THE TATA NANO: If the US automakers were just intelligent enough to make cars like this they might have a chance of surviving. It's so obvious that a practical high gas mileage short commute and errands vehicle is the ideal first step to solving the energy crisis. In any case as oil declines it will become the car type of the future in the US as well. It's just a matter of which companies will profit by producing them. Of course the US regulators will no doubt try their best to add to the cost and decrease the efficiency by imposing all sorts of dysfunctional regulations.
At $2500 I'd buy one without a thought. The Tata looks perfect for commutes and shopping. As for the safety standards the lives they save aren't nearly worth the additional costs and lower mileages. Those need to be relaxed. Think of it this way, the Nano is much much safer than a motorcycle for roughly the same cost and mileage. That's the proper comparison. As all cars become smaller it will be even safer and it could even be padded with a thick applied stickon rubber surround at little extra cost.