Tata 'NANO' - The People's Car from Tata Motors

£1.2k for world's cheapest car

The Sun - January 11, 2008

The Tata Nano mini is being dubbed the People's Car, like the pre-war Volkswagen Beetle, and is set to revolutionise transport across Asia.

But if the Nano is sold in Britain by Indian maker Tata " on the verge of buying Jaguar and Land Rover " it will be more luxurious than the basic version and probably cost nearer £4,000.

The £1,200 price tag is around half the price of the current cheapest car in India.

The Nano looks like a tall Ford Ka and is powered by a tiny 623cc engine.

With a population of more than a billion people, growing by 50,000 a day, Tata knows there is a massive sales potential for a small car in India.

Bosses believe they could eventually sell around a million Nanos as families swap motorcycles for a car.

Tata chairman Ratan Tata said: "When I saw families riding on two wheelers it led me to wonder if we could create a safe, affordable all-weather car. Now we are happy to present the People's Car to India."

Motoring Editor Ken Gibson says: "The new car underlines the growing influence of emerging countries like India. If Tata upgrades the super mini and kept the price under £4,000 I have no doubt they would find buyers here."