Rata TATA had a dream of getting poor Indians off the motor bikes to which whole families precariously cling and into shiny new cars they could buy for 1lakh (100,000) rupees, or about $2,200. As head of Tata Group, he envisioned distributing flat packs of parts to rural mechanics who would become successful entrepreneurs assembling the kits into complete cars in the heartlands where 750m poor Indians live. Manufacturing reality squashed the flat packs and the Nano, as the world's cheapest car came to be called, is now made in a giant factory in Sanand, Gujarat. It could turn out 250,000 Nanos a year, but it is barely ticking over.
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