In Mumbai, India, Satish Sawant, a software engineer, was driving him and his family home from the car dealership in his band new Nano automobile. Shortly after leaving the dealership they began to smell smoke coming from the engine compartment in the back of the car. Satish and his family safely exited the car as it became engulfed in flames.

This is not the first time there have been complaints about the Nano. Last fall there were three Nano’s where customers complained about their car starting to smoke. Tata Motors attributed the problem to a faulty electrical switch and said it had changed suppliers and done additional tests to rule out a recall or redesign. A Tata Motors spokesman assured that the incidents are not related.

Tata Motors, which also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, have bragged about their Nano vehicle as one of the world’s cheapest cars. The company hoped it would be part of a safety revolution as it would get people off of dangerous motorbikes and into an affordable car.

Tata Motors plans to start selling versions of the Nano in Europe in 2011 followed by an introduction into America. Some say the Nano’s smoke and fire problems are a result of the poor quality control issues at India’s number three car maker, which must be addressed before Tata can successfully take its brand global.