Get Ready! The $3500 Tata Nano is Coming to the U.S.

The tiny car, manufactured by India’s Tata Group, has a 4 gallon gas tank, a 624CC 37HP engine, and is two feet shorter than the Austin Mini. 

(VentureBeat) Tata Group billionaire boss Ratan Tata says, however, that Tata is redesigning the Nano for both the U.S. and European markets. So those vital statistics will probably improve.

If so, they’ll increase that sticker price. Currently, the Tata is the cheapest new car available today, selling for the equivalent of $3,500 in India, which means that an average worker for Wipro, the massive business services outsourcing firm, could buy about two of them with her annual salary. Or, if you go by the national average, an Indian worker would spend three years of his salary to buy the Nano.

The price won’t be a problem in the U.S., obviously. Features will.

Tata Nano’s top speed of 65 mph and its cramped interior definitely will not appeal to all in spite of the success of the Austin Mini, Smart Cars, and the Fiat 500. Nano is two feet shorter than the Mini and decidedly bare-bones inside.

Currently, the heater is optional in the base model, and it has no options for A/C or heated seats. Headrests are a highlighted feature, as are a low fuel warning lamp and an interior cabin light.

The redesign will need to add a few more features before the Nano excites too many Europeans or Americans, including government-mandated airbags and other safety features.