It's hardly surprising that Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata chose the theme from the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" as the soundtrack to his unveiling of the Nano mini-car. Simply put, this car is epoch-making. It is the Ford Model T of India.
In the same way that the famous Ford changed the future of transport forever when it burst onto the American market in 1907, the $2,500 Nano promises to revolutionize travel across the subcontinent.
Ratan Tata knows the impact of putting a car within reach of millions who previously could not afford one. "I hope this changes the way people travel in rural India," he said at the unveiling. "We are a country of a billion and most are denied connectivity."