An innovative car from India that costs just $2,500 is now the star of a museum exhibition at an Ivy League school.
It most countries, you may be excused from thinking this a crazy notion. And it wouldn’t generally work unless there’s something special on offer. Which in this case is a zippy car, built on a very tight budget, and which emits a much smaller percentage of carbon dioxide than the average city car.
That’s right, the car is question is Tata Motors Nano. Billed as the modern, contemporary emission-friendly city car, the first piece was delivered into the commercial capital of India, Mumbai, amidst much enthusiasm. It has received the Frost & Sullivan 2009 Innovation Award for outstanding innovation and exceptional contribution to the auto industry.
And now, it receives another honor – that of playing center stage at the Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art’s 2011 exhibition highlighting societal change. The car is featured alongside a hanging exhibition of the Nano dismantled and its parts suspended. To further illustrate how environmentally friendly the Nano really is, a 25-foot diameter balloon will float in the museum gardens; a depiction of the Nano’s entire emissions for a year. Cost efficiencies must go hand in hand with sustainable living. Tata’s Nano is indeed a combination of the above, and a reminder that it is possible to be trendy and practical while saving the world.
Tata’s Nano was conceived of in 2006 as a solution to meet the needs of the common man and the rural worker. Its all-aluminum, two cylinder engine delivers 54 miles per gallon and despite its size (10 feet by 5 feet), meets current regulatory requirements.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
