When to buy the Indian car tata nano in America?

Answer 1

It is highly unlikely the Tata Nano will ever be sold in the United States. It does not meet minimum safety requirements for cars sold in the United States, would require extensive changes to its engineering (which costs money) to meet those requirements, and is inadequately powered for United States roads. The laws and regulations for the import/exchange of vehicles around the world is very complicated. For example you can't get a navigation system (it is just an example, I get you probably wouldn't get DVD nav in a Tata sold here or anywhere) in a Pontiac G8 because the Australian design and built dashboard is too low by US standards to install a GPS mapping system. General Motors would have to completely redesign the dashboard to offer the option, an overly expensive task. Tata would have to redesign for more basic things like crumple zones, side impact bars, airbags, and safety cages, let alone other issues like the color of taillight lenses (I wish I was making this stuff up but yes, even the COLOR of red is regulated, it is insane), the height and location of headlamps, the requirement in some states for a rear window defroster (not a big problem for most of India).

The Tata Nano is made to replace mopeds and motorbikes, which is the principal transportation solution in India for those who can afford motor transport. The problem Tata is trying to address is the road based carnage that happens in India when four or five people clinging to a moped crash into some other object.

The Smart was easier to bring to the states because it was built for a European audience as an urban center vehicle, and was already built to crash standards closer to the United States requirements. Despite that, the US version required significant modification for those niggling issues like color of taillight lenses or meeting our crash standards. An example of a major issue that Smart had to address is in Europe, airbags, seatbelts and interior materials need to be built based on the assumption that passengers and driver are wearing their seatbelts. In the United States it has to be built on the assumption they are not. This requires significant changes to dashboards, seats, and interior materials.

I will never say "never," that it will never come to the states, legally (not via gray market or entry through a pass through port of entry like Mexico or Canada) but I wouldn't be waiting for one or looking for a Tata dealer coming soon.