Premier Rio – The Premier Rio was possibly the first sub-4-metre compact SUV in India and it kickstarted the very popular segment. The Rio looked odd, had questionable after-sales and lacked appeal which is why it bombed. It got 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre MJD diesel engines. The Rio was launched in 2009 at a price of Rs. 5-5.5 lakhs.
Mitsubishi Cedia – The Cedia was launched as a successor to the Lancer in 2006 and it rivalled the Honda Civic. Got a 2.0-litre petrol engine. It was a fun to drive car and even got a Sports variant with a bodykit, spoiler, black interiors with MOMO steering and yellow colour! Quite a nice car but people didn’t have faith in Mitsubishi’s service which is why few people bought it. The Cedia was priced between Rs. 8.5-9.5 lakhs.
Hyundai Sonata Embera – The Hyundai Sonata was infamous for its Mercedes-style headlamps but after that model was discontinued, came the Sonata Embera in 2004. It was a posh sedan and came with feature-loaded interiors. However, pricing was high at Rs. 14-17 lakhs and this was Hyundai’s most expensive car at that time. It was eventually discontinued in 2008. Got a 2.0-litre diesel engine and a 2.4-litre petrol unit.
