The Reva: Why Americans May Never See the Best New Car on the Road

The capillaries of India's cities are clogged with every imaginable form of cacophonous conveyance: hulking buses, braying bullock carts and motorbikes stacked with families of five all jostle for space on the roads.

The result is that most of India's commuters idle angrily in traffic for hours every day. The government is trying to play catch-up with a long string of mass transit projects, but most residents pine for the status, peace and luxury of a car all their own.

After almost a year of delays, the Indian automobile manufacturer Tata is finally set to answer that call by releasing the world's cheapest car next month. Priced at about $2,000, the Tata Nano is a five-seat, air-conditioned, gasoline-powered car. It is also a nightmare for environmentalists, who predict sky-high sales will further pollute India's already smog-filled air.