Cars that Changed Indian Mobility

Small cars have been the biggest instruments in altering the Indians travelling scene forever. They radically changed the way people saw cars. Cars like the Ambassador, and Premier Padmini have contributed to significantly to the Indian automotive landscape. But there were other simple cars that changed the scene of car ownership in India forever. Cars have always been perceived as a symbol of wealth and status. When middle class got the power to own cheap cars, they felt empowered. One of these cars is the soon to be seen on roads Tata Nano, that is yet to hit the roads. We shall have a look at the cars that have significantly changed the way we look at cars.

Hindustan Ambassador: It was also called Amby. It is also called as the grand old car of India. Ambassador was based on the Morris Oxford of UK. The Ambassador started production in India during the late 1950's. Though it was of British origin, the Ambassador car was considered an Indian car.For many decades Ambassador was considered a high point in the lifestyle of creamy layer of the society. It was the preferred vehicle by Prime Ministers and Presidents of India for a long time. Ambassador is powered by 75 bhp petrol engine. It was later made available in diesel versions too.

India's ace automobile designer Dilip Chabbria created a customised version of Amby called the 'Ambierod' priced over Rs 4 crores. Though it is not manufactured by Hindustan Motors, Ambierod has won great acclaim across the world.

Maruti 800: Maruti's first offering the M800 was the revolutionary car in the way it allowed middle class people to own cars. When launched it was the cheapest car of the world. It made middle class families sit up and take notice of benefits of car ownership. It was powered by 796 cc 3 cylinder engine that delivered a meer(now) 37 bhp engine. It has been the best selling car for nearly two decades since it launched in 1984. Till date Maruti Suzuki has sold 2.5 million units of it in India. It bothered people very little that M800 had no air conditioning or significant safety features. Since the handling of the car was easy to master, people took a liking for it. It was also capable of dealing with Indian traffic conditions.

Tata Indica: Tata Indica was among the first of the indigenously developed cars. Indica was also called the as an attempt by Tata Motors to shift to passenger cars sector from commercial vehicles. It was the dream car by Tata Group Chairman Mr. Ratan Tata. On the very seven days of its launch in 1998, Tata received 11,500 bookings, the highest for any car in India till then. It was one of the top selling hatchback of its time. It was also exported to other Tata's markets in Africa, Latin America, Europe and United Kingdom. Due to its high fuel efficiency and cheaper ownership, Tata Indica was one of the best selling cars of India.

Hyundai Santro: The car took the Indian automotive sector by storm. It also helped Hyundai become the second largest car manufacturer in the country. Santro has bagged numerous awards for its design and comfort. It became a largest selling car in the small car segment. It was launched in 1998 and continues to sell even today. The radical styling created fans in large numbers. Hyundai Santro was projected as a complete family car. It provided a roomy cabin, spacious legroom and headroom and comfortable seating, which was new for the Indian market. Santro provided effortless driving coupled with slick transmission that delivered a wide range of speeds to suit different urban traffic conditions.

Maruti Suzuki Alto: The new 796 cc engine Alto ushered in new wave of car ownership in India. It was a new version of Maruti 800. Maruti Suzuki Alto crossed the 10 lakh unit mark in less than seven years. It appealed to the Indian middle class, who wanted more from his/her car. Alto provided great fuel economy and low running costs. Alto sales went past sales of M800 in a short time and it became India's largest selling car every year. It was introduced in 2000 with a 3 cylinder engine that delivered 46 bhp worth of power and 62 Nm of torque. Tata Sumo: It was the first MUV(multi-utility-vehicle) was launched in 1997. It was one of the first indigenously designed cars in India. Till then utility vehicles were bare models designed on Mahindra Willy's Jeep. When launched Tata Sumo quickly captured the market. It offered luxury and an imposing profile which was liked by Indian car buyers. Tata Sumo was well suited to meet tough Indian road conditions. It became so successful that soon Tata launched many variants of it. Nowadays it is available as Sumo Victa and Sumo Grande, the SUV version of the vehicle. It was initially offered with a 2.0litre aspirated diesel engine, and was also offered with a turbocharged engine later.