Welcome the People's Car

I am 21 years old, don't own a driving license and haven't even tried driving. But I just experienced one of the rare moments in my life that prompt me to change this reality. Tomorrow, on March 23rd, the world’s cheapest car will be officially launched.

The Tata Nano is designed by Tata Motors in India to target the mass of consumers with its highly low price. The People's Car will cost around 100,000 rupees ($1,950). Although it looks quite small, it actually has the capacity to seat four passengers. What is more, Tata Motors is working on Nano's eco-friendly electric-version, the E-Nano, whose design is believed to include solar panels.

The Tata Nano will not only bring convenience to Indian consumers, but it will also undoubtedly influence India's economy. According to statistics of the rating agency CRISIL, "Tata Nano’s launch could expand the Indian car market by 65%."

The main critiques of the cheapest car model address the correlation between safety measures and the rate of car accidents in India. The Nano won't include airbags and antilock braking systems because they are not mandatory safety-features in India. "India has 8 per cent of the world’s vehicle fatalities and less than 1 per cent of its cars, with more than 90,000 people killed on the country’s roads every year," writes Catherine Riley, The Times Motoring Editor.