time is a crooked bone

forgive me a brief foray into the automotive world.

An Indian company, Tata Motors, has announced production of a $2,500 vehicle for sale in India. Bare bones, natch, and not street legal in the U.S., but interesting. Some on-line opinions I culled:

from an article:

"And of course it will have side curtain air bags, heated seats, fog lights and Bluetooth connectivity. Well, actually it won't have these features. Nor will it have crumple zones, antilock brakes or rear seat belts. Automobile safety is a luxury for rich countries."

some comments on the article:

"There is no 911 or EMS outside of the toll roads [in India]. The air bag or seat belt may keep you alive, but you will bleed to death."

" The car is aimed at the Indian lower middle class family...Until 1998, my entire family had to travel on 2 wheels. My dad had a scooter, I would stand up in front and crouch, my mom would sit on the back seat holding my kid brother."

"On an empirical level, the evidence suggests that the current modes of transportation in India are significantly more dangerous than this proposed vehicle."