If you were looking forward to spending less than $5,000 on a new car by buying the Tato Nano, you may be in for some disappointment.

Left Lane News reports, "At just $2,500, the Tata Nano is easily the world’s cheapest car. However, as Tata expands its tiny Nano into other global markets – such as Europe and the United States – that price will grow tremendously, possibly costing the city car any chance of success."

Why the price growth?  iCars, a website based in Singapore reports, " There are few things that have be changed including upgrading the small 623cc engine to output lower emissions, the addition of airbags as well as strengthening the roof. The front has to be longer to meet pedestrian safety regulations and the seats has to be changed as well. Even the steering wheel has to be improved."

Left Lane News says, "According to a source familiar with the situation, those improvements will more than triple the Nano’s price of entry. European buyers can expect to shell out about $8,000 when the Nano hits the market next year, with U.S. buyers likely to see a similar retail price."

The Big Money thinks the Nano could be a hit -- if the price stays around $5,000. "For the sake of argument, let’s say that Nano does come to America for about $5K. It would be competing not just against new cars that cost more than twice as much, but also used cars. I mean, if it had been around for cash for clunkers, and you’d been trading in an old gas guzzler for a new Nano, you could have applied the $4,500 voucher and got a new car for $500 (before taxes, title, etc.)."

Still, with the changes the little car needs to be sold in the U.S. adding to the price tag, Left Lane News says, "While U.S. sales of the Nano are still at least three years off, a price point of $8,000 would likely kill any chances for the Nano’s success. Although an $8,000 price tag would undercut the next cheapest new car option by about $2,000, there are still plenty of quality used cars available in America for that kind of money."

If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.