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The world's cheapest car, made by an Indian manufacturer, has triggered unprecedented¹ interest in a country where only eight people in every thousand own a car.

印度一家汽车制造商生产的全世界最廉价的汽车在用印度引起前所未有的兴趣。印度每千人中只有8人拥有汽车。

Tens of thousands of people are flocking to the Auto² Show in New Delhi - and the star attraction is a $2,500 car dubbed³ the "People's Car".

成千上万人蜂拥参观新德里的这次汽车展销会，会上最具吸引力的是2500美元一辆的所谓“人民汽车”。

The Nano, produced by India's Tata conglomerate⁴, made its debut⁵ last week.

印度的塔塔联合大企业上星期首次推出了本公司生产的纳驽(Nano)汽车。

After a peek⁶ at the no-frills vehicle, with a 624 cubic centimeter engine, thousands say they want to buy it.

有几千人看了一眼朴实无华、引擎642立方厘米的纳驽车，就立刻表示想买。

"I belong to middle class family, so it is very good thing for us, good news for us, because I can dream a good car in India," said one person.

一名参观者说：“我属于中产阶级，对于我们说来这种车子非常好，这是个好消息，因为我能在印度梦想得到一辆好车了。”

"This is very cheap, I want to buy for my son," one gentleman said.

另一人说：“这非常便宜，我要为儿子买一辆。”

"Its cost is not too much, and I wish I have personal car and I cannot buy large one," said one woman.

又一个人说：“它的价钱不贵，我希望有一辆私家车 ，而我买不起大车。”

"It appeals [to] me just due to the parking situation available in India number one, number two the fuel efficiency, number three is price, number four it is very cute vehicle, seems to be very cute," added yet another gentleman.

还有一个人说：“我中意这辆车，首先是考虑到印度现有的停车状况，其次是它省油，第三点是价格低，第四点是这辆车看来非常灵巧可爱。”

People have even flocked in from villages far from the city to see the Nano.

人们为了看看这款纳驽车甚至从遥远的乡村赶来城里。

Balwan Ram⁷ took a bus from a village in Haryana state, 100 kilometers away from Delhi. Ram says he came especially to see the car and now is waiting to buy it to replace his motorbike.

莱姆从距离新德里100公里的哈里亚纳邦的一个村庄乘公共汽车赶来。兰姆说，他是专程来看车的，他现在在等著购买一辆，取代他现在的摩托车。

The enthusiasm is not surprising in a country of more than a billion people, where a family outing can be a challenge because of dismal⁸ public transportation.

在这个有10多亿人口的国家，对汽车的热切需求并不令人感到惊讶。在印度，由于公共交通很差，一家人出游很不容易。

Tata chairman Ratan Tata says he conceived of the low-priced car for India's masses when he saw a family traveling on a two wheeled scooter; the father driving, his child standing⁹ in front of him, and wife seated behind holding a baby - all getting wet in the rain.

塔塔的主席拉丹.塔塔说，他在先前看到一家人乘坐两个轮子机动车的时候，想到了为印度大众制造一种价格低廉的汽车的想法。当时他看到的那家人，父亲驾车，孩子站在前头，妻子抱著一个婴儿坐在后头，当时天下着雨。

"This has been referred to as one man's dream," sadi Tata. "And indeed it was."

塔塔说：“廉价家庭用车被称作一个人的梦想。确实是梦想。”

Now global automakers are watching to see how that dream pans out in the marketplace.

全球各地的汽车制造厂商都在观察这个梦想在市场中情况如何。

If the small car is successful after hitting the roads later this year, it could expand the car market in an unprecedented manner in developing countries.

假如今年晚些时候小汽车成功上路，就有可能在发展中国家以前所未有的方式扩展汽车市场。

But not everyone is happy. Although the manufacturers say the small car will meet strict emission¹⁰ standards, environmentalists worry about fuel use and the congestion¹¹ it will cause on India's crowded roads.

但是，并不是所有的人对此都感到高兴。尽管制造商说，小汽车会符合严格的排气标准，环保主义者担心，印度本来就很拥挤的道路会更加拥挤，印度的能源需求会更大。

The head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, R.K. Pachauri, says the focus should be on more efficient public transportation.

联合国政府间气候变化专家组的主人帕乔里说，现在人们应当关注的是提高公共交通的效率。

"The problem is not with the product itself. The usage of the product and what that implies, how can we be blind to that?" he asked. "Where are we going to find road space to accommodate all these cars, not to speak of local pollution, not to speak of the fact that it is going to crowd out public transport options."

他说：“问题不在于产品本身。我们不能忽视产品的使用，以及产品使用所带来的问题。我们到哪里找道路扩建的空间，以便容纳这么多的汽车呢？这还不算当地的污染，不算私人汽车排挤了公共交通。”

But these concerns are of little interest to the millions eagerly waiting to become car owners for the first time.

但是，对成百万急切等待第一次购买的印度人来说，这些担心都算不得什么。