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January 8, 2008
MUMBAI, India — What does it take to build the world’s cheapest car?
For Tata Motors of India, which will introduce its ultra-cheap car on Thursday, the better question was, what could it take out, according to a fascinating story in the New York Times that includes a graphic and a pic of Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata.
The company has kept its new vehicle under wraps, but interviews with suppliers and others involved in its construction reveal some of its cost-cutting engineering secrets — including a hollowed out steering-wheel shaft, a trunk with space for a briefcase and a rear-mounted engine not much more powerful than a high-end riding mower.
The upside is a car expected to retail for as little as the equivalent of $2,500, or about the price of the optional DVD player on the Lexus LX 470 sport utility vehicle.
The downside is a car that would most likely fail emission and safety standards on any Western road, and, perhaps, in India in a few years, when the country imposes tougher environmental standards.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 1:18 PM to Design
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