Bargain-Basement Cars to Abound Overseas
Think a car with manual windows and no A/C is the cheapest you can get? Over in India, Tata Motors (The car at left is one of theirs) is going to launch a car that will cost the equivalent of just $2,467 next year. The subcompact has four doors and a 600-cc engine – that’s 0.6 liters – that makes just 33 hp. America’s cheapest car, the $9,995 Chevy Aveo5, has a 1.6-liter engine with 103 hp.
Of course, the Aveo5 meets minimum crash standards. At least initially, Tata’s pint-sized sedan will be built and sold only in India, so it won’t have to meet European safety standards, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Tata isn’t the only automaker that sells bargain-priced cars. Renault
marketed the Logan sedan in Europe for just $7,200 in 2004. In India,
Chinese automaker Geely sells a car for $3,900. Suzuki markets the
Maruti 800, whose price is now creeping toward $5,000 at current
exchange rates. It’s a three-cylinder, 30-hp hatchback that doesn’t
even pretend to look like it was designed in the ‘90s, let alone this
decade.
You can’t beat the price, though. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
expects the market for sub-$10,000 cars to grow to 18 million, or
one-fifth of international auto sales, by 2012, according to the St.
Petersburg (Fla.) Times. Geely might well be the first automaker to
bring those cars en masse to the U.S. -- the automaker has announced
plans to import cars here by the end of the decade, though we’ll
believe that when we see it. With all the safety and emissions
standards they’ll have to meet, it’s unlikely these cars could cost
much less than $8,000. What compromises would you be willing to make to
get a set of wheels at that price? Weigh in below.
Reverse Sticker Shock: Get a New Car for $2,467, (St. Petersburg Times)
Tata’s New Car is Cheap ($2,467), But Will it Sell?, (Los Angeles Times)
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I'd rather just buy used.
And I live in a place where any lacking a/c will die. Houston.
power options and radio, but like joey1 said i rather buy usedaveo or yaris.
I'd buy one to take the trash out with, otherwise a lack of safety features and God knows what else it's lacking, will not fit my bill of road worthiness.
This was tried before,it was called Yugo,and it failed miserably.Americans want cheap,but the best that cheap will buy.Tinny little shoeboxes that have no power or will rust away in a couple years dont stand a chance.We have all outgrown Fiat 600s and BMW Isettas.
Heck,people buy 15-20 year old Lincolns and Cadillacs just so they can say they own a Lincoln or Cadillac,whats the incentive to say you own a new psuedo-car?
"We have all outgrown"
Yeah, Paul, but this planet is NOT JUST "WE," you see...
Maybe you or your folks will never buy 1 of these cheap cars anymore, but remember, many Americans & Europeans did buy them some 30-40 yr. old 'coz of affordability. Now many other countries begin to "develop," and these cheap vehicles are all most of these countries' citizens can afford...I mean, like the US some 30-40 yr. ago. So it may fail here in the US, but by golly these cheapies are bound to success in those countries - and these countries have large population than the entire US too!
I would be curious to know the possible environmental impact of a bargin vehicle like this. Given, these are probably very fuel efficient but will these cars be equipt with catyltic converters? I would imagine the inclusion of it would spike the price of the car, so my guess is no. The vehicle will definitley be sold en masse to parts of the world that are seeing monsterous population growth and industrialization. If these cars go out without any regulation on them it could be an environmental debacle. Now I know coming from the U.S. its kind of like the pot calling the kettle black and I won't begin to pretend that we are anywhere near where we should be environmentally, but is there anyone looking into it? Im not sure if India or China signed the Kyoto environmental act (I know the U.S. skipped it) and I am not much of a tree hugger but I am a little curious.
Phaeton-
Not even to mention how unclean the factory may be where they are built, and likely the substandard work conditions.
Paul-
This was tried before,it was called Hyundai/Kia, and it was a resounding success. Americans want cheap, but the best that cheap will buy. Tinny little shoeboxes that have no power or will rust away in a couple years sold well and improved over the years to become respectable vehicles. We have all outgrown Fiat 600s and BMW Isettas.
Phaeton-
I missed the part of your post that questioned if India or China signed the Kyoto protocol. They, in fact, didn't. The lack of the two largest nations (by population) in the developing world being onboard is the source of a large portion of the criticism of the treaty. It's also the reason the US gave for recently exiting the treaty. (the treaty was agreed to by Clinton, but never sent to the senate for ratification) China is actually now the largest greenhouse gas emitted, not the US (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jun/19/china.usnews) so this objection is not purely silly.
Bring on the micro and b segment cars! Sure, the Yugo and other econoboxes of the past might not be desireable but, let's look at the cost of fuel, insurance and maintenance costs of today as compared to back then. Suddenly, the micro econoboxes are looking good to me. Safety? If everyone followed the rules of the road, there would be less risks to be concerned about.
Yugo failed not because they were inexpensive but because of terrible quality that never really improved over several years. (That, and the civil war in Yugoslavia that shut down the factory!) Hyundai and Kia both had quality issues when they first started but have improved dramatically since. Unfortunately, they no longer sell inexpensive cars. The big question is if Geely's cars will combine a very low price with acceptable quality. If they can do that, then they will succeed. There are plenty of people who need affordable, basic cars.
I will like a car that cost very little, and safe. I will also like a car for a section 8 person. I really need a car because I have an 11 year old child. Also metero cost to much.
Michelle Jordan