A lot of mystery surrounds the launch of Tata Motors’ one lakh car. Its design has created a huge interest in top auto designers across the world. Recently, Formula One designer Peter Stevens brooded over the design of an Ultra Low Cost Car (ULCC). He likes to call it his biggest challenge so far.

Stevens has been associated with the Formula One team and has designed powerful cars including the McLaren F1, Lotus Espirit and the MGSV Sports car. But what’s makes the design of the cheap car difficult is that it has to be built with simple instruments and the simplest of mechanisms. Maintaining low production costs would be priority. After thinking about it for some time, he was able to outline a few key points to focus on with the design. He suggests that good fuel economy would be an important factor for the car. An aluminum body would turn out to be expensive hence cheaper materials would have to be included into the design. The car would also have to miss out on many comfort features and power accessories. However, Stevens has not yet come up with a conclusive answer.

It seems Ratan Tata has made people look at car ownership as an inverted pyramid with millions of people at the top. Soon the dynamics of car manufacture will change forever and car design will focus on common people instead of the wealthy. Once considered luxury goods like television, mobile phones, housing, have now become common. Cars, we think, will be no different soon.