For starters, I do not like the word ‘cheapest’. It gives the impression that the product in question is well, is cheap … this car might be the most affordable car in the world, or it can be the cheapest. Let’s see…

I am talking about Tata’s Nano. Tata, for those who do not know, is another one of India’s fairy-tale companies; they not only produce a wide range of cars for the Indian market, in India, but they not-so-recently acquired iconic brands like Rover and Jaguar. (Those even still wondering, yes, Jaguar and Rover are now Indian companies — don’t know about you, but it sounds weird).

The Tata Nano – which at roughly 1300 pounds (comes to about one lac fifty thousand rupees) – is the cheapest car in the world, is no accident. Tata announced it eons ago, it seems. What I mean to say is that unlike Mehran, Tata Nano is no accident – they actually planned it that way!

What about the design?

But the over riding question in my mind is that when it comes to a unique concept, where do all the designers run off to?

Toyota took a unique concept – hybrid cars – and made the Prius. It looks like a freak-of-nature, overly stuffed insect, that comes in different colors no doubt. Only recently, Honda has made a much better looking Hydrogen fuelled car that doesn’t induce a gag reflux.

Tata took a unique concept – the cheapest/most-affordable car – and made this Nano that looks like an angry midget. No seriously, just look at it and imagine an angry midget – that is what this car looks like.

But seriously though, we all could do well with cars with a price tag like this to be on the roads… what do you think?

Inside of Tata Nano

The Nano Dashboard

The Nano Dashboard

The Tata Nano

Rejoice - it has gears