5 Forgotten Indian Cars Ahead of their Time
09 May 2025, 06:41 PM
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Not every great idea succeeds at once, as some appear early, make a big statement, and then rather quietly exit the stage — only to be recalled years later about how far ahead of the curve they were. India’s auto industry has been accustomed to such vehicles which were either too new or did not fit the market of the day. Today, let’s reminisce about the past and relive five Indian cars that were really ahead of their time.
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1. Tata Sierra (1991)
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Tata introduced India’s first domestically made SUV, something that the country had never witnessed before, a stylish 3 door SUV with power windows, hardtop and a cool wrap-around rear glass in 1991. However, India wasn’t mature enough to accept SUVs as most people preferred small family cars.
2. Daewoo Cielo (1995)
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The Cielo presented a high-end sedan before the concept of premium even began and in the sense of power steering, power windows and smooth engine amidst the situation, wherein most cars in India neither had basic engines nor proper boxes on wheels. But, its maker Daewoo, the Korean brand, was hit by a financial problem and left India.
3. Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX (2001)
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With 100 bhp engine, sporty handling and strong build, the Palio GTX was India’s first hot hatch dream for anyone who took to driving. Unfortunately, Fiat’s lack of good after sales service made them a little bit nervous among buyers.
4. Honda Accord V6 (2003)
This was a beast on wheels with power and luxury rolled into one, it carried a 3.0 litre V6 engine of 221 bhp in a premium, elegant sedan with cruise control, dual zone climate control and quiet cabin. But in 2003, Indian buyers were concerned about mileage not performance.
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5. Chevrolet SRV (2006)
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The SRV was a large hatchback of hot hatch type with an intimately fancy appearance with an European look, wide interior and an aggressive 1.6L engine. But, then, even the best of hatchback was too expensive for Indian buyers to justify it for lavishing sedans.
So, What Went Wrong?
Each of these cars was innovative, stylish and it was well built. But they didn’t succeed because:
- The market wasn’t ready.
- Pricing didn’t match expectations.
- Service networks were weak.
- People didn’t know how to either use these things or respect their value
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