VIDEO: Examining the design compromises in the Tata Nano

Click on the photo to watch the BBC video of the Nano engineers

When you set out to produce a car at one-third the cost of anything else on the market, a lot things invariably need to be left behind. Creating a car like the Tata Nano requires taking a complete top down look at every system in the car. Every component needs to be analyzed to make sure it's really needed. For example, instead of the usual four or five lugs, the wheels of the Nano use only three. Given the low power and light weight, this is sufficient. Not only does it reduce the part count, it also reduces the time required to assemble the car. Other examples of parts reduction and simplification appear in the door handle mechanism which now has half the number of parts. Of course all this simplification runs the risk of reducing reliability and durability. Only time will tell if the Tata engineers have gone too far. For more, watch as the BBC takes a look at how Tata created the Nano.

[Source: BBC, thanks to Misha for the tip!]