Greenies hate mobile Indians

The Indian motor car manufacturer Tata unveiled whats been called the world's cheapest car today, the Tata Nano:

The car, Tata said, is smaller than a Maruti , but has 21 per cent more volume or space inside than the 800. He said that the dealer price of the car will be Rs 1 lakh, plus value-added tax (VAT) plus transport charges.

The car will have a 624-cc petrol engine generating 33 bhp of power. It will sport a 30-litre fuel tank and 4-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering. It will have front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 23 km per litre.

The car's dashboard features just a speedometer, fuel gauge, and oil light. The car does not have reclining seats or radio. The shock absorbers are basic.

You might think giving the Indian masses the equivalent of a Citroen CV2 or Volkswagen Beetle might just be the thing to allow them to enjoy the mobility and freedom we take for granted, but no we can't have that can we:

Professor Lucas Reinders, Amsterdam University's 'professor of the environment', is very concerned: "This car will offer an attractive alternative to people who rely on India's poor public transport or who ride cycles or motorbikes on its dangerous roads. Therefore, I think there's a good chance a huge number of the cars will be sold."

Having more cars on India's roads means not only more congestion and pollution, but more opportunities to receive revenue from tax, registration fees, tolls etc. as well as increased economic activity. That means more and better roads and cleaner air. As to increased oil consumption, theres lots of opportunity for alcohol fuels in India.