Tata Motors — the leading candidate for the purchase of Ford’s Jaguar and Land Rover brands — will unveil the world’s lowest priced car early next month at the Auto Expo in New Delhi. The car will bow on January 10th, with sales expected to follow sometime in mid to late 2008.
Tata is keeping fairly tight lipped about its new economy car, but it is expected to have a rear engine, rear-drive setup. The car will first be sold in the Indian market, and then will likely spread to other markets.
Tata claims the new “people’s car” will retail for $2,500 (100,000 rupees), but analysts think the price of production will bump the price to around $3,000.
Nissan is also considering building an inexpensive car — stickering for $3,000 — that could eventually make it to the U.S.



12/21, 9:09 AM
posted by:
MikeFX
What, no comments about this yet? What is everybody out Christmas shopping? There’s still 3 more days!
12/21, 9:15 AM
posted by:
casualobserver
Hmmm. Not a smart marketing move, even if it is a different brand. If slumming around with Ford wasn’t enough to kill the cat, this sure will be.
Too bad. Their new cars are just getting them back to having a product that can compete with the best in class.
12/21, 9:30 AM
posted by:
441Zuke
i wouldn’t trust my life to this car i would feel safer making toast in a bath tub
12/21, 9:48 AM
posted by:
Ward Cleaver
Well, at least we know where our recycled Coke cans and milk jugs are going.
12/21, 10:00 AM
posted by:
cwwilson
Eh I’ll pass, thanks. :\
12/21, 10:05 AM
posted by:
autonut
India has no road infrastructure to speak of. They are driving around potholes size of 105mm howitzer explosion. Size and sturdiness of the vehicle does not matter since they will never attain velocity to injure its occupants (if they will sit inside under umbrella). The real danger is from runaway donkey. The national speed limit is 36 mph, which can not be reached anyway.
Please don’t play with toaster in the bathtub: use your weenie instead: it is much safer and except for possible prescription of reading glasses after frequent bathing has no side effects
12/21, 10:07 AM
posted by:
CA36GTP
Welcome to your local Tata dealership, home of the Jaguar Patel and the Tata Deathbed.
12/21, 10:11 AM
posted by:
Veda
Yea, bad news cause the more people can afford cars in third world countries, the more pollution we get. But heck that’s one sweet business venture that I wouldn’t mind having right now.
12/21, 10:22 AM
posted by:
Get Real
India is a “developing nation”.
It is exempt from Kyoto or any other “climate change treaty”. Make all the cars you want, however you want.
We in the US have to pay for our EPA/NTSB garbage filled cars.
12/21, 10:29 AM
posted by:
SwerveEarly
These types pf cars may be the worst thing possible from an environnmental point of view.
I could just imagine the quality they will be peddling w/this crap. These POS will be spewing smog everywhere by the time their broken in. And the idea is to sell 100s of milloins of these like bicycles in Asia. Do the math its poor countries, which means crappy fuel that doesnt burn clean, jerry rigged maintenance, w/a POS car equals smog disaster. Certain times of the year in the big cities in Phillipines people walk around all day with dust masks on now and nobody has cars. And this **** is goiing on in a bunch of the major metro areas thru out Asia.
12/21, 10:31 AM
posted by:
CA36GTP
It strikes me that from an environmental standpoint it would make the most sense to try to regulate “developing nations”, as they are the ones entering the early industrial stages of dirty power generation and manufacturing.
Of course, “climate change treaties” have nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with crippling free-market economies in the name of sociaIist government, so yea.
12/21, 11:17 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
I’m willing to bet that with this announcement enrolment in Indian law schools has just risen exponentially.
12/21, 11:41 AM
posted by:
F451
I am certain that this is a misprint, and that they are referring to the new $2,500 Tata golf cart.
12/21, 11:56 AM
posted by:
sharpie
Or $2,500 riding lawnmower
12/21, 12:58 PM
posted by:
LP640
HA HA HA HA HA JUST THE THINGS FOR LLN’S LOCAL REDNECKS. START SAVING UP YOUR BOTTLE CAPS RETARDS !!
12/21, 1:42 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Ca36: or the upscale Patel Gupta!
Veda: Good point.
12/21, 1:48 PM
posted by:
LP640
Turkey****, i think they made this corvette rival just for you, moron
12/22, 7:11 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
So…how quickly do people die in these so-called cars when they are involved in an accident? Instantly? Most probably, yes.
12/24, 12:46 AM
posted by:
gekko71
God Help Us
12/24, 7:16 PM
posted by:
tripleonefive
it will still be better than a GM
12/26, 11:39 PM
posted by:
zoomzoomr
Let Tata bring out a $25,000 Jaguar XKR.. then we’ll talk
01/07, 12:56 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
1115: yeah, right!