The little car that could

…The Nano is inspiring because it symbolizes the rise of a middle class in a country that has been far too impoverished for far too long. Many of the people who will buy these cars grew up thinking they’d never have more than an ox cart. Now they will be able to get around on India’s bustling streets in more comfort and safety than they ever imagined. While these cars won’t have airbags or fancy braking systems, merely being surrounded by an auto body and sheltered from the elements is a dramatic advance that’s hard to begrudge.


But the car is also disconcerting because it speaks volumes about the enormous environmental and social challenges the world faces as millions join the car-owning classes. India has more people (1.1 billion) than there are cars in the world (about 600 million). As more of its citizens drive cars, live in larger homes and consume more power, this will make it harder to come to grips with climate change, no matter what Western countries do to curb their greenhouse gas emissions.

And if $3 gasoline seems like a short-term phenomenon, think again. With a rising Asian middle class snapping up Nanos and other cars like it, demand for oil is likely to go higher.

USA Today