Yes, a car that retails for the equivalent of around $2,000 is the hottest car in India. Strangely enough, this applies to rich and poor alike according to a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor.

It quotes a rural farmer titled Satish Kumar who says he doesn't really need a car. "I'm mainly concentrating on using it socially – taking my whole family to weddings and other family functions," he says.

The flip side of the situation is those who already have cars said a local Tata dealer. "We were expecting people to come who were … on two-wheelers, or in lower-model cars. It was a total surprise – people were coming … who have two or three cars, but wanted the Nano just for the intoxicant of having it."

Tata says it wants to sell the Nano in the U.S. after some extensive modifications. Somehow we don't see it getting quite the same reception here.

Christian Science Monitor