Tata Motors, India’s largest truckmaker, unveiled the country’s cheapest car, pricing it at $2,500 as it aims to convince the nation’s 45 million motorcycle riders to trade up to four wheels.
Ratan Tata, 70, the company’s chairman, displayed the Nano at the Delhi auto show Thursday. The company will also offer more expensive versions with features such as air conditioning and will start sales later this year, he said.
“A promise is a promise,” said Tata, a Cornell University-trained architect, reiterating the price the company set more than five years ago when it began developing the model.
Mumbai-based Tata, lagging behind Suzuki in local sales, is targeting motorcycle owners in India even as environmentalists raise concerns about pollution and traffic.
India’s government estimates annual car sales in the country will triple to 3 million by 2015.
