Rumormill: Could Tata Nano be sold in U.S. Fiat-Chrysler dealers?
Tata Nano Europa - Click above for high-res gallery
Looks like Tata Motors is trying to get the Nano into U.S. dealerships by 2011. India's largest domestic automaker thinks "the world's cheapest car" could do well here, especially given our nation's economic conditions right now. The car will likely not be as cheap when it is re-engineered to meet U.S. crash and emissions standards, but it should still be inexpensive enough to attract quite a few buyers.
There remain a couple of big roadblocks, however. First of all, how do you re-engineer the car so quickly, and secondly, where do you sell it on these shores? Rumors of distribution through Jaguar/Land Rover dealers was quickly dispelled, so that's where Fiat-Chrysler may come in, argues New York Times correspondent Nick Kurczewski.
The logic proceeds as follows: Fiat and Tata already collaborate on several joint ventures. They share a huge factory in India. Tata sells Fiats in India. Tata gets to use Fiat diesel engines and Tata developed a pickup truck that will be sold as a Fiat as well. Adding Chrysler into the mix at least helps with distribution and possibly with engineering help for a speedy conversion to U.S. standards.
Kurczewski argues that the American market Nano could even revive the Autobianchi name for Fiat, as the Italian carmaker has expressed an interest in launching an entry-level brand below Fiat. A Fiat-Chrysler Nano would go a long way toward meeting the EPA's new 35 mpg standards, even after it's upgraded with air bags and possibly a more powerful three-cylinder engine to please American drivers.
[Source: New York Times]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
imoore 2:17PM (6/10/2009)
Sold through Chrysler? Could be possible. Maybe develop a version of the Xenon pickup to be built and sold here through Dodge to replace the Dakota.
Still, I believe that Tata would just as soon set up its own dealer network or find another party. Saturn, Maybe?
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Shawn 2:19PM (6/10/2009)
...So you're saying that Fiat-Chrysler will put its name on another company's cheaper micro car next to the Fiat 500, which it is trying to sell in the US? What would Fiat-Chrysler gain from it? They already have more than a full line of products to sell on their lots.
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Alex 2:19PM (6/10/2009)
So are all dealerships going to be Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Fiat/Autobianchi, or will they be flipping some dealers over to just a Fiat/Autobianchi? Since they are working with Tata, would they also be considering bringing this pick-up truck at some point? I don't know anything about it but it would be nice to get a small p/u with a diesel in the states.
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huisj203 2:24PM (6/10/2009)
Why does the thing look like it has a fake adidas logo on the nose? Are they going to sell it at Payless ShoeSource?
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Alex 2:33PM (6/10/2009)
That is the Autobianchi logo, Autoblog pasted one on the car to represent that the car would (according to the article) not be sold as a Tata but as a Autobianchi in the US. Good try though...
viper GTS-R 2:24PM (6/10/2009)
Who wants to go Tata tipping?
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MajorGeek 2:26PM (6/10/2009)
Me, me, me!!!
Sean 4:56PM (6/10/2009)
Are we still talking about cars?
k.w.a 2:28PM (6/10/2009)
that would be pretty interesting if chysler sold the nano here...More space and the price that will surely undercut the Smart's will be a great way for Chrysler to get its revenge on Daimler
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tankd0g 4:13PM (6/10/2009)
Until people start dieing...
Motor_Yakuza 2:46PM (6/10/2009)
OK, enough with this car, like I said it before, KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE. Or with a huge bulldozer, just kill it.
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AUTOMANIAC 2:51PM (6/10/2009)
i think buying a used car will do just fine.
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Ligor 5:09PM (6/10/2009)
+1
never in a million year would i get in the nano, that's including at the dealer lot. you never know when somone will toss a wrench and wreck that thing
natural selection at it's best in the car industry
Throwback 2:53PM (6/10/2009)
Fiat has good small cars why compete against youself? My guess is Saturn makes much more sense.
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Art 2:59PM (6/10/2009)
could they? sure.
Could I fly to the moon on the back of a griffin? Possibly.
Will it sell? Nah
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Snowdog 3:15PM (6/10/2009)
I think this would be a huge mistake for the brands reputation. The nano may be a great car for the money, but it would likely be the worse car in the country and do you really want to associate your brand with that.
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AntBee 3:25PM (6/10/2009)
I think it's quite enough of Autoblog's BS with this friggin' car!
NO ONE WILL SELL IT IN THE US!
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LMBVette 3:51PM (6/10/2009)
Agreed.
Two reasons why this car is news worthy.
1) Cheap price
2) Would get millions of Indians into a 4 wheeled vehicle for the first time.
Now...several reasons why I don't believe the hype regarding this car in the US market:
You get what you pay for. This vehicle is as bare bones as it gets and there really is no compelling reason why a person in the US would purchase this over a similarly priced vehicle (ie a used car for 5k). It's small, it's slow, it's certainly not safe, not especially attractive, definitely not "cool" and has no luxury ie (wind up windows, manual door locks, no A/C, no radio). So, just because it's cheap does not make it something that even those with very little money will aspire to. I'd rather have a mid 80's Buick than this thing.
tankd0g 4:16PM (6/10/2009)
I can tell you exactly how it will get sold in the US. It'll get some sort of US automaker-only exemption from Obama so they it won't have to adhere to a single safely regulation including DOT approved tires. It'll be relegated to low speed roads but of course people will drive it wherever they can get away with. It'll be heralded as a solution to out gas problems despite being available 20 years ago as 600cc golf cart I build in my garage.
~D. 3:25PM (6/10/2009)
believe it or not, I am actually excited by the prospect of the revival of Autobianchi- and this being the car to do it.
It keeps with the core values of the marque, and allows FIAT/Chrysler to place itself in a very competitive market that will become more significant with each passing year. Now, rather than simply compete for the "American" car market and the "Euro import" market, the group can also send a very meaningful shot across the bow of the cheap Asian econobox market. Scion, Kia, and Hyundai should be afraid. This strikes me as a decision made by a company that actually has foresight.
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