The Nano has prompted an avalanche of praise from visiting foreign correspondents. Some of them wondered at the economy car; others felt the launch was further affirmation of the India growth story.

An estimated 500 foreign journalists are reporting on the ongoing Auto Expo. One of them, Duncan Tift of Birmingham Post, said that in the UK it was difficult to get an equivalent point of reference. "To be able to come up with something like this at such a low price is staggering. There are more expensive bicycles in UK," said Tift, who admitted he was in town primarily to get the latest on Tata's Jaguar and Land Rover deal.

Waiel SH Awwad of the newspaper Al Arabiya says that he was impressed by Ratan Tata for delivering the promised Rs 1 lakh car. "I think the car will be historic because it will bring down prices," he said. He added: "The Tatas have a good image in Syria and north Africa for their products such as steel, buses and two-wheelers. It is a known name in the Arab world." Evgeny Bezeka of the Russian news agency Novosti was impressed by the good-looking car. "You feel like getting inside it. That's its charm," he said.

Bezeka said that there's no equivalent to such a small car in Russia. "We have the Lada which would cost over Rs 2 lakh in Indian currency. It uses a 40-year-old technology," he said.

For Sophie, a French magazine journalist, Nano looks like "a three-wheeler on four wheels". "But I wouldn't like to make a judgment on the car itself. I'm here because there's great interest in India in the West."