Fragile

News of the Tata Nano coming to the U.S.

Pretty much the only impressive thing about the car is its low price. Or is it?

"If the $8,000 price tag holds true, it would cost far less than the $9,970 Hyundai Accent, currently the car with the lowest base sticker price in the U.S., according to the Edmunds.com automotive Web site."

This thing is supposed to sell in India for $2,500, where everyone will finally be able to afford a car to drive to work and increase emissions. The article mentions that the price must be raised to fit safety and environmental improvements to meet regulations in the U.S.

Now, hold on a second. Just how inadequately does a car have to be built for the price to rise more than threefold just by trying to meet regulations? People of India be warned: your skies will be covered in smog and you will die a horrific death when boiling acid comes raining down. That is, if you don't die first from being involved in a car crash in an unsafe car.

The flip side of this discussion is also true. The Hyundai Accident Accent is undeniably a shoddy car, but how can a Nano possibly be only $1,970 less? The Nano looks small enough that I can push it over on its side, and if I kick it, it will probably fall apart. A $2,500 car with $5,500 worth of safety and emissions equipment is, at the end of the day, still a $2,500 car.

"Airbags would have to be added, the roof strengthened and the front bumper lengthened to meet U.S. requirements to limit damage in a 5-mph crash."

Is that... A typo? A 5-mph crash would typically result in some paint chips or a slightly dented bumper, nothing more. Are they saying that without these reinforcements, the Nano would not be able to appropriately withstand a 5-mph crash?

"The Spartan interior, with flat bucket seats, three knobs, a horizontal switch and a steering wheel, also would have to be changed to comply with U.S. safety standards that limit movement of passengers not wearing seat belts."

If that is literally all that is inside the car, I'm baffled as to what the "horizontal switch" does. Is it relevant that it is horizontal? The three knobs are probably the shifter, indicator, and wipers. Since I assume it doesn't have air conditioning at this price point, I have no idea. Does it have a defroster, or do you have to drive with fogged windows on some nights?

And of course, as mentioned on Top Gear: