It seems that some start up business owners in India are looking towards the Tata Nano as a godsend. Sure, they may not appeal to every business, but to up and coming taxi businesses, they are.

It seems that Autocar recently learned from an Indian man that a large portion of Tata Nano orders were from those who are looking to use the extremely cheap car to start their own taxi businesses. They point to the fact that due to the car’s 4-person capacity and sure-to-be low repair costs, it is the perfect alternative to a fullsized sedan.

In India they may be the perfect taxi alternative but just imagine someone with a truckload of bags after a day of shopping in New York City trying to squeeze into one of these things.

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The extremely low-cost Tata Nano has been the talk of the internet for some time now having recently made its way through European crash testing with generally good results.

Well, it seems that the first production model has finally rolled off the line and into the hands of a consumer. The consumer in question is Ashok Raghunath Vichare of Mumbai who was reported to have paid around $2,053 for said vehicle.

With it’s low price and estimated 56MPG the Tata Nano is sure to make waves when it hits the market world wide.

via Autoblog

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Yesterday we reported to you that Tata’s sub-$2000 Nano passed through European crash testing with generally good marks. Today, we have a video of the car actually undergoing said crash test which you can view here.

Now I know that Europe has deemed the Tata Nano safe enough to be driven on the road and I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t want to be in that car (above others) during a crash.

It’s still not definite but Tata hopes to bring the Nano to the American market sometime before 2011.

Read (Automotive Engineer)

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The first thing I think of when I see cars such as the Tata Nano are the safety hazards associated with driving such a small vehicle. Just imagine getting crashed into by a truck while driving one of those. Get my point?

Well, contrary to my belief, the Tata Nano has successfully made its way through crash testing in Europe which means that the car itself is in fact safe to drive. According to Autocar, Tata execs were “delighted but not surprised” at the successful testing of the budget car.

Of course, in the US our crash testings are a bit more strict than those elsewhere so the Nano will have to undergo some upgrades before it makes its way onto American soil.

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It seems that “the world’s cheapest car” is finally going to make its way to North American dealers, if the Indian automaker Tata Motors has anything to do with it, that is.

We’ve been hearing about the Tata Nano for some time now with intentions of a US debut dating back to March but a solid price point and release window were no where to be seen. Well, Ratan Tata, an exec from the company, has come forth and said the following regarding the Nano:

“It will need to meet all emission and crash standards and so we hope in the next two years we will be offering such a vehicle in the U.S,

But just how much will it cost? Well, according to CNN, the Nano is making its way to the UK in 2011 at a price point of about $2,300. This coupled with its 65 MPG fuel rating is sure to have some Americans drooling.

$2,300 for a brand new car? Count me in. But wait, how fast does it go?

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