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  Since it went on sale earlier this year, sales of the Tata Nano have gone wild and the waiting list is now out to several months.

Could the world?s cheapest car also become the cheapest hybrid?

It seems the head of the Indian Tata Group, Ratan Tata, is keen to turn his low-cost Nano into hybrid with cutting edge stop-start technology.  He has confirmed in an interview with a South Korean newspaper that a hybrid is planned.

The baby 24kW two-cylinder petrol Nano was developed for India initially with a target price of 100,000 rupees, or $2500.  Since it went on sale earlier this year, sales gone wild and the waiting list is now out to several months.

It has no real competition in its home market, where most Indians ride motorcycles or bicycles.  The rear-engined car is still some way from being certified for sale in any countries outside India.

But Tata, which also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, has subjected the Nano to a round of frontal-offset crashes at England's MIRA vehicle research centre.  The car passed under the supervision of Britain's Vehicle Certification Authority.

The Tata Group plans a bigger engined Europa model for export markets, with more safety gear and equipment to compete against Western competition.