Nano and the emission norms

Anand Giridharadas has an interesting back story on Nano, the new small car from the House of Tatas, which was unveiled today at the Delhi Auto Show:

... The company claims it will meet Euro IV emissions standards, going beyond what the law in India currently requires.

That is impressive in itself, but what is not widely known is what a turnabout that is from Tata’s original strategy. As my colleagues and I discovered recently in an interview with Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, the original plan was to take advantage of a loophole in the law that would have allowed the car not to be classified as a car. Tata planned to register it as a “quadracycle” instead, a vehicle subject to weaker emissions and safety regulations.

Two years ago, Mr. Tata told us, he intervened personally, anticipating criticism. He mandated that the Nano meet passenger-car standards.

* * *

For a very interesting spin on Nano, go to Vivek's post.