Despite its bargain-basement price, the Tata Motors vehicle is every inch a proper car.
Even before reaching showrooms, the Tata Nano has achieved superstar prominence in India matched only by cricketers and Bollywood stars.
If there were any doubts about the Nano’s celebrity status, they were quickly dispelled after a drive through the streets of Pune, India, a week before its launch. The car was mobbed wherever I parked. People wanted to touch it, jump into it; they pressed their faces to the glass and even posed for pictures next to it. Mobile phones were whipped out to take pictures, bikers gave it the thumbs up and passengers in autorickshaws stopped to get out for a closer look.
