If you’ve been wanting to get your hands on the Tata Nano ever since you saw its itty bitty wheels and bubble shape—and, more importantly, price tag—we’ve got goods news for you: The Nano just passed the first of its European testing and that puts it on the path to European availability around 2012 (with North American availability likely not long after that).

Shocked that the speck of a car could pass a side impact test and offset frontal impact test? We were a little bit too, until we found out that car that passed the European tests is not the Tata Nano that’s on sale in India, but rather a modified version (although the Nano wasn’t significantly changed). Some foam was added, some elements reinforced and some structural components added. Because the plan has never been to offer the Tata Nano in Europe or North America as it’s sold in India, these modifications are too be expected and you can expect more as further European testing (and, eventually, North American testing) gets underway, including front and side airbags. In fact, come 2012, the Tata Nano available in India today may change too—India will be updating their safety standards to the current European safety standards then. Click here to read more

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Okay, so it’s not really going into competition with the Tata Nano (more likely it’ll be a competitor for mainstream petite vehicles like the Smart Fortwo) because it’s aimed at a different audience with different demands—heated door mirrors on the iQ3 versus no passenger door mirror whatsoever on the Nano—and a vastly different car budget, but the Toyota iQ3 that is now for sale in the U.K. could one day be headed across the pond as a premium small car for U.S. buyers and it’s already garnered plenty of excitement.

The Toyota Stop and Start system in the iQ3 offers increased fuel efficiency and lowered carbon emissions, which could help put the cute (or should we say QT?) car in competition with hybrid auto choices, but the hefty price tag it’s being sold at in the U.K. (about $19,000 USD) would likely be problematic if it were to come to America and be pitted against the Smart Fortwo, which starts at $11,990—even with the iQ3’s extra seats (one regular, one jumpseat). Click here to read more

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