Taking its first step towards western markets, the diminutive Tata Nano has passed its first round of European crash tests. The Nano was put through its paces at Europe’s MIRA test center, passing both offset and front crash standards.
The Nano was put through a 40 percent offset crash and a 35 mph frontal impact crash test and reportedly passed with flying colors. Although European standards are more stringent than India’s crash test laws, India will adopt Europe’s standards in just three years, indicating Tata likely designed the Nano with those laws in mind.
“We’ve conducted these tests in India already, so we knew the car would pass,” Dr. Clive Hickman, Tata’s head of engineering, told Autocar. “But it’s still a great moment.”
NCAP testing is next on the docket for the Nano, with Tata executives confident of a four-star rating. If all goes to plan, Tata could begin marketing the Nano in Europe and the United States by 2012.
