Tata Nano

The Tata Nano is an inexpensive, rear-engined, four-passenger city car built by the Indian company Tata Motors and is aimed primarily at the Indian domestic market.

Tata Motors began selling its "one-lakh car" in March, 2009. This nickname is due to the Nano's price point, near 100,000 (≈ US$ 2100). It is the cheapest road car in the world today, though the price continues to rise due to increasing material costs.

In 2008 the Financial Times reported: "If ever there were a symbol of India’s ambitions to become a modern nation, it would surely be the Nano, the tiny car with the even tinier price-tag. A triumph of homegrown engineering, the Nano encapsulates the dream of millions of Indians groping for a shot at urban prosperity." "Homegrown engineering" is a relative term here as much of the systems and parts used in the Nano may not have been developed or produced in India.

The Tata Nano has become somewhat symbolic as a modern 'people's car', often being compared to the likes of the Ford Model T and the original Volkswagen Beetle. The Nano has also become a status symbol in its home market of India, where it provides an opportunity for new car ownership for people who would otherwise never own one, and for the wealthy to join the trend.