In 1903, Henry Ford proclaimed, "I will build a car for the great multitude." By 1920, Ford would optimize its Model T assembly line technique and ramp its production volume so effectively that each unit would only cost a family $260. Conceived under similar ideals, India's $3,000 Tata Nano is arguably the spiritual successor to the iconic Model T.
Now, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has announced that the next-generation of the bare-bones Nano minicar will be designed with the North American market in mind. Slated for its official debut within three years, Tata said during an interview, "The U.S. is a very enticing market. We are redesigning the Nano for both Europe and the U.S."
According to Tata, the new Nano will be a far more sophisticated vehicle than the outgoing model. Despite gaining global enthusiasm upon its debut, the original Tata Nano was never a blockbuster in its domestic market.
Aiming to become a more international player, the next Tata Nano will feature a larger engine and "more bells and whistles," including requisite hardwares like power steering and traction control. Despite the upgrades, Tata vows to keep the price of the Nano well below $10,000.
Despite Tata's aspirations, the company possesses no retail network in the U.S. That said, the company could utilize the roots of its Jaguar and Land Rover entities to distribute its products. However, Andy Goss, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, said there have been no discussions about using Jaguar Land Rover dealers to sell the Nano.
Confident in the market's future viability, Ratan Tata said, "The Smart and the Fiat 500 have high sticker prices, and people buy them because they are small cars," said Tata at the opening of a Jaguar Land Rover dealership here. "But everyone knows you put a lot of money into it. We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal."
Despite Tata's slow-moving process to get a Nano into American showrooms, there is one Nano that already made it into Jay Leno's garage.
Check out Jay's Nano in the video below:
[Source: AutoNews]
