Task number one: change the name.

I've owned two Indian motorscooters, and they both had their quirks. Pot metal drain plugs and brake levers, for example.

So you could understand my reservations in regards to India's Tata Group and their unveiling of the Nano, the world's cheapest car.

India still has a higher degree of QC, in my view, than China, insofar as vehicle production is concerned. Take, for example, the fact that this Chinese SUV rated a zero across the board in safety crash tests (and Geely wants to buy Volvo? Gaaaaah...). But I still can't help but wince at the notion of driving a $2500 Indian-built car. I mean, the MSRP on my Indian-made Bajaj Chetak was a hair more than that back in 2005.

But what is even more unsettling, for me, anyway, is the push to put more cars on the streets of what the PR folks at Tata are calling "emerging markets" (that is, developing countries). Developing countries are highly dependent on two wheel and public transport, and I have to say I don't think cars in large numbers are the answer for markets like India and Southeast Asia, that are already suffering from congestion and pollution with the cars they have.

As much as I love cars... I think that places like Delhi and Bangkok have enough issues without further traffic and emissions.