Nissan and Renault hope to start selling a car for about US$2,500 in India in around 2010 along with their local partner there, chief executive Carlos Ghosn said on Wednesday. "We have already practically decided all the attributes of the car," Mr Ghosn told reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show.

"We have the full intention to do it - if it's feasible. Hopefully this is going to be 2010 in India," he said. Mr Ghosn, who heads both Japan's Nissan Motor Co and its French partner Renault, said he would visit Indian partner Bajaj Auto next week for talks on the car.

He said that it appeared possible to make a US$2,500 car for India, but the big question was whether it could be exported to other markets such as Europe, China, Brazil, Mexico or even the United States. "But the first step is to make it for India and to make it competitive," he added.

The car will be mostly produced by Indian partner Bajaj with the support of the Nissan-Renault alliance, Mr Ghosn added. The world's carmakers are increasingly setting their sights on India, which is one of the world's fastest growing car markets.

Indian carmaker Tata Motors plans to introduce its own US$3,000 car in its home market next year. Mr Ghosn also said Nissan hoped to start mass marketing electric cars by 2012 in response to growing worries about global warming.

"We see already in some large cities people are turning against cars," said Mr Ghosn, adding that simply cutting emissions by 20 or 30 per cent was not enough as people would switch to alternative forms of transportation. - AFP