modern cars: The ten cheapest cars in the world

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The ten cheapest cars in the world

After the introduction of the Tata Nano, lots of people began wondering what is going to happen when a lot of people in developing countries have enough money to afford a cheap car. While Tata tried to alleviate concerns of the Nano-boom by saying that the Nano is cleaner than most motorbikes that are running on Indian roads right now, the truth is that low-cost motoring helps developing the car industry - and pollution. If you need examples, take a look at stories like of the Fiat 500 (the old one) in Italy, the VW Beetle in Germany; the Citroën 2CV or the Renault 4CV in France or, dare I say, the Ford Model T in the U.S.

So, what might the future of cheap driving look like? Forbes went around the world and found the ten cheapest cars on the market and we've gathered up information on each of these in the links below. Although it may be bad news to have more cars sending more exhaust gases to the atmosphere, at least current technologies (when implemented) make new cars better and cleaner than cars of past decades.

So, are the cars on this list good to the world or a threat to the environment?

What follows is a list of the 10 least expensive cars in the world, ranked from most expensive to least expensive. Alternatively, you can jump straight to the car of your choice by clicking one of the thumbnails below.

Number 10

Built in Romania, Turkey, Brazil, India and even Iran, the Renault/ Dacia Logan was designed with low-cost and modern features in mind. This means it shares a lot with the Renault Clio/Modus and the Nissan Micra.

Renault/Dacia Logan: Romania/Turkey/Iran/Latin America. $9,477
[Click image for more information and additional photos]

Number 9

Born in Brazil and built in other Latin American countries, as well as Poland, Morocco, Turkey, India, South Africa China and Russia (the sedan version), the Fiat Palio is truly a "world car." This car is one of the first models designed with emerging technologies in mind.

Fiat Palio. 5-door hatchback. "World-car." $9,242
[Click image for more information and additional photos]

Number 8

Hyundai recently changed the names of its cars from actual words to numbers after the letter i. Because of this, the Atos, the smallest member of the Hyundai lineup, became the i10. It makes #8 on the list.

Hyundai i10. (The model that replaced the Atos) 5-door hatchback. South Korea. $9,096
[Click image for more information and additional photos]

Number 7

The Indica has always been the ugly duckling in the European market, where it survives because there's nothing cheaper available (well, the latest Fiat 600 can sometimes be found for under 6,000 EUR). The car is also sold in South Africa, where it's a huge success.

Tata Indica: India. $8,500.
[Click image for more information and additional photos]

Number 6

The A-1 looks like a competent subcompact and rumors are that it's going to be sold under the Dodge brand in Mexico. Nevertheless, it's Chery's partnership with Austrian company AVL that will be bringing the technology to make this car meet the Euro IV standards, something the environment should appreciate.