I know that it was very bold of me to come up with such a title for the article, but I really think so. I’ll make a reservation right away that “interesting” does not mean “best”. Cars in India are not the fastest, not the most advanced, not the most comfortable, in general, you can put any other word, except, perhaps, “cheap”. India actually has some of the cheapest cars. However, some of the cars that local people build in India are examples of curious automotive solutions to problems that are unique to India.
If you invest enough money in the car, then, of course, it will be very fast, and beautiful, and comfortable. Car companies do this every day. However, it takes talent to build a car that can handle horrendous roads, use little fuel, carry family members plus extra cargo, and cost no more than $5,000. In fact, today such analogues of post-war legendary cars like, Citroën 2CV, Volkswagen Beetle and (previously) Ford Model T are manufactured in India.
Last week I visited the Los Angeles Auto Show and saw a huge number of elegant, fast, incredibly comfortable advanced cars and thought that I began to take too much for granted. I no longer imagine new car without a color LCD screen and interior material that will be pleasant to the touch.
The more I thought about this subject, the more crazy it seemed to me. Well, who am I to use all these delights? Boss mentor father of the Lord God himself? No, I'm an idiot who can go days without showering. I, like many others, like powerful, fast, luxury cars. But honestly, recently two cars caught my attention and interested me more than anything else. These are Tata Magic Iris and Mahindra Maxximo.
Both cars are available in van (and pickup) versions, and I've openly confessed my love for these two body styles many times. By American standards, these machines are very cheap and have problems with power. Many Americans don't even consider them machines. And the manufacturers themselves do not know how to call this “car”, often calling it a “four-wheeler”. So they are trying to oppose the car to the dangerous three-wheeled auto rickshaws, which it came to replace.
I would not be so modest, because this is really a car in the full sense of the word.
Let's first talk about the car with the unusual name Tata Magic Iris. This tiny van was introduced last year. It is based on Tata Nano with engine rear installation and rear wheel drive platform. If Nano can roughly be called an analogue of the original, then this car is an analogue of the VW Type 2 microbus.
As I said, the car was created to replace the open, dangerous and uncomfortable three-wheeled auto rickshaws. That's why marketers put so much emphasis on things like " closed body”, “steel roof” and “four wheels”. Without all this, for us, a car is not a car. Yes, I forgot to mention "foot brake, gas pedal and clutch mechanism." Compared to an autorickshaw, it's just some kind of Maybach! But compared to everything else, everything is not so rosy.
The car makes great use of space. on a short chassis. The layout is almost like an old microbus, with the driver's seat right above the front wheel and the engine in the back. To make the car comfortable, but inexpensive, side windows made of tarpaulin and transparent film and closed with a zipper. In general, the design of the car is quite modern and attractive, but without pretensions.
The 661cc single cylinder and four-stroke engine give the machine an astounding 11 horsepower and 23 lb-ft of torque. It's not much, but it's enough to propel a 680kg van to 35mph or so. And it's actually not a bad speed when you need to make your way along rural roads or move through urban traffic. By the car independent suspension, fuel consumption of 2-3 liters per 100 kilometers.
This car interested me in terms of its practicality in real situations that we encounter on the road and in life. It embodies the absolute minimum that a car needs to be able to use it. It reminds me a lot of the very first Citroën2CVs - an umbrella on four wheels. If you think about it, the situation in post-war France and modern, developing India is not so different in terms of what kind of car is needed in this situation. Very cheap, durable, easy to repair, low fuel consumption, capable of being driven on bad roads. These characteristics are common to both machines.
Most people are sure that this miracle of technology will never appear on the roads of the United States. They are probably right. Probably, on such a machine you will not be able to go to the track. But let's put it this way: the cost of Magic Iris is about $4,024, and new scooter The Vespa costs about $5,999. Now that idea doesn't seem so crazy, does it? If you need super basic transport, then the small Tata van will be much more practical than the Vespa. And I'm sure it's no less secure. It is unlikely that I will persuade you to buy such a machine, but you can at least look inside it.
Mahindra Maxximo (I think the extra x is from the Xtreme we sent to India in the late 90s) is very similar to the Tata, but bigger and more powerful. This car can no longer be called a purely Indian project, some elements of the car can attract motorists in different countries.
This is also a mini-van with canvas windows. By the way, this element can take root in the USA on old crossovers and SUVs. Imagine canvas windows on a Subaru station wagon, I think that would look cool.
The Maxximo also has a slightly different layout: the engine is in the middle, like the Toyota Previa, and driver's seat- on the engine. Maxximo boasts a 909cc twin-cylinder diesel engine with 25 horsepower. From a technical point of view, the engine can be called quite advanced with two upper camshafts, four valves per cylinder, direct injection and a "foot-operated fuel cut-off system". , but much of this was first applied on a two-cylinder diesel engine. Plus, all of these features are pretty impressive considering the car costs less than $6,500. A CNG version is also available and an electric car is on the horizon.
Inside the car, a well-thought-out layout: three rows of seats, rear seats turned towards each other. This is a convenient and surprisingly new use of space inside the car.
I would like to test both machines. There is something pure and honest about their design. I can't describe them as beautiful or elegant or attractive, but the solution itself is so good, so adapted to the situation in India, that I can't help but admire this product.
The time has come when many of us have the opportunity to purchase a car. True, depending on the thickness of the wallet, everyone chooses their own option. It’s not a problem to buy an expensive car with different bells and whistles, but finding a cheap one that doesn’t let you down at every step is not very easy. Here we will talk about the budget "iron horses".
Who will flood the world with cheap cars
More recently, observers have predicted that Chinese auto industry due to cheap products, it will seriously compete with the giants of the automotive industry. And suddenly such a surprise! By no means a Chinese concern, but a little-known car company Tata Motors presented Tata car Nano worth only 2,000 - 2,500 dollars (at the exchange rate of October 2014 - approximately 84,000 - 95,000 rubles). Sensation! Indian car unexpectedly led in the top of cheap cars.
Such machines, the cost of which does not go off scale, are very popular in poor and developing countries. By the way, the list of the top ten poorest countries in the world
Rating of the ten most inexpensive cars
10. Renault (Dacia) Logan - $ 9,477 (about 400,000 rubles)
This model, as conceived by the designers of Dacia in Romania, was to become one of the most available machines C-class, which was to be sold mainly in the markets of Eastern Europe. Later, this car began to be produced in other countries - in Russia, Colombia, Morocco, Iran.
9. Fiat Palio - $9,242
This is also a European class car. In Russia, she is known as Albea. Very reliable and safe car, produced and sold in our country.
8. Hyundai I10 - $ 9,000 (about 380,000 rubles)
Small budget car owes its appearance to the company Hyundai. It was first introduced seven years ago in India, for the market of which it was intended. Now this model of Indian assembly already exists in Europe. The i10 is a simple minicar equipped with a small set of passive safety features.
7. Tata Indica - $8,900
This is the first and not the most successful attempt Indian car industry release modern car. Commercial success did not accompany him. Despite the very low cost, operated only in India.
6. Chery A1 (Kimo) - $7,400
The brainchild of Chinese automakers is, in fact, a redesigned Chery QQ, which, in turn, is not quite in a legal way copied Daewoo Matiz. True, the design and engine of Chery are quite original, but this exclusive increased the price of the brand by more than three thousand dollars.
5. Geely HQ SRV - $5,780
Hatchback produced by Chinese by Geely Automotive is one of the cheapest cars.
Its virtues are adjustable seats and beautiful design dashboard. But it develops a speed of no more than 84 km / h.
4. Geely MR - $5,500
Enough comfortable car, capable of speeds up to 140 km / h. There is an air conditioner
CD player, reclining seats.
3. Suzuki Maruti 800 - $4,994
The five-door hatchback Suzuki Maruti 800 is produced in India, where it can be purchased for such low price. Until recently, it was considered the cheapest Indian car. Its main characteristics are the ability to pick up speed up to 125 km / h, cabin capacity -. True, passengers should be of small stature.
2. Chery QQ - $4,781
The cost of this car is one of the lowest in the world. However, it is known that this model- a frank pirated copy of Chevrolet / Daewoo Matiz. You can only buy it in China. Recently, an improved version of this model called QQ3 appeared on the car markets, which is capable of reaching speeds of no more than 83 km / h and is intended mainly for traveling on asphalt roads.
1. Tata Nano - $2,500
And again - about the cheapest car in the world - the new Tata Nano. This model at its lowest price bypassed all competitors. It is expected that such a sensational car will become a real hit in India. Tata Nano is unlikely to be exported, since in most countries such a car will not be certified according to safety standards. And this despite the fact that this was conceived budget car like a family. Its length is a little over 3 meters, width - 1.5 m. The gasoline engine is a two-cylinder, with a volume of 624 cubic cm, with a capacity of 33 horsepower. The maximum speed is 100 km/h. These positions attract buyers. Now in India, a queue for the acquisition of Tata Nano has been scheduled for a year in advance. Motorists are not embarrassed that the car does not have airbags, air conditioning, radio.
The cheapest cars in Russia
The VAZ "five", which has a cost of 5,600 dollars (a little more than 235,000 rubles), could well claim fifth place in the world ranking.
Russian "Oka", now with Chinese engine, power accessories and air conditioning, has a price of 7,600 dollars, which corresponds to 320,000 Russian rubles. This is the sixth position in the ranking. But once it was the most affordable, truly popular car. Could be the first in the world's top cheap cars.
Bajaj RE60 - cheaper than all cheap ones
And yet there is a car that low level the prices bypassed all the models included in the rating. This is the Bajaj RE60, assembled in India on the basis of a three-wheeled moped - auto rickshaw. And only the presence of four wheels and four seats allowed the designers to call this miracle of the automotive industry a car. The baby's power is 20 horsepower, engine size -200 cc. This is enough for the car to accelerate without passengers and any cargo
up to a speed of 70 km / h. But Bajaj RE60 gasoline consumes only 3 liters per hundred kilometers.
And most importantly - it costs no more than 70 thousand rubles.
"Most cheap car in the world", Indian Bajaj Qute, in Russia it is certified as a quadricycle of category L7. The machine has a single-cylinder gasoline engine over rear axle and motorcycle sequential box gear, and maximum speed does not exceed 70 km/h. At home, Bajaj Qute costs a little over two thousand dollars, but the Russian base price by the beginning of sales, it had grown to 330 thousand rubles - about the cost of the Daewoo / Ravon Matiz that had just left the market. And we took for a “fitting” a car with options: a stove (16.5 thousand rubles) and a lockable interior (2 thousand). But - with transparent plastic curtains on the windows: you have to pay another 15 thousand for a double-glazed window.
I met World Car Free Day with the key to Bazage. Supported, so to speak, the action. There are doors, as well as a steering wheel, pedals and a plastic roof. And even a radio tape recorder with a USB input. But there is no car.
According to the documents, Bajaj Qute is listed as a scooter, that is, it needs category A rights, but I also have a cover letter from the traffic police in my pocket, which, as it were, allows me to consider it a quadricycle and drive with category B or B1 rights. Here I sit down.
Zippers and buckles on the doors, muddy oilcloth windows, seat belts and a cold leatherette chair bolted to the floor... Where are the shackles and lashes? Bajaj Qute inside looks like a toy for adults, and in the most dubious sense. Sadomaroller. Although this is the only thing that explains its price: the gentlemen are willing to suffer.
I was lucky: someone left an old newspaper in the salon. The wind seeps through the window seams, the cabin is warmed only by the driver’s breath, the windows are constantly sweating - but if you quickly wipe them with a newspaper, you can drive without even unbuttoning the window. The only problem is that you still need to keep up and switch gears. A newspaper is a lever, a newspaper is a lever. And at speed it is already necessary to steer with two hands, because the stability of the Bajaj resembles an office chair on wheels.
A couple of times at traffic lights I managed to seep between the stream and the curb, although after the roads were narrowed in Moscow, there were almost no loopholes for Bazhazhi. Benefits on paid parking also not: money is not taken only from two-wheeled motor vehicles. Strictly according to traffic rules, the Qute scooter does not have the right to travel to the Moscow Ring Road, to the Third transport ring, on suburban highways, but also on bicycle paths, entry is also closed to him.
In winter, even in Moscow, the first blizzard will blow Bajaj to the suburbs, and the reagents will be dissolved and washed off the road. But in India, where instead of a stove all you need is a sarong and a turban, and gasoline costs 60 rubles per liter, Bajaj Qute is sure to make many happy. So I hand over the keys and no longer scoff. About the adventures of this car in Russia, I want to know only one thing: if we, as promised, will use it to deliver fast food, how many minutes will pizza go to me now?
MOSCOW, October 6 - RIA Novosti, Alexei Zakharov. Sales of the world's cheapest car Bajaj Qute started in Russia. The first private customers can order a model from India at a price of 360,000 rubles. About whether it is worth standing in line for a novelty - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Fast sidecar
Russian partner Indian company Bajaj Auto Ltd. announced the start of accepting orders for the cheapest car in the world from private customers. The Qute model (Kyut), which is certified in Russia as a quadricycle (motorized stroller), will cost from 360 thousand rubles. Previously, cars from the first batches were offered to corporate customers, but the model had to be finalized for private buyers, a representative of Bajaj in Russia told RIA Novosti.
Bajaj Qute with rear wheel drive equipped with a single-cylinder gasoline engine with a volume of 0.217 liters and a power of 13 hp. (some motorcycles are more powerful). The power unit with a 5-speed gearbox from a motorcycle is able to accelerate a car weighing 399 kg to 70 km per hour. Fuel consumption - at the level of 2-3 liters per 100 kilometers, with a tank capacity of 8 liters. Part of the body parts of the car is made of plastic, it will fit four passengers and up to 44 liters of luggage.
The car can still be ordered through a car dealership in Moscow, but by the end of the year car centers may appear in other cities. "We officially started. We didn't force things. After all basic version equipped with film windows, there was no stove and lock cylinder driver's door. It took several months to develop improvements, and now Qute - with side windows, a lock cylinder and a heater," the company explained.
In the future, Qute will come from India with modifications for the Russian market. The company plans to sell about 500 vehicles in 2016, part of the quadricycles have already arrived to corporative clients. Among them there is a large pizza delivery chain.
Bajaj Auto's main products are motorcycles. Last year in Russia there were 5 centers for the sale of two-wheeled Vehicle, currently there are 25, and next year there are plans to expand to 60 outlets. It is likely that some of them will also supply plastic Qutes.
Expert opinion
"No. This car is not for private use," RIA Novosti answered a question about a possible purchase of a new model. automotive expert Maxim Pastushenko, who spent several days behind the wheel of a Qute on the streets of Moscow.
He believes that the car will fit perfectly into corporate fleets, especially delivery and car sharing services. For himself, for this money, he would buy Lada Granta, Daewoo Matiz (deliveries of the model have been discontinued in Russia, but you can still find cars at dealers) or Ravon R2.
“The car is funny. It’s not even a Zaporozhets. It’s not a car, but a quadricycle, that is, a motorized carriage. And if we compare it with products from Serpukhov, where motorized carriages were previously produced, then everything falls into place,” Pastushenko believes.
Qute can accelerate to 70 km per hour, and in urban conditions this is quite enough. But it is uncomfortable, unpleasant and even unsafe to drive on the highway - you are just superfluous in the stream, the expert notes. "The car roars on maximum speed. There is no soundproofing. Weird landing. So it tends to roll over during sudden changes. Everyone in the city is looking at you. They laugh and give a thumbs up. People come up and take pictures. Even when you're driving sports cars- there is no such attention," Pastushenko described his impressions of driving a quadricycle from India.
The Indian company Bajaj Auto will present the world's cheapest car, "Qute", on the Russian market. The price of a new car starts from 250 thousand rubles. By far the cheapest new machine in Russia, these are representatives of the Chinese automobile industry.
Sales of Qute in Russia will begin in March-April 2016. in winter the car will pass series of tests for Russian roads. In 2016, the distributor plans to sell 200–300 indian qute- reports RBC.
Qute entered production in September 2015. This is a four-seater car with a single-cylinder gasoline engine from a motorcycle with a capacity of 13.5 hp. With such power unit A 400-kilogram car can accelerate to 70 km/h. Claimed fuel consumption is less than 2.8 liters per 100 km. Versions on methane and propane are planned. In India, the model costs $2,000, making it the cheapest in the world. Until now, this title belonged to another Indian " people's car» - Tata Nano, the cost of which starts at $ 3 thousand.
The machine may be of interest as a commercial vehicle due to the low cost of operation, for example, for courier delivery or for sales agents and representatives.
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