The World's Cheapest Car Set To Launch

theodp writes "Ready for one-automobile-per-child (OAPC)? India's giant Tata Group is on the verge of launching the world's cheapest car. The People's Car, slated to be unveiled January 10th at a New Delhi auto show, will carry a sticker price of 100,000 rupees ($2,500), which some analysts say could revolutionize automobile costs worldwide. The Tata is a pet project of Cornell-trained architect Ratan Tata, who helped design it. The vehicle is aimed at improving driving safety by getting India's masses off their motorbikes and into cars."

Comments

Re:Sounds interesting, but any hope of US?

[omeomi]

I doubt it will ever arrive in the U.S., at least not at that price.

The vehicle is aimed at improving driving safety by getting India's masses off their motorbikes and into cars."

Hmm...the world's second most populous nation switching from motorcycles to cars. Yes, that should do wonders for gas prices / global warming.

Just what the world needs.....

[demachina]

With $100 barrel oil and global warming, that's just what the world needs is to get a couple billion more people sitting in traffic jams burning up the dwindling supply of fossil fuels and polluting the air.

Re:What about the Chinese?

[timmarhy]

enterprise like this is the ONLY thing that break the poverty cycle. people buy cars, which need to be built and serviced. this offers a million oppertunities for someone in poverty to get a job and raise their living standards.

until you people understand this, you will continue to doom the 3rd world with your kindness.

Re:Exactly What We Need

[Soko]

Why should the rich have any greater right to jeopardize human and environmental health and safety? Especially when comparing the wealth of people in different parts of the world; you can't say that the comparative net worth of a particular American vs. a particular Indian have anything to do with individual merit.

From what I've observed, the USA equates rich and privilege - if you're rich, you fscking well earned it and deserve the right to plunder more. If that $PERSON_FROM_OTHER_COUNTRY were worth anything, they'd have enough money/influence/power to compete, nevermind the huge disparity in resources.

Yes, I do understand. As an American I find the prospect of equal access to natural resources for everybody on earth very frightening, because I am accustomed to our position of privilege. But I won't try to rationalize that selfish and irrational sentiment.

As a Canadian, (where we produce more CO2 per capita than the US - no lily-green condescension here) I fear that situation more. We're in no position to defend ourselves if we become "hostile to American interests", especially if those interests are Big Oil, since we have what they want in spades. Granted, it seems that a less hostile approach *cough*Stephen Harper*COUGH* is being taken, but we are a different lot up here - eventually, we _will_ have a conflict where the US wants our water or oil or trees or whatever, and will take it in whatever means they determine necessary against our will or better judgement. Just so you know - I don't think it will be the majority of Americans who will want to do that, just the moneyed few who will lose control unless they do so, and so will sell it to the American public as "The Right Thing".

In summation - we live in a global plutocracy, where being a USasian or Canoodian or Belizian matters not a whit, only how much money you have and what you can do to further the cause of the privileged few. The trick is to turn (a) green technology(ies) into something they need to hold on to power - then it'll be invested in and promoted like nothing else. /takes off tinfoil hat

Re:Sounds interesting, but any hope of US?

[eggnoglatte]

According to the specs, fuel consumption is 4L/100km. That's better than my sport touring motorcycle and only 10% worse than a modern Yamaha BWS scooter with a 49cc two stroke engine. Compared to ancient or cheaply hacked together motorcycles, the car would win hands down, even on the CO2 front.