The Nano Diaries One car’s low-emission journey across the Indian Subcontinent

The Nano Diaries

One car’s low-emission journey across the Indian Subcontinent

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The steed: A Tata Nano, officially the world’s most affordable car, the standard model ker-chings in at around $2,500, running with a remarkable fuel efficiency of around 25km per litre. What this will mean for a country whose cities are already crawling with every imaginable form of roadside varmint remains to be seen: could it ring the final death knell for the overcrowded metropolises, or will ‘The People’s Car’ be the door to a new way of middle-class living for an entire segment of Indian society? With over 200,000 orders placed within its first two weeks of release, this compact, boot-less, rear-engined wonder could be the transportation of the future and a symbol for contemporary India.

The challenge: Cheap and fuel-efficient the Nano might be, it’s also a bit of a softy city slicker with a 2 cylinder, 33 horsepower engine, 12-inch tyres and not many frills to boast other than electric windows and an AC unit. To really put it to the test, I’m going to give it the trial of a lifetime - a 10,000km journey around the Indian subcontinent, starting in Mumbai and crossing from coast to coast to mountains, through desert, jungles and cities along the way. Profits raised from this hair-brained scheme will go to Women’s World Banking, a network that provides loans to low-income female entrepreneurs in India.

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