Tata to take Nano to Europe in 2012

Four years to go until the Tata Nano hits Europe by storm, according to Tata. The self-proclaimed world’s cheapest car at a suggested price of €1,722/ USD 2,500 has an initial production plan of 250,000.

The main stumbling block to Euro entry will be stringent crash standards and Euro 5 emission standards. "We will develop a successor model in four years time, which will meet the Euro 5 emission regulations and the crash standards in Europe," Girish Wagh, head of Tata’s compact car division, was quoted as saying by German weekly Focus.

Another target is to reduce the average fuel consumption from 5 litres per 100km (62.5 miles). Initially the Nano will be marketed and sold in developing countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and Asia. It’s therefore questionable whether the rich western European countries even have a need for such a vehicle, unless Eastern Europe is the initial target. No doubt other auto makers are monitoring this situation closely to see how it all plays out for Tata. Should the pickings prove real and ripe we may see more follow suit with their own versions.