We take a lot at some of the forgotten cars in India.
The Indian auto market has evolved over the last few decades with hundreds of different vehicles and models launched. Some of them created a huge impact while some left without leaving much of a mark. We talk about some of the forgotten cars of the Indian automotive industry.
Chevrolet Optra SR-V – The Chevrolet Optra SR-V was a premium hatchback based on the Optra. It was large in size, spacious and looked sporty too. It got a 1.6 petrol engine and a 2.0-litre diesel engine from the Optra but pricing was high at Rs. 7-7.5 lakhs. Back then no one paid Rs. 7 lakhs for a hatchback but it was on sale for close to 5 years before being discontinued. It was launched in 2006, just a year after the Maruti Swift made its debut.
Hyundai Terracan – Hyundai is setting the sales charts on fire these days but back in 2004 they launched the Terracan which didn’t find many takers. It was a very large SUV and got a nice 2.9-litre diesel engine making 148 HP and 343 Nm. While the Santro, Accent and Getz were popular those days, the Terracan wasn’t successful and was eventually pulled off from the market.
Opel Corsa – The Opel Corsa was launched to give competition to the Ford Ikon and Maruti Esteem. It had 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines and the car had good ride quality. Opel then launched the Corsa Sail which was nothing but a hatchback version of the vehicle. Base trims got the 1.4 petrol unit and while the top-end Sail Sport got the larger 1.6 petrol engine. Then came the Corsa Swing which was a station wagon which also got the 1.6-litre engine. All of them were discontinued in 2006.
Chevrolet Forester – The Chevrolet Forester was actually a Subaru and was launched by General Motors in India in 2003 at a price of approximately Rs. 16 lakhs. Got a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 120 HP and a 5-speed manual gearbox. This SUV also got full time AWD. It was a capable car and well ahead of its time. Not many people wanted to buy a petrol SUV at that time and because of poor sales, it was discontinued in 2005.
Opel Vectra – The Opel Vectra was launched in 2002 as a luxury car priced somewhere near Rs. 16 lakhs. It got a 2.2-litre, 146 HP petrol engine with a 5-speed MT. It had many features and the electronics were very complicated. The car didn’t function well in Indian conditions and the handful of people that bought it had to keep getting the car repaired. GM discontinued it in 2004 before pulling the plug on the Opel brand in 2006.
Tata Safari Petrol – Now the Tata Safari has been a very popular SUV but not many people know that in the early 2000s, Tata used to offer a 2.1-litre petrol engine making 135 HP. The Safari petrol 4×4 was priced at Rs. 11 lakhs and it came with ABS too. The SUV was very good and capable but the petrol engine used to drink fuel very heavily. This resulted in negligible demand and poor resale value for the petrol variant. It was discontinued in 2005. This petrol engine was developed by Tata and AVL; AVL is the same company that makes the current 2.2-litre diesel engine used in the Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio.
Daewoo Nexia – A lot of you might remember the Daewoo Cielo but very few people know about the Nexia. The Nexia was essentially a more premium version of the Cielo. It got a 1.6-litre, 92 HP petrol engine. It was launched in 1999 and discontinued in 2002. Starting price was somewhere around Rs. 6.5 lakhs. The car was quite comfortable and the ride quality was very plush.
Maruti Zen, Esteem Diesel – The jellybean car is known for its fun to drive nature but Maruti had even launched a diesel variant of the Zen. The diesel variant came in 1998 and it got a Peugeot TUD5 engine. However, the petrol variant accounted for most of the sales and the diesel variant got pulled off from the market. The Maruti Esteem was a hot selling sedan with a 1.3-litre petrol engine and Maruti had launched a diesel variant too, in limited numbers. It came with the same 1.5-litre Peugeot diesel engine as the Zen. The car was fuel efficient and reliable but Maruti service centres weren’t too familiar with the TUD5 engine technicals. The Esteem diesel rivalled the Ikon, Siena and Accent.
Mahindra Voyager – Mahindra had launched the Voyager van in a tie-up with Mitsubishi. It was launched in 1997 and was powered by a 2.1-litre diesel engine that did duty on the MM540. It was a spacious van and got a dual-row AC too. It was priced somewhere near Rs. 5 lakhs and rivalled the Maruti Omni but the latter was priced much lesser. The Mahindra Voyager didn’t many fetch sales and production was stopped in 2000.
Opel Astra – The Opel Astra was launched in 1996 as the first proper C2 sedan in India. It was quite a premium car back then and got multiple updates. It got a 1.6-litre petrol engine and in 2000 a 95 HP version was launched. The Astra was available in 3 variants and the top Club variant even had a sunroof. Sales were about 100 units a month and in 2003 dealers were offering discounts of upto a lakh to get rid of stock because GM was launching the Chevrolet Optra. The Astra was priced between Rs. 7-8 lakhs and it rivalled the Honda City and Mitsubishi Lancer.
Ford Escort – Ford entered India in a JV with Mahindra in 1995 and launched the Escort. There were very few sedans in the market at that time and budget cars were gaining popularity which is why sales for the Escort didn’t take off. The diesel variant called the Escort Orion got a 1.8-litre engine while the petrol Escort Alpha got a 1.6-litre engine. If my memory serves me right, the diesel engine was a naturally-aspirated one! It came with AC, power windows, power steering and an audio system. The Escort was discontinued in 2001.
Peugeot 309 – The Peugeot 309 was launched in a JV with Premier Auto Ltd (PAL) in 1994. It had a 58 HP diesel engine and a 75 HP petrol engine and the vehicle got a crazy response in India. The vehicle received a lot of bookings and few cars were delivered too. Overall, it was a good car but the JV failed due to labour and financial issues and the 309 was then discontinued in 1997.
Sipani Rover Montego – Sipani used to manufacture compact cars made of fibreglass bodies. The owner of the company managed to get a contract to manufacture CKD units of the Rover Montego in India in the early 1990s. It wasn’t successful, in fact it tanked. The Rover Montego also got an Estate version. The Rover Montego came with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, 5-speed MT, AC, power steering and power windows. It was the one of the first luxury cars to be launched in India. It costed Rs. 11 lakhs and by 1995 Sipani was in deep financial trouble.
Standard 2000 – Standard Motors was a Chennai based company and they launched the 2000 in 1985. It was based on the Rover SD1 and was launched at Rs. 2.2 lakhs. It had features like AC, hydraulic steering and power windows. The car got a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 4-speed MT. The engine was from the 1948 Vanguard and the gearbox from the Standard 10. Performance and efficiency were horrible and most owners swapped the engines or junked the car.
Sipani Dolphin – The Sipani Dolphin was based on the Reliant Kitten and was launched in 1982. It got a fibre-glass body and came in a 2-door variant. It had an 848cc, 4-cyl engine, 4-speed MT and it was RWD. Sales didn’t pick up and it was replaced with the Sipani Montana a 4-door car. Then Sipani launched the D-1 with a 1.5 diesel engine in 1989 which again failed. Further, the Maruti 800 which was newly launched back then, sealed the deal for Sipani.
BONUS – San Storm – San Motors was a Goa-based company that launched the San Storm convertible in 1998. They used to make 2-3 cars a month and initially sold in Goa only. Later on, they got dealerships in different cities and started sales. The car was a 2-seater and it got a 1.2-litre Renault petrol engine making 60 HP and 90 Nm. Pricing was around Rs. 6 lakhs and a handful of people bought it because it was a cheap convertible. There were no safety features on offer though. It was then discontinued in 2013.