Throughout history the best ideas and inventions have come from visionaries; someone who saw a need and endeavored to fill the void. The most ambitious visions were laughed at, brushed aside and ridiculed as impossible but in the end, it is usually the perseverance of a dreamer that makes things happen despite opposition and even ambivalence.

Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, faced just such circumstances when he began working to fulfill his vision for safe family transport in India. He saw the families traveling via two-wheelers and decided there had to be a better way for Indian families to get around as their nation becomes more industrialized. Thus begins the story of the Tata Nano – affectionately called the “People’s Car.”

Originally conceptualized as a four-wheeler built around the model of a scooter, when Tata tried to rally support, not only was he not taken seriously, his rallying cry was virtually ignored. When he proposed the idea of an Indian developed and manufactured car he was met with scorn. “Why doesn't Mr. Tata produce a car that works before he talks about an Indian car,” said the critics.

Thanks largely to Tata’s ingenuity and refusal to accept no for an answer, the Tata Nano People’s Car was revealed today at the Delhi auto show. Part of the triumph and realization of this dream is low cost of the car. The original purpose was after all to create a safe car for Indian families and at $2500, the Nano is the world’s cheapest car. Add on the fact that the Nano meets all Euro IV emission standards and is a cleaner driving vehicle than most of the motor scooters on Indian streets today, and the Nano becomes an innovation in both technology and cost.

This is truly an example of selfless and visionary leadership at its best.