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What's The World's Cheapest Car?

Of course it is the Nano. Everyone and their dog knows it; unless you aren't an Indian or have been living under a rock for the last two years. But imagine my surprise finding it on the How Stuff Works website (one of my favorite reads, title is self explanatory). Call me weird, but it actually had me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

In spite of all the hue and cry about congestion, traffic, pollution etc., I'd really like to see this car succeed (and before you ask, it has nothing to do with the car being 'Indian'). Maybe then, these issues will finally be addressed.

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Comments

  1. Rahul SharmaFebruary 28, 2009 at 3:24 AM

    wont a better answer be a two seater car, more like reva. If people are really concerned about the environment and the no. of vehicles on the road wont it make sense to have smaller clean fuel cars. I feel that this car is not at all addressed to the problem we are talking about. To add more i feel that this car ll increase the already existing problem because the price is so low that this obviously is going to be first preference of the first time buyers/young buyers etc which is directly proportional to the no. of vehicles and the pollution. People probably ll never understand what the are doing to their upcoming generations......

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  2. Shilpa JFebruary 28, 2009 at 4:35 AM

    @Rahul: Generally speaking yes, it does make better sense to make smaller, more fuel efficient cars. But the Reva has not been so successful for precisely this reason. People do not really want a car which only pretends to be a car. When they buy a car, they expect it to look and work like one.

    Also the concern for environment has to be balanced with practical considerations. A family of four on a motorcycle or scooter is not a rarity on our roads. Shouldn't their safety be of concern to us too?

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  3. Rahul SharmaFebruary 28, 2009 at 11:34 AM

    Hmmmm, how many times does a family of 4 all four at the same time use the car together? From what i have experienced people generally travel alone in their cars.
    And the thing is its not abt did reva succeed or not, is reva qualified to be a car or not. Its abt whether nano should we looked at with environmentalist point of view. And the ans to that ll be no.
    Also lets talk abt safety of the people traveling in the cars, well, most of the cars in this segment dont have air bags. A bare necessity at time of accidents.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shilpa JMarch 1, 2009 at 1:59 AM

    Again the perspective here is different. Comparing the Nano o others cars is not my point, but the Nano to motorcycles or scooters. While it is true that often people travel alone in cars, it does not preclude families of four on a bike.

    My family traveled that way on a Kinetic Honda scooter till I was 14 and my sister 11 :). That is nothing if not dangerous, even compared to a car without airbags.

    In all likelihood, the Nano is not the answer to the problem, but at the very least it is a step in the right direction.

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