Consumers are paying less as a percentage of their income on vehicles now than at any period during the last 100 years, and now Nissan (TYO:7201) is hoping to take that one step further by developing a vehicle that will be sold for just $2,000 in Asia in the next two years.

In the United States, consumers can by low end vehicles of a new car at or below $10,000. For example, Honda has released bare-bones versions of their Civic and Accord models and released them during the summer months for consumers on a budget. Consumers can also purchase low-end Toyota and Kia vehicles for under $10,000 in some configurations.

Now, the same thing is happening at very low end of the market. In Asia, some people are buying fully equipped vehicles at $5,000, and even as low as $2,500 in some instances. Nissan is now readying their “Renault” model, which they plan to sell in Asia for just $2,000 sometime in the next couple of the years.

If the Renault model was developed in a manner that met US regulations, the price would probably cost between $5,000 and $7,000.

Although Nissan releasing an ultra- affordable vehicle doesn’t help US consumers on an immediate basis, it does signal a trend that is happening across the automotive industry. Automobile manufacturers are finding themselves in an increasingly competitive industry and will continue to compete on price and quality and the consumer will be the winner at the end of the day.