World's cheapest car has rival
The Tata Nano car, which goes on sale in India later this year for the equivalent of £1,250 and is widely touted as the world’s cheapest car, has a rival.
The new ‘ultra-low-cost’ car will be produced by Renault-Nissan and Bajaj Auto, an Indian motorcycle manufacturer.
Both Tata and the producers of this new model hope in the future to export the new car to other emerging markets.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: “With oil prices breaking new records by the week, the market for super-efficient small cars may soon extend beyond developing markets to increasingly frugal and green-minded consumers in the West. In this respect we have much to learn from this new breed of car.”
What is the Tata Nano?
Many millions of the people in India who currently travel by bicycle and scooter have welcomed the launch in January 2008 of a car which costs 100,000 Rupees (£1,277).
The TaTa Nano is a small-engined and extremely lightweight four-seater car which returns an average 50 miles per gallon; the car is India’s Model T Ford – a mass-produced, lightweight and affordable car intended to make motoring accessible to as many as possible.
Andrew Davis, director at the Environmental Transport Association, said: “We struggle to reduce our emissions of CO2 at the same time as even the smallest model of car is weighed down with features such as air conditioning, electric windows and ABS brakes – the latest concept car from Nissan includes a PA system and a microwave in the dashboard. It appears we have lost sight of what an efficient and relatively benign mode of transport a car based on a 100-year-old principles can be.”
Motoring made greener
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