Tata Motors' Nano, the $2,000 car debuts

India's Tata Motors is making good on its promise to sell a $2,000 to $2,500 car, the Nano.

Depending on whom you talk to, this is really great news or an environmental catastrophe.

(Images: A hot little red Nano. And a yellow Nano interior. Credit: Tata Motors.)

For folks in Hawai'i, it's interesting news, but hardly important—it will be a long time before a Nano is available here, it will need to have a bunch of improved features to meet U.S. safety standards, and it will certainly cost a lot more.

But what it is, is interesting.

There are three models. It's a little over nine feet long, and weighs 1,320 pounds.

By comparison, a Honda Civic is more than 14 feet long and weighs 2,600 or so pounds.

The Nano seats four and has a two-cylinder engine. The gas tank holds 15 liters of fuel, about four gallons. The Nano comes with seat belts, but not air bags.

It has been touted as Tata's “city car,” an inexpensive vehicle to get Indian families off motorbikes.

Top speed is 65 miles an hour. Fuel economy is 55 miles to the gallon.

The Civic gets 29 to 34 miles to the gallon. It has air bags, air conditioning and a pile of other features not found in the ultra-budget Nano.

For folks on a tight, tight budget who absolutely need a car, the Nano may be a godsend.

Environmental groups say that putting millions of cars in the hands of folks who would otherwise not be driving cars at all, will create traffic, fuel, environmental and other issues that could cause untold problems.

Tata will begin taking orders next month and says it will deliver the first Nanos in July.

©2009 Jan TenBruggencate