Ahh, the Tata Nano: the $2500 car that has sent the world a-spinning. Not content with their upcoming acquisition of luxury brands Land Rover and Jaguar, Tata Motors (of India) is off-setting the higher cost vehicles with this ultra-low cost “peoples’ car”.

So, does styling & quality hold up? Methinks it’s time for a crit.

Read on. Exterior

First things first: the Nano won’t win any beauty pageants. That’s not to say that it’s an ugly vehicle, only that it’s definitely a form-follows-function design. Aesthetic is by no means the top priority; cost is the gate keeper here.

What it does accomplish as a design is the maximization of space: wheels at the corners, egg-shape design for head space & safety, and large, purposeful glass. Tata adds a little flair with an upturned swoosh to break up the canvas, and incorporates some chamfers and crisp lines.

Interior

The interior of the Nano is as basic as it gets, both styling-wise and functionality. The main focus is space and storage. The seat design, doors, and overall interior is as vanilla as it gets. The big fault is the exposed metals and bad interfaces between parts. Some might say that this is far better than any other vehicle you can get for this price range, but design and craftsmanship still shouldn’t readily be sacrificed. A few inexpensive design tweaks can go a long way down the road.

The IP design does justice to the vehicle’s interior, however. By moving the gauges to the center, Tata was able to create two spacious in-dash bins for storage and carrying of tools, groceries, etc. This gives the dash a unique proportion to call its own. Some simple geometric shapes used as dials and vents highlight the otherwise simple graphic break-up.

Overall

The easiest way to summarize this vehicle is to say that “it is designed to get the job done”. The aesthetics aren’t meant to be iconic, only to sell and get from point-A to point-B. The cost, above all, is what makes this vehicle revolutionary.