The 'Aaya Ram and Gaya Ram' of Indian automotive industry
While some were successful and much loved, a few came and went through the backdoor without leaving any mark on our memories. In these 10 slides we remember such cars which had a rather short stint in Indian auto market, and a shorter stay in Indian minds.
Here, we have Opel Vectra which was launched in the year 2003. Launched at a price of Rs 16 lakh, it competed with cars like Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The car was discontinued before GM withdrew the Opel brand from India in 2006.
There were reports nearly half a decade ago which suggested that the car, at least the name, could be brought back to India. However, it never came to pass.
Tucson was launched over Rs 14 lakh and was one of the first SUVs to be launched in India which tried to shed the brute and rugged persona which were associated with SUVs those days.
However, niether of the two SUV could make a huge impact on India roads. Tucson was withdrawn from India in 2010.
Voyager was the re-branded Mistubishi Delica, which was brought to India under the Mahindra and Mistubishi association. Though it was successful in other countries and continues to be sold in its homecountry Japan, in India its departure was quick.
The car was launched in 1997 and in less than 3 years it was pulled off the market because of poor sales. The 8-9 seater vehicle came equipped with XE 3 P diesel engine which produced 72.2 BHP
Image source: cartoq.com
Launching an old model to test waters in India backfired for Peugeot. The poor after sales service and almost zero brand recognition cost company hugely and it had to exit India soon.
Launched in 1998, it was designed by French group Le Mans, but was nowhere close to the quality htat was seen in convertibles which were present at that time around the world.
San Storm was powered by a 1149 cc Renault D7F engine generating 60 bhp
Image source: Team-BHP
The premium hatchback from the US automaker General Motors was launched in 2006. The price tag of almost Rs 7 lakh, dissuaded many from buying it at the time, as at the same price, one could have bought a sedan.
SRV was almost a segment creator in India as there were no cars in competition to it.
SRV, which stands for Sports Recreational Vehicle, was discontinued in 2010.
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