Is it true?  You can get a brand new car for cheap, just $2,500?  Yes, it is true, if you live in India, that is.  In January 2008, Tata Automobiles of India introduced its ultra-cheap car.  A major question is how Tata Motors of India managed to produce such a cheap car and maintain car accident safety prevention at the same time?   And, how many countries will allow this car to be sold outside of India, especially the United States and other European countries.

Some of its cost-cutting engineering secrets include a hollowed out steering wheel shaft, a trunk with space for a briefcase, and a rear-mounted engine with about as much power as a high-powered riding lawnmower.  At this point, the car’s features seem very stark: reduced space, reduced power, and almost no trunk space!  But that is where the upside comes in: the retail price of the car for $2,500.

The problem with this car being sold in the United States is that this car would most likely fail emission and automobile accident safety standards, and in India at the moment, that is not the main concern.  Tata Motors of India is more eager to accomplish its goal, introduce a majority of the Indian walking population to a cheap car alternative.  The company wishes to let hundreds of millions of Indians as well as others in the developing world experience four-wheel motor vehicle transportation for the first time, right now, while sacrificing automobile accident safety standards.

Hopefully, as India becomes increasingly more developed, emission and car accident safety standards may also start to rule out this cheap mini-car, but for the moment, it seems like the ideal solution for those that cannot a car let alone gas.

It seems that since there are probably no real concern for safety/injuries due to a car accident, money is the main concern!   Our thoughts as car accident attorneys reminds us of cutting corners with grey market cars.

Our car accident attorneys begin to take into consideration the implications of frugal engineering on the vehicle’s safety and longevity.  Many Tata car critics ask how a car that cuts costs by thousands of dollars off normal prices can still be “safe.”  The fact is, the Tata car may not be as safe as most US cars, and are possibly more prone to car accidents.  The Tata car meets Indian norms for safety and emission.  But these norms are changing.  Major cities in India already plan to mirror the Euro IV car emissions standard  in April 2010, but, what about car accident safety standards?

Hopefully, these new standards will most likely also include safety car accident prevention requirements by mandating airbags, anti-lock brakes, and full-body crash tests.  At that point, the Tata car would most likely not be able to retain its low price tag.

Even though these Tata cars are made for India and other developing countries, cars in first-world countries may also start taking on some changes.  Without having safety or emission standards be lowered, cars in Europe and in the US may start having hollowed out steering shafts, actuator-free headlights and tiny trunk spaces.  As car accident attorneys, we believe that the most important factor is safety, and that having car safety standards raised in India and other developing countries may help decrease the number of car accidents or wrongful deaths resulting from them.

Please contact us for a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney — we speak both English and Spanish — at (800) 655-6585.  Click here and you may also submit your case for a Free Review.  No fee if no recovery.