TATA micro car with cheap 700cc commonrail

[Darren]

"The car will be built on a rear engine rear wheel drive platform and will be powered by a two-cylinder engine.

Two of these two-cylinder engines will be offered - a 660cc 2-cylinder petrol and the world’s first low-cost 700cc two-cylinder common rail diesel engine with a special low cost common rail system developed by Bosch"

from

http://paultan.org/archives/2007/10/07/ ... -lakh-car/

[dieselbikin]

That would be a great engine. 16HP
http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail/ ... id=3849647
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/06 ... s_int.html

[Sphere]

Don't hold your breath to see this car in Europe of the US. I'm surprised that it will sell in Japan, but that probably has to do with the size: you need a car under a certain length to legally park it within city limits in Tokyo or something. But apart from that, it won't pass NCAP or regulations I'm sure with all the missing extra's.

[oldbmw]

The engine management systems have ALWAYS been cheap. They just charge a lot for them. Because they can.

[Darren]

"After expected strong Indian demand is met over the next two to three years, Tata plans a more powerful, better equipped Nano Europe as a city car. The company showed an airbag-equipped prototype at Geneva several weeks ago, which has extra length, weight and frontal crash structure to enable it to meet Euro NCAP standards, along with a 50-percent bigger three-cylinder engine to cope with the expected 150-200 kilogram weight gain."

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/Fir ... no/238795/

[dieselbikin]

How do we get just a turnkey engine? If the entire car is $2300 then what would the engine alone cost? I wonder if Tata has considered the market demand for a crated engine? Between the projected strong demand for the car coupled with the delay on the new factory we'll probably have to wait several years. There are several great engines on the market already, but they are so blankin exspensive. Selection in the US is not so hot either. The rapidly deflating dollar dosen't help thanks to the Fed printing them 24hrs a day. Anyway, here is one I would like to get my hands.
http://www.yanmar.com/store/item.asp?IT ... MENT_ID=60
http://www.yanmar.com/store/item.asp?IT ... MENT_ID=55
You could buy 2 Tatas for what these cost!

[Crazymanneil]

The engine management systems have ALWAYS been cheap. They just charge a lot for them. Because they can.

Amen to that man!

I accept there is development costs but production costs are nowhere near retail cost and they've made a lot of these by now...

N