Performance Car Reviews, News and Parts for the Car Enthusiast

by Chris Devers

Small Cars in India

In the recent past, there has been a slew of car launches in India. While sedans were the most wanted and popular till recently, the trend seems to be changing in the country. The present day Indian prefers small cars to the big monsters. The bigger sedans and SUVs may be feasible on the streets in American or European countries, but surely not in a nation like India. In India, the streets are packed with traffic during almost every hour of the day. In such situations, moving in the big vehicles can be quite a pain. Indians have now realized this and have begun moving towards the small car purchases.

No wonder, the roads in India are now occupied by these little machines. Thanks to the small car launches, the Indian auto industry has witnessed great sales figures. Completely new and facelifted models have entered the nation. Car makers seem to be on a race when it comes to launching new models in India; Volkswagen, Ford, Chevrolet and market leader Maruti are all in the game. Also, JD Power statistics shows an increase in the number of first time car buyers from 24 to 32 per cent during the last year. This year, the Indian car market is set to expand even more.

Two-wheeler owners in India have directly moved into the A2 segment of cars. There are few that opt for cars in the Rs 3-4 Lakh range rather than going for the sub-compact models. The bottom line remains that India is witnessing a major change in the car industry. We had the launch of the New WagonR very recently by Maruti Suzuki. This car comes at a very competitive price of just over Rs 3 Lakh. Who wouldn’t want such a nice car at such a reasonable price?

It’s not just the leader, Maruti Suzuki that is trying hard to lure the Indian crowd. Chevrolet has launched its small car, the Beat, in the country with a very aggressive price tag. The car is packed with all the advanced features that a big car would carry, yet comes at a low price. The Chevy Beat is a sporty hatchback that comes in a range of peppy colours that suit the young Indian crowd just right.

We also had the launch of the Ford Figo recently. The Figo looks small but sure has a tall purposeful look and the car is quite spacious inside. This new car has become latest favourite in India. Just after three months after its launch in India, we hear that 16,000 Figo cars have already been delivered to the customers.

Volkswagen seems to be following close behind. The Volkswagen Polo has been launched and the car has been such a huge success that a sedan version of it has already been unveiled. The Vento which is based on the small car’s platform will hopefully do well too. Then, we would have a small car in the country from Nissan too. Nissan’s small car in India has been named the Micra and comes with a host of ground-breaking features. We never know, Mercedes-Benz too may decide to bring in its entry-level small car on to the Indian roads soon. Yes, we just hope the Mercedes-Benz A-Class makes an entry soon. The leader in the small car segment in India, however, would be the Tata Nano which is also considered the world’s cheapest car.

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