World's cheapest car hits Indian streets

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-23 17:55

MUMBAI: The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, hit the streets on Friday, as the first customer got the keys to a vehicle that its makers hope will transform travel for millions of Indians.

World's cheapest car hits Indian streets

The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, at a showroom in Mumbai. [Agencies]

Ashok Raghunath Vichare took delivery of a lunar silver Nano LX model, one of three cars handed over in person by Tata Motors boss Ratan Tata at a city dealership.

The 59-year-old customs official from Mumbai said only that he was "very happy" to have got his hands on the car, as he was mobbed by cameras and press photographers.

His family, who accompanied him to the showroom, said their first drive would be to a nearby Hindu temple to have the vehicle blessed.

Mumbai bank worker Ashish Balakrishnan, who took delivery of a sunshine yellow LX model, said he could not wait to "joyride on the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link", a newly opened 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) bridge in the city.

"This is my first car. The price was a major factor," the 29-year-old told reporters.

The third car, also a lunar silver LX, was handed over to Kores India Ltd, an office products-to-outsourcing firm.

Analysts said the delivery was a positive step, after a land dispute forced the firm off the site of a factory it was building to produce the cars in eastern India, fuelling concerns about its ability to meet demand on time.

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