Tata's 2,500-dollar compact car to be light and fuel efficient

New Delhi - India's Tata Motors said that its 2,530-dollar automobile, expected to roll off assembly lines by mid-2008, will get 25 kilometres per litre of petrol and be light on its tyres by using more plastic and less bolts, news reports said Wednesday. Tata's car, not yet named, has generated worldwide attention. Tata Motors has kept a tight lid on engineering specifications. RA Mashelkar, a non-executive director on the Tata Motors board, recently rode in a prototype and said the inspiration behind the car was Ratan Tata, the chairman of India's largest private conglomerate Tata Group. 'I remember 7-8 years ago, Ratan Tata saw a family of four on the road riding a scooter in the rain and getting drenched. Tata said, 9We should do something for them9, or in other words, put them in a car with four wheels,' Mashelkar said. Tata announced the project at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2003. 'It's spacious both in the front and in the rear and its design has been finished by indigenous Tata Motors' engineers,' Mashelkar said. The car will create a paradigm shift in low-cost transport, he said, including the use of much more plastic and less metal bolts than normal vehicles, 'These kind of fuel-efficient cars will be in demand as pollution is on the rise, climates are changing and fossil fuels are running out. People are looking at a new global eco-car.' Currently, the least expensive car in India is the Maruti Suzuki 800, priced starting at 5,600 dollars. Tata Motors said in September that it will roll out 250,000 units from the small-car project in 2008, and the production is likely to reach 350,000 cars in the next few years. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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GojijoanMay 26th, 2008 - 15:04:00

I hope the Tata Car comes to Canada because I'd buy one for myself. It would be nice to have a well made, inexpensive car that gets great gas mileage. Way to go Tata. Sincerely, Gojijoan in Caledon, Ontario, Canada

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jim hawleyNov 22nd, 2008 - 12:55:08

These cars would probably sell very good in the United states, because of the size and the price. I would buy one myself for driving back and forth to work.

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LiesMar 1st, 2009 - 10:35:18

Why do people insist oil is running out. But to scare us. This car will never make it to the united states at that price it is completely stripped down of safety features and every day things we use to

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