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Uttering the word "Europa" should spark memories of the funky and fragile Lotus of the '60s and '70s, or perhaps the British sportscar company's more recent revival. What one normally doesn't tend to think of is the Tata Nano.

That may change, however, as the discount Indian auto is slated to come to The Continent wearing the Nano Europa badge, and it will arrive with more standard equipment and a higher base price than the target $2,500 USD it will sell for in India. Judging from the production-ready models debuting at the Geneva Motor Show this week, it will also be the best-looking Nano in the family.

While the naming usage may have Colin Chapman rolling in his minimalist coffin, the Nano Europa still shares a few similarities, including a low curb weight, small wheels at the corners, small engines with unusual placements, and so on.

The Europa differs significantly from the standard Nano with a longer 2.28-meter wheelbase (90 inches, or about 7.5 inches longer), a different drivetrain and added standard equipment. In fact, the Europa offers a raft of high-end new-to-Nano features like four-lug 14-inch alloy wheels, electric power steering, LED lighting (unlikely to see production) and even a standard passenger-side mirror. Did we mention it even has an all-aluminum three-cylinder engine and a five-speed transmission for less-dangerous highway cruising?

All joking aside, the Europa also figures to get more safety features, including stability control and anti-lock brakes, and Tata says the car will adhere to all necessary safety regulations before it goes on sale.

While pricing has not been announced, there is talk of hitting the 5,000 Euro bogey (around $6350 USD) when the car launches for 2011, and if the company can hit that target price, we suspect there will be far more Tata Europas extant than Lotus Europas in just a few months' worth of production