The Nano may be available in the US within two years, the chairman of the car's owner Tata Motors has said.

Speaking on a panel at the the Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Global Enterprise on June 4th, Ratan Tata was quoted as saying: "It will need to meet all emission and crash standards and so we hope in the next two years we will be offering such a vehicle in the US."

Tata believes that the Nano is the world's cheapest car. It was launched to much fanfare in April. It is thought that the company is likely to manufacture just 50,000 cars in the first year, suggesting that waiting lists will be long.

The company plans to offer a European version of the car, which costs about US$ 2,300, in 2011.

However, the success of the car in India has yet to be realised after a troubled start on the manufacturing front which has seen Tata struggling to improvise after the planned West Bengal lead plant was abandoned due to political problems.

Some analysts also question whether the high costs involved in making a version of the Nano suitable for developed markets will undermine the Nano's perceived USP - its super-low cost.