Electric cars Tara Tiny, Titu beat Tata Nano on price

Barely has the dust settled down over the global wonder, Tata Nano, than a barely-known company in the eastern fringes of the country quietly crept up to usurp the mantle of the ''cheapest car in the world''. And they are environment-friendly to boot, not to mention cheaper to run as well.

Tara Tiny is a two-seater, while its four-seater sibling Tara Titu, both of which can now claim to be the cheapest cars in the world, retailing at Rs99,000 apiece. Moreover, both are electric cars.

Tata Motors set the ball rolling, and the little-known Tara International set the bar higher and prices lower to produce the two cars. . Analytical equipment maker Tara International, an affiliate of Bengal Enamel, is building these cars at its factory at Palta, a few kilometres from Kolkata, and expects to launch them from July this year.

In addition to the tiny tots, Tara International has also lined up a 14-seater bus, the Tara Shuttle and a truck, Tara Carrier. These are also priced very competitively at around Rs500,000 each.

The company also plans to launch bikes priced between Rs12,000 and Rs35,000. Apart from West Bengal, the company's other production centres are located at Puduchery,better known the world over as Pondicherry and Lucknow.

All these vehicles are electrical vehicles, and to develop them Tara collaborated with Chinese electric giant Aucma. This partnership translated in to lower running costs and maintenance charges vis-à-vis petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.