Face it, fam: Japan can't make everything. As globalization continues to level the playing field, nations that have historically depended on foreign imports for luxury items are creating their own lines of affordable homegrown goods. As featured in our 2009 Style & Design package, we're taking a closer look at the pros and cons of three notable new products made in developing countries. Read on to see how the whole world is getting involved...
COUNTRY: India
PRODUCT: Tata Nano car, $2,500
PROS: Tata Motors' "People's Car" has four seats, a two-cylinder engine, and gets 56 mpg—and it's cheaper than a loaded 17" MacBook Pro (or 17 iPod Nanos). More than 200,000 people in India bought the Tata Nano in its first month of sales.
CONS: The car should do well in emerging markets but with no trunk or power steering, Tata's plans to bring the Nano stateside seem a little far-fetched. The thing makes a Civic look like a Maybach.
