Ultra energy-efficient cars don’t always have to come with a high price tag. One upcoming vehicle from Renault-Nissan and India’s Bajaj Auto will, in fact, cost just $3,000 and reach an impressive 70 mpg. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been working with Bajaj (India’s second-largest bike manufacturer) on development of the vehicle for two years, but the partners just signed a memorandum of understanding this past week.
Bajaj prototype car photo by AP
The mini-car, nicknamed ULC (Ultra Low Cost, perhaps?), is expected to go on sale on India in 2011. Approximately 200,000 cars are expected to be sold each year.
Of course, the Bajaj/Renault-Nissan car won’t be the only efficient, low-cost vehicle on India’s roads. The Tata Nano, which costs just $2,160, gets 51.7 mpg on city road conditions and 61.1 mpg on highways. So while the Nano is a bit cheaper, the Bajaj car will win out on efficiency — at least until Tata releases an electric model.
We just have one question: when will the battle of the cheap, efficient vehicles migrate to the U.S. and Europe?
+ Bajaj Auto
Via Autobloggreen
“We just have one question: when will the battle of the cheap, efficient vehicles migrate to the U.S. and Europe?”
One answer- never. They don’t come close to meeting safety and emissions standards. Safety standards alone will add several hundred pounds to them, cutting efficiency.
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I rode a Bajaj Scooter with a 150cc engine. The problem was, I couldn’t find anyone who would fix it, and some things fell apart. I got rid of it. I now ride a Honda Rebel 250 that has held together very well this past season, and I know I can fix it where I bought it.
I believe I did see this before, but I am skeptical how well it will hold together. Will they ALLOW these in the US? I suspect American automakers are in conspiracy with the US government to design regulations so these would be illegal to ride, and non-inspectable.