Trend setting cars of India
People have forgotten the values of automobiles these days, because owning a car is a way to easier than owning a car in the past. Every thing needs a trend setter to make it famous and to make its followers to shine, automobile industry in India seen a dramatic growth in past few decades because of these trend setting cars which made the country a hub for promoting automobiles.
Hindustan Motors: Ambassador
No car can replace Hindustan's Ambassador which made the automobile manufacturers buzz into India and set their industry in our country. Ambassador is based on Morris Oxford British car, Ambassador is well known among the politicians and in ministry. Ambassador offered a good performance based on a v8 engine producing a power of 71 bhp which runs on petrol, the car reached its zenith during the period of 1960's to 1980's. Ambassador was the first car to be manufactured within the country and a mass production car. Though everything has a period where its importance gets reduced, ambassador faced sales issues in 1990's and early 2000's and the production was entirely stopped in 2014 and the company sold the brand to Puegeot.
Hindustan Motors: Contessa
The only Indian Muscle car. As a follower of Ambassador, Hindustan Motors Contessa showed the power of the company, Contessa was another great bloom for Hindustan Motors. Contessa was popular among the rich and it stood up by solving the faults faced in Ambassador, the car was produced with AC and power but more than it produced a stunning look and had a great appearance.
Contessa had a great fan following sadly the company stopped the production and it is sure that if the company decides of introducing the car again to the market it will have a great response by its fans.
Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini was form Premier automobiles from Walchand Group under license of Fiat. If you have ever been to Mumbai, you will be astonished to see the number of Premier Padminis plying on the roads. Don't recognize one? Well, look no further than the beloved Black-Yellow sedans - which are actually the Padminis. Manufactured in India from 1973-1998, the Padmini will always be remembered as the little white car with gears on the steering wheel, seen in innumerous movie. Again, the car lost its charm due to the arrival of the Japanese cars.
Maruti Gypsy
The only car in the list that's still being manufactured, the Maruti Gypsy is immensely popular among the security forces and armed forces, both. Maruti Gypsy used to be the most affordable off-roading vehicle and still being used for rally racing purposes. Sadly, due to the poor mileage, single engine option (petrol) and poor seat comfort, it's no more a favourite among the buyers. Only enthusiasts are still opting for the vehicle, that too buying it from the user car market.
Maruti 800
So, we have been talking about the Japanese manufacturer who forced the likes of Ambassador and Padmini to shut down. The Maruti 800 is the product that forced most of the cars in the country to go out of the business. The "car that put India on wheels", as it was fondly called was an instant hit among the buyers given its price range, ease of driving and easy to maintain abilities. Rest all is history - Maruti Suzuki is unchallenged when it comes to domestic car sales and has a market share more than 50%!
Standard 2000
Not many of the Millennials know this, but once there was an Indian brand called The Standard Motor Products of India Ltd. The company originally from U.K produced a solid sports car looking Standard 2000 that came equipped with a 2000 cc motor, mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox that could push the car to a top speed of 145 kmph. Back in the day, the Standard 2000 was a formidable machine that turned a lot of heads on the roads.
Opel Astra
Last but not the least is the forgotten hero - the Opel Astra sedan, a small family car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Opel, a subsidiary of American giant General Motors. The Astra sedan was a huge hit among the buyers and won many accolades internationally. Sold between 1996-2002, the sedan offered many features, but was taken off the shelf after a short stint in the country. Most of the cars sold in India have been scrapped and it's hard to find a model on roads now.
Fiat 118 NE
Yet another heavily sold car from Fiat (Premier Padmini was the most popular Fiat to be sold in India), the 118NE found a lot of buyers in the country, though, not as many as those of the Padmini. The car was based on the original 1966 model Fiat 124 and was launched in 1985, but with a few cosmetic changes. It was powered by a Nissan sourced 1171 cc, 52 horses producing A12 motor. But as it happened, the car lost its popularity to the growing competition.
Maruti Esteem
Maruti Esteem was not a people carrier at its height, but a legend for whom rally racers swore by. The 1000 cc machine produced 65 horses and was soon replaced by a 85 HP motor. The compact boxy sedan can still be seen on Indian roads, running without any fuss at all. Its only problem was it could not keep it up with the time and lost it to the advancements in the technology. Yet, Esteem is one of the most solid and reliable products to ever run on the Indian roads.
Tata Sierra
Tata Sierra was a product ahead of its time, offering many firsts in the industry to the customers. The SUV came powered by a 1.9-litre engine and had features like adjustable steering, power windows, power steering and all these were the first time offerings in the market. But the real talking point was the distinctive glass window for the rear passengers, that gave a more than spacious feeling at the rear. But the car is the story of the past and you hardly spot and restored Sierra plying on the roads.
