What you’re looking at is the world’s cheapest car–albeit the luxury edition; it’s called the Nano (made by Tata Motors) and 250,000 of them will offered for sale in India later this year for the revolutionarily low price of 100,000 rupees–120,000 with road tax and delivery–which works out to about $2,500 US. The 10-foot long vehicle has been capturing plenty of headlines for its price tag, but not every one is excited. In the midst of the hype about affordability and bringing automobile ownership to every class, there’s concern about the environmental ramifications of these little wonders.

Initial worries were about the creation of a Nano factory in West Bengal that would displace farmers and local resident and the outcry from local protests led Tata Motors to use an existing factory for initial rollout. Many environmentalists, however, are more concerned with the long-term effects that could come with an influx of these vehicles on roads. Because of the low cost, individuals who would previously not consider purchasing a car may now opt to own one and that could translate into a serious spike in exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, an initial run of 250,000 will keep things limited for awhile, but if the Nano receives good driver reviews, we could soon see them in several countries (although not the U.S. for a few years because of higher emissions and safety standards).

Still, an argument can be made for the Nano, one that justifies its environmental effects. It’s safer than what many people in India drive now (scooters are the popular choice, even for families), gets an impressive 50 miles per gallon, and meets European exhaust emissions standards (making it better for the environment than many of the scooters on India’s roads). The safety factor, above all, has resonated with many as a key reason to celebrate the Nano’s launch.

The reality, however, is that the ultimate increase in emissions that could result from these little cars (provided they become as popular worldwide as predicted), when added to the emissions from the cars across North America, would be hugely detrimental to our planet. It’s a push toward driving a car, in a time when we all need to be rethinking our transit habits and putting down the keys. Since it’s hardly our place to ask a billion people across the globe to sacrifice their safety to avoid adding to our outlandish emissions, perhaps what we should do in response to the Nano is simply focus more on driving less here in America–where our vehicles are often use much more gas and are often driven for convenience, not necessity.

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