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Tata Motors began selling its "one-lakh car" in March, 2009. The cheapest car in the world today, though the price continues to rise due to increasing material costs, it is an exemplary example of Gandhian engineering, a concept involving deep frugality and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. 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 $2,200 (-1,490, £1,186) 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 nickname, "one-lakh car" is due to the Nano's low price point, near 100,000 (one lakh rupees). |
