Tata Motors today launchesd the world's cheapest car the Nano -hoping to revlutionse travel for millions of Indions and buck a slump in auto sales caused by the global economic crisis.
Company boss Ratan Tata hopes the car, class urban population off motorcycles and into safer four -Whellers. I observed families riding on two- wheelers, the father driving the scooter,his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby," he said when displaying the prototype lastyear. "It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe,affordable, all-wheather from of teansport for such a family."
Demand is expected to outstrip supply with production limited to just 30,000to 50,000 cars in the first year because of limited production capacity a fraction of the original target of 250,000.
Nano has a two -cylendar engine, four -speed manual ttransmission and a top speed of 105 km
per hour.It has no air condationing,electric windos or power steering, but deluxe versions will be available.
Dealers say they have been flooded with queries about the car, whose debut was delayed after
violent protests over the acquisition of farmland to build the Nano plant, forcing Tata motors to shift from west bengal to Gujarat. But the new plant in western India will not be ready untile late 2010, meaning producing outpu and potentially increasing waiting times for deliverises.
The lunch comes at a tough time gor India's top vechile maker, hit by the econmic slowdown and credit crunch at home and abroad-at a time when it is trying to absorb the Birtish luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover, which it bought last year for$2.3 billion.
Environmentalists fear the Nano will accelerate congestion on India's already crowded, pot-holed roads and add to choking pollution.
"Every car that goes on the road is going to use road space. We're only adding to congestion,"said Rajendra pachauri, head of the UN's climate panel, which won the Nobel Prize in 2007.
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