Tata Motors of India confirmed yesterday that its $2,500 car is on schedule for production next year and defended the car — which is being hailed as “the people’s car” — against environmental concerns. Many environmentalists are concerned that such an inexpensive car will skimp of pollution controls, but a company chairmans claims the car will be he least polluting vehicle on Indian roads.
“We will have less pollution per vehicle than any other vehicle in the country today,” Ratan Tata, owner of the company, told the Associated Press. Despite the promise of a cleaner vehicle, there is still the concern that such a low priced vehicle will attract a large number of buyers, overwhelming India’s environment and infrastructure. Tata plans to make between 250,000 and 500,000 of the cars per year.
Even with the promise of a greener car, it’s unlikely that the vehicle would meet U.S. EPA pollution limits.
