Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
“Wheels truly show your status. If I had a four-wheeler I would have better marriage prospects in my village, I would be respected,” says market stall owner Venkat Banarjee.
“I have an old Honda motorbike, so I am looked down upon. To be able to afford a proper car, with four wheels, that would change my life, it would turn things around.”
Four wheels good, two wheels bad, is a middle-class mantra and now India’s enigmatic billionaire, Ratan Tata, is preparing to unveil the world’s cheapest car to meet the aspirations of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets.
Taking shape in a controversial Chinese-style ‘special economic zone’ on the outskirts of Kolkata, the ‘Indian Mini’ or the ‘People’s Car’ is the culmination of a long-standing dream for industrialist Ratan Tata, a concept he believes will offer the ‘miracle of personal transport’ to India’s masses and make his company a huge player on the international stage.
The domestic and global auto industry is keenly watching the development of this ultra-economy car from Tata Motors, expected to be launched at the end of the year and sell at about 100,000 Indian rupees (BD931), half the cost of the cheapest car available, the Suzuki Maruti 800.
The firm has shrouded the prototype in mystery, although Tata has dropped a few hints: “It is not as small as a Smart. It is not a car with plastic curtains or no roof. It’s a real car.”
By Dan McDougall
