano in Europe in 2011.

That year could also be the first year of U.S. Nano sales.

As for the car itself, the Nano is powered by a 624cc 2-cylinder engine that makes just 35hp and 35 ft-lbs of torque. Tata claims an average  fuel-economy rating of 55.5 mpg according to the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), giving it the highest rating of any gasoline car in India.

The car is tiny, just 10.2-feet long, 4.9-feet wide and 5.3-feet high, giving it the smallest dimensions of any vehicle on the road in India. It is, however, 21 percent more spacious inside than the current smallest car.

Despite the size, Tata insists the Nano is very safe due to a reinforced passenger compartment, crumple zones, intrusion resistant doors, as well as the mandatory seat belts. The Nano exceeds all safety requirements in India and even passes a roll-over test and offset impact test which are not required.

Tata did not release any info on what U.S. pricing would be, but it is expected to be significantly higher than the base $2,000 price, as base models in India come without heat or air conditioning.

[Source: FinancialTimes]

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan N. Tata announced that the company has created a model that will be exported to European markets – including Europe. The Indian car company unveiled this new model, the Tata Nano Europa at the Geneva Auto Show yesterday.

“In India,  the Nano will be launched on March 23, and the cars will be on display at company dealerships from the first week of April,” said Mr. Tata. “The  Nano has also generated wide interest in developed countries, since its unveiling in Delhi and its presentation here last year. We are delighted to present the Nano Europa for future launch in such markets.”

The Nano Europa is just 3.29 meters long (roughly 10.8 feet) and is 1.58 meters wide (roughly 5.2-feet). It features a slightly longer wheelbase than the standard model, for better handling as well as better interior space.

A more refined interior is also a part of the package.

The Nano Europa will be powered by a 3-cylinder aluminum engine mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. No output numbers are available but Tata says the engine will be class-leading – in terms of fuel-economy anyway.

Tata did say that the Europa already meets all European safety regulations, due to its energy absorbing design, air bags and use the of both ABS and stability control.

GALLERY: Tata Nano Europa

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