Car: Tata Nano
Place on the list: 49
Reason it's BS: The Tata Nano isn't ugly, it's simply space efficient. Given the constraints of price, footprint and upright packaging, it pulls off the microcar shape rather well actually. There are certainly uglier cars on the market in India and China right now.

Car: Ferrari Enzo
Place on the list: 42
Reason it's BS: Save the Enzo's! The Ferrari Enzo wasn't built to win beauty contests, it was designed to showcase Ferrari's F1 racing pedigree and tie those techniques and technologies to their road cars. Form follows function and while it's not classically beautiful it's fast and unique. In any case compared to the Mondial, it's a supermodel.

Car: Plymouth Prowler
Place on the list: 31
Reason it's BS: When the Prowler was introduced in 1997, it was the coolest car on the planet, bar none. Unfortunately it was packed with an engine from an Intrepid, and suspension tuning best described as one-of-a-kind. Despite its glaring flaws and how you might feel about the retro-mod style, it was certainly a car that got people looking. When you spot them today, you turn and look longer than you should, admit it.

Car: Lamborghini LM002
Place on the list: 25
Reason it's BS: BusnessWeek complains about "geometric doors, angular fenders, and a busy hood." Perhaps they forgot it was introduced in 1986 when everything cool was geometric, angular and busy. They don't even mention the fire-breathing (for the 80's) 5.0 liter V12 from the Countach under the hood and the take-no-prisoners attitude. You don't get a moniker like "Rambo Lambo" by being lame.

Car: DeLorean DMC-12
Place on the list: 20
Reason it's BS: Are they joking? The DMC-12? Of any car from the 80's this one still plays well on public streets. The stainless steel body is unique, the ridiculously heavy gullwing doors draw crowds and the fastback style screams 80's coke dealer, and nobody was more up on all things stylish in the 80's than coke dealers.

Car:Subaru Brat
Place on the list: 18
Reason it's BS: Apparently BusinessWeek's too busy adjusting its top hat and monocle to enjoy the finer things in life, like riding in the jump seats in the Subaru Brat's cargo bed. It's even got decent capability for an early soft-roader.

Car: Aston Martin Lagonda
Place on the list: 16
Reason it's BS: Oh come on? Really? The Lagonda? It pushed the limit of longer, lower, wider to absurdity and mixed in out of control braggadocio. By all account it was admittedly every bit British reliable, but who cares? Hire a team of mules to pull it around town as you look out upon the unwashed masses from your obnoxious 80's chariot.

Car:Volvo 240
Place on the list: 13
Reason it's BS: Don't you go messing with the 240 BusinessWeek. You have no idea the depths of Volvo love out there, especially by the boxy-but-trusty 240. We dare you, dare you to find a more dedicated owner base. Fine, it's a bit boring, but so is the Camry and that's not on the list. We actually find it handsome, especially with the quad headlight design. You best watch your back BusinessWeek.

Car: Bricklin SV1
Place on the list: 11
Reason it's BS: Okay, this one's a bit on the ugly side, if you look only at the outside, but it was one of the first cars to push the idea of safety in a sports car, even though because of its heavy construction it wasn't particularly sporty. It's got a logical shape, and the nose is designed to prevent expensive damage repairs. Sure it's a bit cluttered in places, but come on, gull-wing doors.

Car:Chevy El Camino
Place on the list: 1
Reason it's BS: Number one. They've got to be kidding. Two words on this one: Screw. Off. First of all, lumping the entire series into one big pile is just plain ignorant. Secondly, it's rude. The El Camino from the outset was a looker and stayed a dynamite design all the way until the fall in the 70s. But then again, everything was pretty fug in the 70s. If they even try to say the 1960 and 1972 were ugly, they might get a Jalopnik-shaped shoe to the butt.

Photo credit: SuperChevy

Here's the data he runs, based on the "peak" horsepower available, which ignores that most vehicles don't frequently use their peak horsepower:

I decided to run the numbers for today's overpowered vehicle fleet. (The math is below.) Turns out we have something on the order of 51 billion peak horsepower sitting in our driveways. That's an incredible 38,276 gigawatts of power available. That absolutely dwarfs the nameplate capacity of our electrical power plants, which total up to a mere 1,087 gigawatts. In fact, each week of 2008, a horrible year for car sales, almost 38 gigawatts of capacity rolled into the streets of America.

Unfortunately, this is where things go awry. After pointing out that we were able to defeat Hitler with 80% less horsepower, which makes little sense, he comes to three conclusions.

The Tata Nano Argument
One, the current size and power of our cars and trucks is just stupid. The Tato Nano, with its 33 horsepower engine, is the way to go. (If all of the world's cars looked like that, going electric would also be a lot easier.) Let's merely note here that the average American passenger car has 7.5 times as much horsepower as the Nano and yet both vehicles will get you to the grocery store or to Nevada or wherever.

Technically, this is true, but with a top speed of 65 MPH it's not going to get there as quickly. Nor does the Tata Nano have to carry the same amount of safety equipment as a comparable car built in Europe or the U.S., so if that Nano gets into an accident the chance of injury is much, much higher (but none of his arguments work if you factor in progress). And if we're concerned about energy efficiency, the new Toyota Prius gets approximately the same mileage as the Tata Nano and will get there faster and with more comfort, more safety equipment, and more style.

The We Don't Need It Argument
Second, the people of just one hundred years ago would be awed by the amount of horsepower every American has access to. The funny thing - the irony, perhaps - is that we no longer need that amount of horsepower to do anything useful. The people of the prairie were scratching and clawing for every kilowatt hour of useful work they could wring out of some oil or the wind. The people of Omaha these days don't need anything like the direct energy services of their forerunners.

Yes, pity the poor people of Omaha with computers, air-conditioning, live-saving equipment like MRIs, and televisions. Clearly, it would be better if we went back to living without as much electricity.

The Insanity Argument
Third, and here's the hopeful part - no sane country would encourage its consumers to get on the technical and performance treadmill that led us to this point. Who would want this piece of the American technological infrastructure and set of consumer expectations? It's resource inefficient and expensive. I wouldn't expect the Chinese to follow our path to the American car anytime soon.

First of all, the Chinese are in fact doing all they can to mimic American cars and it is a growing market for American cars. So, they're apparently as crazy as we are.

But what's really missing here is that American cars are becoming more efficient in large part because of power increases. Automakers are using lightweight parts, direct injection, turbocharging, and other technology to increase power and, at the same time, lower fuel usage. The 2010 Ford Flex with Ecoboost (direct-injections plus twin-turbo) nets 355 HP, an increase in power of 93 HP over the naturally aspirated V6 model, while actually improving the mileage of the vehicle. We've engineered V8 power with V6 fuel efficiency.

Better efficiency is a good thing, but so is comfort, safety, and reliability. People in India aren't buying Nanos because they've made the conscious decision to limit themselves to 33 HP, they're doing so because they can't afford anything else. They're going in the opposite direction by trading the efficiency of bikes and motorcycles for something bigger. Americans can afford bigger, nicer, safer, more powerful cars for the simple reason that we, as an economy, have sought out progress, not rejected it. [Greentechhistory]

Photo Credit: SAM PANTHAKY/AFP

The test took place at England's MIRA vehicle research center under the supervision of that country's Vehicle Certification Authority. While more testing must presumably be carried out in order to make European sales legal , Tata itself plans to subject the vehicle to the tough Euro NCAP tests. This is a clear indication the company's plans to enter Europe are grounded in reality.

The MIRA tests were conducted at 35mph, a speed much higher than that required by Indian authorities. Tata is hard at work developing an up-spec'd version of the Nano suitable for snooty Western pallets. Even with beefed up impact protection and more interior amenities, it's thought that the Nano will still undercut every other car in the European market.

Ratan Tata, the charismatic founder of the company, has said he wants to sell the Nano in the US. While that still appears to be a long way from becoming reality these successful tests lend that dream an air of possibility. [via Autocar]

There are three variables when considering price: trim level, paint, and geography.

Trim Levels

Tata Nano Standard: three color options, single-color seats, and fold-down rear seat. Starts at $2,217 after fees.

Tata Nano CX: five color options, heating/air-conditioning, two-tone seats, parcel shelf, assisted brakes, fold-down rear seat with nap rest. Starts at $2,744

Tata Nano LX: all the features of the CX plus fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body-colored exteriors, fog lamps, trip meter, cup holder, mobile charger point, rear spoiler. Starts at $3,347

Paint

The three options are the basic paint on the Nano Standard and either "Solid" or "Metallic" paint on the CX (the LX is only available with metallic paint). As you'd expect, solid paint costs less than metallic paint. We're guessing they just cover the standard with house paint.

Location

Based on the pricing sheet we have, there are three regions: Nagar, Delhi, and Mumbai. A Tata NanoLX with metallic paint (BS3) costs $3,350 in Nagar, $3,388 in Delhi, and a whopping $3,642.

Thanks for the tip Otto!

Autocar India has snagged the first drive and despite several backhanded compliments, the verdict is quite positive — for the price. The reviewers seem amazed the car is able to drive down the road and not feel like it's going to roll over at any moment. Sort of like Sarah Palin in Vice Presidential debates, if you set the bar so low you're only expecting to see a human being able to put a three-word sentence together, you can't not clear it. Thus, the reviews are filled with notes galore on the tiny wheels, flat seats, and comparisons to the Model T.

We're working to get Tata to agree to ship us one for a battery of tests including, but not limited to LeMons pit car duty, a RallyAmerica stage or three, clocking quarter mile times at Milan Dragway and reenacting our favorite Bollywood chase sequences. [AutoCar India, Youtube]

In perhaps the only good new product news to emerge from the Carpocalypse, Tata has announced they're developing plans to sell the Nano in the United States in the 2011 or 2012 calendar year. The faltering US economy has convinced the company there's a space for the bargain priced car, which went on sale this week in India for about $1,980 USD. Because of US safety and emissions requirements, the price would be considerably higher, priced closer in line with the Tata Nano Europa, planned for European sales and starting at $4,000 USD. Regardless of the final price, it should come in significantly cheaper than the current cheapest car in America, the $9,970 Hyundai Accent.

Now the question becomes: what do you do with a new car so cheap it's practically free? A Hayabusa engine transplant would be most excellent, considering the current rear-mounted horizontally opposed twin powerplant makes all of 33HP. Of course, why limit the fun to internal combustion? Rocket engines might be entertaining. (H/T to Dustin for the tip!)

[Financial Times]

Click through our gallery and figure out what you can come up with that's better than a Tata Nano. Feel free to give up some ideas in the comments below because we all know there are better things than a plastic, sub-compact, deathtrap to spend your money on.

The on-road price will be a little bit higher, probably around $2,400, once you factor in excise duty, education fees and road tax, along with transportation cost, local taxes, insurance and registration fees and "a lifetime parking fee" (applicable in some locations).

The five seat basic model will be powered by a 624cc gasoline engine and does away with superfluous items like airbags but can be be optioned up, it will also launch in Europe with a slightly larger, more luxurious model in 2011. The car is launching into one of the strangest sales markets ever faced, with pent up demand for the car at a fevered pitch in India, but an overall depressed auto industry. Tata is not expected to be able to meet demand for the "1 lakh car" after being forced to used an alternate production site when its West Bengal factory faced violent protests from rural farmers.

Tata is not expected to start making a profit on the car for at least three years, depending on sales rates, but they have certainly redefined the meaning of basic transportation. Further innovation is still a possibility, with a diesel engine in the works and a hugely interesting compressed air engine licensed from MDI. We're doing our best to get one to fit a couple big pulse-jet engines. [BBC]

We don't expect the Tata to go on sale anytime soon in Europe, especially given the EuroCAP safety standards, but we appreciate the idea of a Tata Nano for a "future launch in such markets" as Ratan noted. So what does an upscale Nano look like? It looks similar to the regular Nano but gets an extra cylinder (up to 3!), redesigned interior, a host of safety equipment and an "all sheet metal" body. Seriously, it says this in the press release. New Nanos are apparently just as nice as early model Saturns.

Press Release

Tata Motors today presented at the 79th Geneva Motor Show the Tata Nano Europa, intended for a future launch in select international markets. The company has also displayed the Tata Prima, a concept luxury sedan, and the Tata Indica Vista EV, an electric vehicle based on the award-winning new generation Tata Indica Vista.

Speaking on the occasion at the Geneva Motor Show, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said, "In India, the Nano will be launched on March 23, and the cars will be on display at company dealerships from the first week of April. The Nano has also generated wide interest in developed countries, since it's unveiling in Delhi and its presentation here last year. We are delighted to present the Nano Europa for future launch in such markets. The Indica Vista EV represents the work of Tata Motors on alternate technologies, while the Prima is an iteration of a luxury sedan we will introduce. They together signify the ongoing evolution in our cars."

Tata Nano Europa
With a length of 3.29 metres and width of 1.58 metres, the Tata Nano Europa continues to be stylishly petite but surprises with its spacious interior and generous leg space. The slightly longer wheelbase of 2.28 metres combines excellent space and manoeuvrability, further improving on the benchmark standard set by the Tata Nano. The enhanced spaciousness is complemented by redesigned interiors, marked by smooth curves and a high tech yet gentle feel.

To meet the driving needs of its target customers, the Tata Nano Europa will be powered by a 3-cylinder sporty all-aluminium MPFI engine matched with a 5-speed automatic transmission, and electric power steering. The gasoline engine will be class-leading, providing high fuel efficiency and low CO2 emission of less than 100 gm / km meeting the twin goals of being environmentally friendly and stylish – just like the Tata Nano.

The Tata Nano Europa meets all safety regulations. In addition to the all sheet-metal body, its energy absorbing design, use of advanced restraint systems, ABS, ESP and Air Bags will enhance passenger safety.

Just like the Tata Nano, the Tata Nano Europa incorporates exterior compactness with interior comfort and seeks to provide motorists the pleasure and utility of personal mobility combined with affordability and environment-friendliness, in a world where smaller, fuel-efficient cars are emerging as a preferred choice.

Tata Prima
The Tata Prima, the concept luxury sedan designed by Pininfarina, is an iteration of the next generation luxury sedan from Tata Motors. It combines the fundamental design characteristics of the Tata brand, as seen in the Tata Indigo, with sporty curvatures to create a coupe-like silhouette, simple yet refined with an inherent premium.

The Tata Prima's large wheelbase of 2.70 metres endows it with excellent interior space that a luxury sedan demands. The subtle treatment of the C pillar, the hallmark of a Pininfarina design's gracefulness and sporty characteristic, brings forth a coupe-like sloped cabin and tapering back without compromising interior space. The result is that the Tata Prima concept exudes an overall elegance, endowed with style, luxury and comfort and proportions that are classical yet modern.

Tata Indica Vista EV
The Tata Indica Vista EV will be a more practicable option for the consumer: capable of carrying four individuals, adequate luggage space, with a predicted range of up to 200 km and acceleration of 0-60 kmph in under 10 seconds. Tata Motors continues its innovative approach with the Indica Vista EV too, using super polymer lithium ion batteries which have superior energy density to conventional batteries. Tata Motors' electric vehicles will be produced in association with Miljo Grenland/Innovasjon, Norway. Tata Motors' UK subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre plc, has a 70% stake in Miljo. The first such vehicle to be developed by the company is the Indica EV, which is currently undergoing extensive tests in Europe.

Besides these three new cars, Tata Motors is displaying the new generation Tata Indica Vista itself. Launched in India in August 2008, it has received excellent customer response. It has received two prestigious Indian awards - the UTVi Autocar Best Value for Money Car Award and the Business Standard Motoring Jury Award. Also on display is the Tata Xenon 2.2 litre double-cab, an ideal dual-use vehicle with contemporary styling and superior convenience.

Speaking on the occasion at the Geneva Motor Show, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said, "In India, the Nano will be launched on March 23, and the cars will be on display at company dealerships from the first week of April. The Nano has also generated wide interest in developed countries, since it's unveiling in Delhi and its presentation here last year. We are delighted to present the Nano Europa for future launch in such markets. The Indica Vista EV represents the work of Tata Motors on alternate technologies, while the Prima is an iteration of a luxury sedan we will introduce. They together signify the ongoing evolution in our cars."

Photo Credit: autoblog.nl

[Tata via Indian Autos Blog]

According to Tata, production will launch from two existing plants and deliver about 3,000 cars a month to dealerships throughout India. The alternate production facilities were necessary following at-times violent protests from rural West Bengal farmers who believed they're been unfairly compensated for their land. The volume for the cars is low considering the outrageous demand for the little cars, but production will ramp up by the end of the year, when the new permanent Nano plant in Gujarat is completed and opened for business.

In additional news, because of the nonsensical strengthening of the US dollar, the previously $2,500 Nano has dropped in price below $2,000, though in India it will still start at 1 lakh, or 100,000 rupees. Now you can buy one for each day of the work week for about the same money as the Hyundai Accent. [AN Sub. Req.]

"We were getting the cooperation that they could give us, but the infrastructure was woefully poor," he said,

As an example, Tata said it took three hours for firefighters to get water to the Taj after a blaze broke out in the oldest part of the building.

"We had people who died being shot through bulletproof vests," he added.

Tata said that not even the army or commandoes who ultimately took over the offensive were prepared for the level of organization and execution that the attackers seemed to have put into their plan.

Though obviously deflecting with his response, Tata did say he believed the country will come together.

[CNN]

Early last month we'd heard Tata put to halt construction on the Nano factory in West Bengal due to increasingly violent protests from farmers surrounding the site. Now, today's news that the company will abandon said site brings into question whether they'll be able to find a suitable location to build the micro-car. The company's chairman, Ratan Tata, said Friday the company had not yet decided where it would build the car but that offers of sites from three or four other states were being evaluated.

While that's troubling in and of itself, there also appears to be some confusion on the price tag of the little car. In today's report, Reuters claims the car will now only cost $2,130 — contradicting the price of $2,500 (or higher, thanks to rising material costs) we've been hearing since it was first unveiled in January. We're not quite sure where they're coming from with this price tag, but if it's something Ratan Tata is tossing out as the price, we can't help but think it's an attempt by the automaker to continue to increase buzz around the product to drive up desire on the part of other states to buy into locating his factory there. More likely it's just Reuters getting the number slightly wrong.

But, all of this is drawing into question whether we'll ever see the car, already announced to have hit the streets before the end of the year. We're thinking more than likely they will, but we're interested in knowing what you think. So, will Tata ever build the Nano?

Lax safety and licensing standards and an insufficient infrastructure, combined with heavy and varied traffic (cars share the roads with trucks, rickshaws, motorcycles, mopeds, animals, pedestrians, vendors, carts and bicyclists) are largely to blame for India’s high rate of accidents. But the biggest killer is thought to be the huge numbers of new vehicles and new drivers flooding India’s roads. The already massively overcrowded thoroughfares are being pushed to the breaking point, literally. It’s a problem shared by other developing nations: The World Bank estimates that by 2020, the number of people killed by car accidents globally will increase from 1.2 to 2 million.

India plans to spend $500 billion over the next five years to repair and upgrade its transportation infrastructure, reports Business 24-7, but much of that will be spent on airports and seaports rather than on roads, and what money does reach them is largely expected to be lost to corruption and mismanagement. 90% of India’s passenger traffic and 65% of its freight travel by road.

Business 24-7 goes on to report that, “loopholes in the system put licenses in the hands of those ill equipped to drive, there is also a general apathy among consumers towards seat belts, air bags and even motorcycle helmets.”

Hormazd Sorabjee, the Editor of Autocar India says, “Safety is unfortunately not a big part of the purchase decision of Indian consumers. Our best-selling small cars are typically not the safest vehicles on the road because consumers are more worried about fuel efficiency and the cost of ownership, and would rather not pay for safety features such as air bags and anti-lock brakes."

The Tata Nano, for instance, doesn’t include airbags, antilock brakes or side-impact beams in its $2,500 price, but does claim to have passed the required frontal and side impact tests.

To counteract the increased accident and mortality rates, vehicle manufacturers are setting up their own driver training schools. "We do believe the need for training is becoming increasingly relevant due to the increase in vehicle volumes, high speed roads, enhanced performance of vehicles, and the requirement of specific skills for application on vehicles," says Debasis Ray, head of corporate communications at Tata. [Business 24-7 via Bikes In The Fast Lane]

News of a diesel option isn't really that earth shattering, as Ratan Tata, the man himself, has been quoted saying, "By and large we've always been a diesel company, so we will have a diesel version that will follow." This new diesel variant would be the smallest and most fuel-efficient offering in the Indian marketplace. Not only that, but the 0.8-liter mill dwarfs the standard 623 cc gas engine, and would probably make the Nano D the standout performance leader in the range — though more than likely the priciest offering as well. Is there something wrong with us if we really, really want three Nanos with different powerplants so we can race down the main drag, Shriner-style? [Economic Time]

This news comes as something of a game changer for the Nano. Before the car offered bare bones transportation at a cheap price. Certainly a strong selling point, but with skyrocketing fuel prices, the gas has become as much a barrier to market entry as the price of the car. With the incredibly cheap fueling cost on compressed air the car becomes even more accessible to an even wider audience.

Forget all that for a moment though. This kind of makes us wonder what the point is of billions of dollars being invested in lithium-ion batteries, hybridization, low rolling resistance tires, aerodynamics, hydrogen fuel cells and all that other malarkey. The issue with all of the highly touted alternative fuels is capacity or distribution. Hydrogen fuel is expensive to make, has no distribution network and it would be expensive to implement one. Electricity generally comes from coal-fired power plants at the moment (in the US), charging stations don't exactly litter the landscape, and even it they did, it takes forever to charge the batteries.

However, the air compressor engine can rely on almost any power source. All it has to do is be converted by way of air compressor. You could use a gasoline compressor, windmill, a water wheel, electric compressor, hell, you could pedal your way to a full tank if you rigged up a proper system. And cheap. Air compressors have been around for a couple hundred years now. We kind of have them figured out. And they work fast, a fill up would probably take as long as it does now. Huh, remind us again why we're supposed to be excited about alternative fuels? [NYTimes]

It's not only a problem for Tata; across the board, material prices are gutting once-profitable programs. Imagine drawing up designs three years ago and projecting material parts budgets (which can often be up to 70% of the part price), only to have the most expensive element of the part jump in price by 40%. That's the kind of thing which blows engineering budgets. Tata is working with its suppliers and partners to determine what the pricing adjustments will look like (when an automaker says that, they mean lower price for them to buy supplies from suppliers, which also means less profit for the supplier), but it's clear they are trying to remain as close as possible to that original $2,500 target.

Jalopnik Snap Judgement: We'll still take three, with the racing stripes, as long as matte-black paint and rear-window shotgun holders are available options. [Automotive News Submission Req.]