Will the World's Cheapest Car Come to America?

If gas prices have you down then in all likelihood they are at least partially dictating your next car buying experience. According to an earlier survey, 90% of American drivers have cited gas prices as the reason they want a more fuel efficient car, but what if the car itself was a whole lot cheaper?

According to J.D. Power & Associates, the world’s cheapest car should be coming to America in just a few years. India’s Tata Motors sells the tiny Nano in India for less than $3,000. If it reaches the U.S. market in 2015, the car could retail for less than $10,000.

The Nano was introduced in India in July 2009, but the car would undergo some design changes if it came to America. In addition to a bigger engine, the car would have more features, such as power steering and traction control. The U.S. version of the car would also have better safety features, like air bags.

The version in India is said to be rated at 48 mpg and it looks similar to the Smart Fortwo.

In May Consumer Reports released a survey on changing car-buying habits the revealed almost 75% of respondents were willing to consider alternatively fueled vehicles for their next car purchase because of pain at the pump. Fuel economy was by far the biggest concern for car buyers, followed distantly by quality, safety, value and performance.

While a large number of respondents said they were interested in fuel efficient cars to be more environmentally friendly (62%) and because of concerns about dependence on foreign oil (56%), overwhelmingly the biggest reason was gasoline costs (90%).