Although it is undoubtedly toned down a bit, Suzuki has been able to create what appears to be a nearly production-ready version of the A-Star concept it showed at the last New Delhi Motor Show just six months ago. The Indian release of the new car indicates just how important the emerging markets are to automakers, though the A-Star is likely to be available in most every country besides North America.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tata Nano.

Indian carmaker Tata chose a site in Singur, India for the plant that would make the Nano, the world's cheapest car. Not long afterward, eleven petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court stating that the purchase of the land for the factory violated the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. It was alleged that the government of Bengal forcibly took "fertile multi-crop agricultural land" from farmers for industrial use, which isn't allowed.

We've heard the styling of some Italian cars being referred to as sensual before, so it comes as little surprise that the Italian styling firm Pininfarina's interest was piqued when it heard that a young Indian's car designs were inspired by the ancient love-making guide Kama Sutra. Ramesh Gound, a student of the National Institute of design in India says, "When I thought of what the world associates with India, it is Kama Sutra that came to my mind.

Click above for more high-res images of the Toyota iQ

For the aggressive driver, the horn can prove to be a powerful ally, but it can also annoy the snot out of everybody around them. In Mumbai, India, the noise pollution emanating from the auto-sax is so bad, the heavily populated city decided to have a no-honking day. Here in the States we have a special "day" just about every day of the year, but seldom do we mobilize 2,000 volunteers to ensure the occasion is honored.

It's been sporadically reported over the past few months that BMW is considering offering a new microcar to battle it out with the smarts and Toyota iQs of the world. An Isetta revival seems plausible, but in markets outside of Europe and the U.S., the determining factor for consumers is price.

click above to view more images of the Tata Nano