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| India\\'s new people\\'s car |
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The big news in India this week has been the launch of the 1 Lakh (2500 dollars) Tata Nano people’s car. Looking like a stretch smart on castors, the baby Nano is powered by a small 2-cylinder engine and can just about manage to carry four people.
Just as the first Nanos were rolling off the production line, Rolls Royce announced to the world that its own ‘baby’ model - based on the 200EX concept car - will be powered by a 6.6-litre V12 manufactured by BMW. Rolls Royces were once very popular on the Indian sub-continent and frequently ordered in fleet quantities – one for each day of the week. With the recent emergence of a prosperous middle class, Rollers are once again proving popular, and no doubt the baby model will be snapped up in sizeable quantities.
Meanwhile, Tata will continue to churn out Nanos for a nation of poor people who can afford nothing better. I will let you know when the first models arrive.
