When word starting floating around that the Indian manufacturer Tata was going to produce the Nano, a small four-door, exceptionally basic car whose price would undercut not only new cars, but used cars all the way down to the beaters of Craigslist in price, many took notice. Some reveled in the fact that a simple, no-fluff small car was on the way that simply was four wheels that moved. Most took one look, realized that it was a car roughly the size of a single Grape Nut riding around on go-kart wheels, and thanked every deity known that the car was going to pretty much be limited to the Indian area of the world. We pretty much throw up in our mouths every time we think about it here…it’s the perfect antithesis to what we see when we look at a car. The Nano’s only reason for existence was to be dirt-cheap and running. That’s it. There was no personality, not creativity. Hell, up until the final designs, doors were going to be an option.

Then there was the ADAC testing footage that showed the Nano wadding up like a wet tissue when faced with a solid object. Keep in mind, this was a car that was supposed to take the place of a scooter or motorcycle as a family vehicle in India. Nothing personal, but I’d rather risk it on the bike compared to that. Even a rusty Ford Explorer would be a better option. Even with it’s inflated cost reaching up to $3,100 brand new, how quickly would you line up to be seen in the World’s Cheapest Car, especially one that is guaranteed to cause grievous bodily injury if you hit a butterfly accidentally or will catch fire at random moments? According to the Nano’s sales charts, many people would rather shell out for something better or just walk instead.

A cheap car can be good. But not this one…we’d rather take the risk in a rusty 1981 Dodge Colt than to hop in this thing for half a second. Rust in pieces.