Earlier this week, we heard rumblings that workers at the east India plant that is supposed to build the Tata Nano could be besieged by members and supporters of the opposition party in the state. Automotive News Europe now brings us an update and says that the dissatisfaction against Tata Motors resulted in a work stoppage today when thousands of workers stayed home because of protests against the company. Police took 3,600 workers out of the factory yesterday.

The dispute is over 1,000 acres of land that Tata acquired from farmers in the area, and the company has expressed a willingness to move the factory if resistance doesn't die down. The farmers want to keep their land, while the government wants to give the land to Tata to help them build the much-hyped car, famous for being the world's cheapest. A Tata Motors spokesperson issued this very safe statement: "Our workers are not working today. We are assessing the situation as of now."


[Source: Automotive News Europe]

Click above image for a hi-res gallery of the Tata Nano

Tata is asking Fiat to assist in selling the Nano overseas, as an expansion of the two marques partnership in manufacturing and distributing cars, engines and commercial vehicles. Fiat's initial intentions are, however, largely directed towards bus and truck manufacturing. "We have held talks about the Nano being marketed in markets where Fiat has already a strong presence. I am open to consider a partnership," said Ratan Tata at a forum promoting cooperation between Italian and Indian companies.

Tata is also forecasting supply problems for its new microcar, which goes on sale next October. That said, high raw material and fuel prices have cut demand for vehicles in India. Between that development, the burden of the Jaguar/Land Rover acquisition, and a 31% decrease in profits, it'll be interesting to see if Tata is ultimately able to keep the Nano priced as low as planned.


[Source: Automotive News]

Nanotechnology holds amazing promise for many new green technologies, including the emissions controls which will allow the internal combustion engine to meet upcoming standards and the lithium ion batteries which threaten to make those same engines obsolete. There are many issues holding nano-tech back, though, not the least of which is the high price associated with the production of such tiny materials. So, when we read that Catalyx Nanotech, Inc. plans to begin mass production of Platelet Graphite Nanofibers (PGNF) at a price point which is said to be cost-competitive with current production standards, our interest was piqued. According to the accompanying press release, Catalyx Nano "also plans to produce nano powders of polymers, ceramics and precious/transition metal catalysts in powder and alcohol/aqueous suspensions."

There is another green angle to the announcement of the new nano-tech plants. These proposed plants will be built near landfills and are to run on methane gas waste. Sounds like a win-win scenario to us.

Buoyed by the response to the Tata Nano (i.e., the world's cheapest car), Tata Motors Limited is ready to make the move to green. The company announced today that it will compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize by entering two vehicles in the race. Well, Tata has signed a letter of intent to compete, which is as far as any of the 70+ teams have gotten.

In a statement put out by the X Prize foundation (pasted after the jump), Tata says they intend "to enter a pure e-drive micro car into the Alternative Class and Dominant Electric Hybrid vehicle into the Mainstream Class." We'll have to wait for more information on these vehicles, as that is literally all we have right now. Whether Tata wins or not, if they even come close, whatever lessons they learn while designing and building the entrant vehicles should be applicable to later generations of the Nano and other Tata vehicles. Considering Tata's ambitious roll-out plans, this is excellent news.

In what might be the most perfectest (work with me here) odd couple match-up since chocolate and peanut butter, Pininfarina, car designer extraordinaire and builder of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Sintesi concept car (silver automotive objet d'art pictured above), with minority participation from Tata Motors, maker of the ultra-cheap Nano (red contraption also pictured above) plan to open a research, design and engineering center in India later this year.

Just as it's no secret that the Italian design house has been making deals of late in an effort to shore up its finances, it's equally as obvious that Tata Motors, a company which began its life in 1945 making train locomotives, could use a hand in the aesthetics department. Not only could future iterations of the Nano benefit from the deal (Lambo doors anyone?) but seeing as how Tata is in the process of buying upscale British brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, such a deal may be necessary for its future success.

We here at AutoblogGreen cannot help but wonder if Pininfarina might be able to use the relationship to take advantage of Tata's forté of low-cost manufacturing vis-a-vis its electric car program with battery supplier, Bolloré. If you prefer to eschew speculation, hit the jump for "just the facts" as contained in the press release from Pininfarina.

Motorcycle, scooter and moped manufacturers in India are worried. Since Tata announced their ultra-cheap Nano, the two-wheeled industry is abuzz with worry that the populace will quickly abandon their old single-track vehicles for the safety and convenience of a four-wheeler if the price points get too close. This is a rational concern, and it is exactly why Tata's created the Nano in the first place.

In an effort to persuade buyers to stick with their bikes, the major manufacturers in India, including Bajaj, Honda and Kinetic, are all working on natural gas options for their various offerings. According to this article, each of these companies has contacted Energtek, a leader in absorbed natural gas (ANG) technology for help in implementing the conversion process. The advantages to using the ANG lie primarily with price, however there are also eco-benefits to be had, as natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil-fuels. We have to wonder, though, what would stop companies like Tata from using similar technology in their low-priced automobiles.

Related:

• VIDEO: Live reveal of the $2,500 Tata Nano
• Here's the $2,500 Tata Nano, the Indian peoples car

[Source: Red Orbit]

click photo to enlarge

The Tata Nano, number one in the list of ten cheapest cars in the world, is a big hit at the Geneva Motor Show. Newspress is saying that the tiny and inexpensive Nano is drawing the biggest crowds at the show.The throngs aren't thronging just to see the car - we've seen it in pictures for a while now - but to listen for Tata chairman Ratan Tata update on details of the Jaguar/Land Rover/Tata deal. Instead, he said that the Nano would not be coming to Europe because of stricter emissions and safety standards there. We're all aware that a revamped second-generation Nano is a likely contender for European sales some time down the road.

[Source: Newspress]

Tata Nano: 4-door hatchback. India. $2,497.

You know already the specs: 0.6 liter, 2-cyl (non-opposed), 33 HP and a fuel economy (combined) of about 5 l/100 (47 mpg). This car is well thought out, and lots of patents have been resulted from the creation process, from the Nano's powertrain to the assembly process itself. Will this car ruin the world? Some voices say that more cars on the roads imply more pollution, which is hard to argue against. On the other hand, Tata is betting that a green sheen won't hurt. The company will offer this model with Euro III compliant emissions from the start and with Euro IV compliance in the near future.


Return to the list of the cheapest cars in the world.

We got our first official look at Tata's Nano in January (and a very good unofficial look in December). Tata's Nano will make its international debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show but when will it go on sale in Europe? According to reports, Europe may have to wait up to four years for the cars to arrive. Meanwhile, Indians will be able to get a hold of the world's cheapest car the second half of this year.

According to Reuters, Girish Wagh, head of compact car projects at Tata Motors, told German magazine Focus, that Europe would get second-gen Nanos. "We will develop a successor model in four years time, which will meet the Euro 5 emission regulations and the crash standards in Europe," Wagh said. European safety upgrades, which should include air bags because India does not mandate them, will add an unknown amount to the $2,500 car. Second-gen Nanos are also expected to get 78 MPG.


[Source: Inside Line]

We told you there are concerns Tata Motor's Nano will drive up oil prices. What does Tata chairman Ratan Tata think about this? In the first video below the fold, Ratan laughs it off. We told you Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, former Shell chairman said low MPG cars should be banned. Want to see Mark say that in his Prius? Check out the second video below the fold. We told Mitt Romney said he supported the Governator's right to get a waiver ... then Mitt took it back. Want to see Mitt's first position on the waiver? You can probably guess it's in the third video below the fold.

[Source: YouTube]

I'm not quite sure why I put "likely" in the headline to this post. I can't think of any scenario where the ultra-cheap Tata Nano sells millions of units in India and China and other "developing" countries but doesn't have an effect on gas prices in the rest of the world. I mean, if a million more people need to buy gas (or more gas, if they're used to scooters) to get around, that's a lot less gas that's available to the people who use it today, no?

This possibility is the subject of a CNN story that quotes oil analyst Peter Beutel as saying that, "We'll get into a situation where we'll have to compete with them for gasoline, $4, $5 a gallon, who knows how high we could go." Beutel's estimate is that $4 or $5 gallons of gasoline could come to the U.S. much sooner than 2015. Considering that the 50+mpg Nano is kind of a gateway car and that larger, thirstier vehicles will be offered to the people who outgrow the Nano, then what?

Related:

• VIDEO: Live reveal of the $2,500 Tata Nano
• Here's the $2,500 Tata Nano, the Indian peoples car

[Source: CNN via Autoblog]

We're in Detroit now, but Sebastian and Sam took some time to chat about a few things before leaving for the show. Rick Wagoner's CES keynote was historic, as was the appearance of the Cadillac Provoq at that show. Coming up at Detroit we'll bring you details on all of the alternative and fuel-efficient vehicles like the Hummer HX that signals a wholesale move to E85 capability and the first ever unibody Ford Explorer. Sebastian brings us an interview with Bill Roe of Coskata Energy about their exciting work on biofuels and we wrap up by touching on the Tata Nano. We'll be back again soon, see you then!

UPDATE: transcript of the interview with Bill Roe available here.

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In the video above, Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Motors, responds to critics who say the Nano is not safe and pollutes. Here's what he said yesterday:

Let me assure you and also assure our critics that the car we have designed and that we will be presenting to you today will indeed meet all the current safety requirements of a modern day car. Of late, when it became known that we will in fact be making such a car, the attention has moved to questioning the pollution it would create. Let me again assure those who have concerns for the environment, that the car we present you today will meet all current legislated emission criteria and will have a lower pollution level than even a two-wheeler being manufactured in India today.

Concerns are also now being expressed about the congestion that could be caused by the existence of our small car in large numbers. I believe this needs to be put in the right perspective. There is no doubt that India is woefully behind its neighbors in infrastructure. The government is now endeavoring to address this situation with its new road policy. Looking ahead, five years from today, were we to produce and sell 500,000 small cars every year, we would then, at the end of five years, constitute approximately 2.5 percent of all passenger vehicles in the country. This could hardly be considered the nightmare of congestion that is being raised today about our new small car.

Below the fold is another video where Ratan explains that he made the Nano because of unsafe driving on scooters by families. Also below the fold is a video where Ratan says the Nano will indeed retail for 1-lakh because "a promise is a promise." What do you think, readers? I have to admit, I still have doubts but I'm really impressed and excited with what he says.

Related:

• Here's the $2,500 Tata Nano, the Indian peoples car
• VIDEO: Live reveal of the $2,500 Tata Nano
• The World chimes in on the Tata Nano

[Source: YouTube]

Earlier today, I was invited onto the BBC show World Have Your Say to discuss the just-announced Tata Nano. While the WHYS show was a full hour, but with callers from around the world, two hosts and four invited guests it moved quickly and I didn't get to make a few points that I wanted to. Thanks to this here blog, though, I still can.

To me, Tata Nano is a pretty amazing vehicle. The look is decent, and I agree with a lot of what was said on WHYS today about the horrible potential to increase congestion and nasty emissions. But what we have here is a car that costs just $2,500. That's with a gasoline engine that moves the car at 50+ mpg. The most exciting thing about the Nano, though, is the potential it has for pure electric drive in a few years.

Right now, lithium batteries for EVs are terribly expensive, but if we look five years down the road, and get a pack that can move a car as small as the Nano at city speeds for, say, $3,000, you're talking about a $5,500 pure electric car. Sure, it won't help the congestion problem, but just imagine what a difference a country full of EVs could make. Even today (ok, later this year when the car is released), buying a Nano and then spending $7,000 or more to convert it to electrons is certainly a good option.

This is not just an idea for poorer countries as, according to Automotive News (subs req'd), Tata is hinting that the Nano (albeit a larger version of the car) could be sold in Europe a few years down the road. Actually, some executives are more than hinting. The AN article ends like this:

"When we go to Europe, we will conform to all existing regulations," said Girish Wagh, head of the 500-member Nano product development team, at the press conference. Responding to a question, he added" "Yes, I said when."

The World Have Your Say blog on the Tata Nano is here and you can get the podcast of the show here. I assume there's a way to stream the show as well, but I couldn't find it.

The Idaho National Laboratory, Microcontinuum, Inc. and Patrick Pinhero from the University of Missouri are developing an exciting new technology which uses "nano-antennas" to capture solar energy. What is especially cool about this new solar technology is that it would operate both during the day and at night by using the leftover radiation after the sun goes down. Each nano-antenna is a spiral as wide as 1/25 the diameter of a human hair, meaning that many of them can be fit into a tiny space, and may be as much as 80 percent efficient.

At this time, researchers have a ways to go before the technology is commercialized, but they are hoping that their finished product would be no more expensive as a coating than a cheap layer of carpeting.

[Source: Gizmag]