In the vast history of India’s auto market, let’s take a lot at some more forgotten cars of India.
Renault Fluence – The Renault Fluence was launched in 2014 and discontinued in 2017, with prices ranging between Rs. 16-18 lakhs. It got Renault’s famous 1.5-litre DCi engine in the 110 PS tune and it was actually a nice and practical car with a brilliant ride and a workhorse of an engine. Sadly, it felt basic in front of rivals like the Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Corolla and thus it had to be pulled off from the market.
Chevrolet TrailBlazer – The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was a full-size SUV with a 2.8-litre diesel engine making 197 HP. It rivalled the Toyota Fortuner but didn’t sell because of pricing and Chevrolet’s poor after-sales service. When Chevrolet was leaving the Indian market, dealers were offering huge discounts on the stock of TrailBlazers that they had. Prices ranged between Rs. 30-32 lakhs (on-road) but after discounts the SUV was available for Rs. 26-27 lakhs.
Renault Koleos – Renault’s offering in the premium SUV segment was the Koleos. However, at that time the old Toyota Fortuner was a hot-seller and the Koleos was a bit small in size and the pricing felt on the higher side. It was loaded with features like Bose speakers, 4×4 and even an AT but barely found takers. The Koleos came with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. It was launched in 2011 and priced between Rs. 24-28 lakhs.
Nissan X-Trail – The Nissan X-Trail was a quirky looking SUV but it was also a practical one. Got a 2.0-litre diesel engine making 150 HP and the X-Trail was ahead of its time. It even got a panoramic sunroof more than a decade back. The X-Trail was again overpriced due to it being a CBU which is why it tanked. Priced between Rs. 24-29 lakhs, the X-Trail was launched in 2009 and discontinued in 2014.
Sonalika Rhino – The ICML Sonalika Rhino was a Toyota Qualis lookalike and was priced near Rs. 7 lakhs in 2006. Got a 2.0 diesel engine making 98 HP. This MPV sold in less numbers, mostly in semi-urban areas. It wasn’t too popular and people preferred buying a Chevrolet Tavera or a used Toyota Qualis.
Hyundai Tucson – The Hyundai Tucson is decently popular these days but the older model was quite the opposite. It came in 2005 at a time when people weren’t ready to shell out money for a soft-roader. Got a 2.0-litre diesel engine making 120 HP and 4WD. It was sold for a limited time before getting discontinued. The Tucson was priced in the range of Rs. 16-17 lakhs.
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.
Ford Fusion – Ford’s compact SUV Fusion was launched in 2004. It was on sale for 6 years and offered a good blend of driving fun and practicality. People weren’t open to compact SUVs back then and the Fusion seemed like a large hatchback to most people which is why sales didn’t pick up. It got 1.6-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel engines and was priced between Rs. 7-7.5 lakhs.
Maruti Grand Vitara XL7 – Can you believe this, Maruti Suzuki actually used to sell a V6 powered car in India. The Grand Vitara XL7 came in 2004 and got a 2.8-litre V6 petrol engine making 168 HP. The vehicle wasn’t that great to drive and the petrol engine was a heavy drinker. The market hadn’t evolved back then and people weren’t open to the idea of spending so much on a Maruti Suzuki. The Grand Vitara XL7 was priced in the whereabouts of Rs. 20 lakhs.
Ford Mondeo – The Ford Mondeo was launched as a premium sedan in 2001 and globally it rivalled the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3-Series. It got a 2.0-litre 142 HP petrol engine and 128 HP diesel engine. The Mondeo was a fun-to-drive car and examples were available in the used car market for cheap. It was known for some issues with the fuel pump.
Mahindra Invader – All of you know about the Mahindra Bolero being one of the highest selling cars in India despite being so basic and old but do you know that Mahindra had launched a soft-top 2-door version of the Bolero called the Invader? It was a lifestyle SUV much before the Thar came and got a 2.5-litre diesel engine making 72 HP! Launched in 2001 and discontinued in 2010, the Invader was priced at Rs. 4.80 lakhs.
Maruti Versa – Everyone knows the Maruti Eeco but few people know about the car which was launched before the Eeco in the early 2000s. Maruti launched the Versa with Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador and it was actually a premium version of the Eeco with AC, power steering, all power windows, etc. Got a 1.3-litre petrol engine and the pricing was near Rs. 5-5.5 lakhs. Sadly, it didn’t sell in high numbers.
Fiat Siena/Petra – The Siena was a sedan version of the popular Palio hatchback, priced between Rs. 5-6 lakhs. While the Palio found lots of takers, the Siena didn’t sell much. Got 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre petrol and 1.9-litre diesel engines. Fiat gave it a facelift and renamed it to Petra and Sachin Tendulkar was the brand ambassador still sales never picked up. It was eventually discontinued.
Maruti Alto 1.1 – The Maruti Alto is famous for its 800cc engine and the higher K10 variant but when the Alto was still new in the market, Maruti for a limited time sold a 1.1 variant too. The 1.1-litre engine made 64 HP and was shared with the old Wagon R. People preferred efficiency over performance and thus the Alto 1.1 was bid adieu.
Fiat Uno – The Fiat Uno was popular in Europe and it was launched in India too. It got a 1.2-litre petrol engine and the car was spacious for its size. It was easy to drive thanks to the compact size. The Uno was launched in 1996 and 30,000 cars were booked but only 600 were delivered. Even today some people drive the Fiat Uno.
Sipani Badal – The Sipani Badal was kind of based on the Reliant Robin and came in the early 1970s. It was a 3-wheeler car and got a 198cc, 2-stroke engine with RWD. The body was made of fiberglass. While the Reliant Robin was popular because of its size in the British market, people in India didn’t really fancy this car.