BS4 Cars Discontinued
The BS6 emission norms kicked in from 1st April 2020 and with this a lot of manufacturers have discontinued their cars which couldn’t comply with the new norms. Here’s a list of some of the top cars that have been phased out from the Indian market.
Tata Safari – The Tata Safari has been an iconic SUV and it was first launched more than 20 years back. The latest iteration of the vehicle was known as the Safari Storme and it got a 2.2-litre Varicor400 diesel engine with a 6-speed MT. The Safari Storme was always known for its plush ride quality, intimidating looks, road presence and the way it drove. The SUV will continue to have a fond place in the hearts of SUV enthusiasts.
Toyota Corolla – The Toyota Corolla is the highest selling car in the world and the version sold in India came with a 1.8-litre petrol engine or a 1.4-litre diesel powerplant. The next generation Corolla is out in global markets but Toyota won’t be launching it in India. The Corolla used to fetch good sales earlier and it was known as a no-nonsense car but with the arrival of modern rivals and people’s growing affinity towards SUVs, sales of this sedan started falling.
Skoda Octavia – The Skoda Octavia was in its third generation until now. The first gen Octavia started Skoda’s journey in India while the second gen was called the Laura. The outgoing Octavia had three engine options – 1.4 TSI, 1.8 TSI, and 2.0 TDI while the RS got a 2.0 TSI. The Octavia has been discontinued now while globally the new generation is already out. The 4th gen Octavia is expected to come to India only next year.
Fiat Punto, Linea – The Fiat Punto and Linea were launched more than a decade back and got a few facelifts in between. The common engines on these cars were the 1.4-litre NA petrol, 1.4-litre turbo petrol and the 1.3-litre MJD diesel while the Punto also got a smaller 1.2-litre NA petrol. The Abarth and T-Jet versions got the turbo petrol engine. None of these engines are BS6 compliant and sales of these cars had also become almost negligible off late which is why FCA has plugged the plug on these cars. Needless to say, even the Avventura and Urban Cross are discontinued.
Toyota Etios, Etios Liva – The Toyota Etios siblings were launched long back and these cars became popular with both private buyers as well as customers in the fleet segments. These cars are known for their durable nature and fuel efficiency. With modern rivals being launched, private buyers started losing interest in these cars while cab buyers have been happily lapping these up. The Etios got 1.5-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel engines while the Liva got a 1.2-litre petrol engine and the same 1.4-litre diesel engine. Toyota had also launched a Liva Sportivo which came with the bigger petrol engine. These engines aren’t BS6 compliant and since these cars are fairly old now, Toyota has discontinued them. The Etios Cross is also discontinued.
Volkswagen Ameo – The Volkswagen Ameo was launched in 2016 as a filler between the Polo and Vento and it was essentially a Polo with a boot. Initially it got a 1.2 MPI petrol engine which was then replaced by a 1.0 MPI engine. It also got a 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine which even got a 7-speed DSG. The diesel engine isn’t BS6 compliant and sales of the Ameo weren’t that high to justify it being made BS6-compliant which is why it has been pulled off from the market. Meanwhile, the Polo and Vento have got new engines.
Renault Lodgy – The Lodgy was launched to rival the Maruti Ertiga and it got a 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine. The Lodgy shared a good number of components with the Duster and it boasted of a very robust suspension and a comfy ride. The quirky looks of the MPV didn’t fancy private buyers but the Lodgy found decent success in the commercial segment. Since this engine isn’t BS6 compliant, the Lodgy has been phased out. The Duster has been made BS6 compliant but it loses out on the diesel engine and AWD.
Honda BR-V – The Honda BR-V was a replacement to the Mobilio. The BR-V rivalled the Ertiga and shared its 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines with the City. Both the engines are BS6-compliant but the BR-V has been discontinued due to low sales. It is also possible that Honda is probably freeing up space on the assembly lines for a new car.
Tata Bolt, Zest – Tata Motors launched the Bolt and Zest in 2014 to replace the Indica Vista and Indigo CS respectively. These cars offered a huge improvement over older Tata cars and were part of Tata’s Horizonext programme. Sales never really picked up because pricing seemed to be on the higher side plus people could still find the design resembling the older cars. Commercial buyers picked up a fair number of these cars but sales went south and since Tata now has the Tiago and Tigor, these cars have been discontinued.
Nissan Micra, Sunny, Terrano – Nissan has discontinued three cars. All these cars got the same 1.5 dCi diesel engine in different states of tune. The Micra got a 1.2-litre petrol engine while the Sunny and Terrano got a 1.5-litre petrol engine. This engine is offered on the BS6 Duster but Nissan won’t be launching BS6 versions of these vehicles. However, the Kicks is expected to get the same BS6 update as the Duster soon.
These were some of the most popular cars that have been discontinued owing to the new norms. However, there are still some more like the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport & Outlander which have been phased out from the Indian market. The Accord Hybrid was launched a couple of years back and at almost Rs. 50 lakhs (on-road) it found close to no takers. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi had barely any dealerships in India and it was a bit surprising that they asked the government to postpone the BS6 deadline. It remains to be seen whether the Datsun portfolio gets updated to BS6 norms or not.
