TEN VEHICLES OVER THE DECADE , THAT CHANGED THE INDIAN AUTO SECTOR
2000: HONDA ACTIVA
There were scotteretes and there were scotteretes, then came the Honda Activa. Initially the Indian non geared rooster was ruled by much smaller vehicles like the Bajaj Spirit and TVS scooty, and in the year 2000 Honda (HMSI in India) brought in the Activa , a 100cc non geared scooter that was initially perceived as a little too big and heavy for the Indian women to ride on. One had his doubts whether how successful Honda’s strategy would be, but almost a decade after its launch the Honda Activa still rules the Indian roads (and our hearts) with the impeccable quality, smooth ride and oh so hassle free driving in city traffic. The Activa surely changed the way one looked at the non geared market and following its stupendous success, rival Hero Honda, which hadn’t EVER forayed into ungeared scooter segment (with brand name Hero Honda) launched its first scotterete.
2001: BAJAJ PULSAR:
The year of 2001 saw two major launches The Bajaj Pulsar and the Skoda Octavia. However we decide to go in for the Pulsar. It was the first time that Bajaj had done away with the Kawasaki Brand name and launched a motorcycle that was totally indigenously developed. The Pulsar initially was launched in two variants of 150 cc and 180 cc. Bajaj had went ahead and did, what most bike makers in our country refrained to do, it had broken the shackles of uninteresting, depressing looking, fuel efficient commuter motorcycles and had launched a bike that would make the bike enthusiast jump of his seat and get his hands on one. A sports segment was created in the Indian two-wheeled market, which people thought never existed and Bajaj still is the market leader in this segment. What followed after the launch of the Pulsar was a slew of more 150cc “me too” motorcycles which tried to displace the Pulsar from its reign but till date have been unsuccessful. The Pulsar has surely changed the way Bikes are perceived today, they are just not vehicles that get you from point A to Point B, but are more fun to ride and much better to look at.
2002 : HONDA CITY:
Honda Cars ( Honda SIEL in India) had been in the Indian market for more than 4 years , and having rolled out two previous generations of the Honda City, the 2002 Honda City was the third generation Honda City for India. The 2002 City churned out huge numbers for Honda, and till date is the best seller in its segment. While the City had the love it or hate it radical looks, it was accepted with all warmth by the Indian consumer, that saw the car’s sales soaring up and Honda’s pockets filling up. The City set a bench mark at the price range where it virtually had no competitor until very recently, when the VW Vento was launched. The City was thus the first full-fledged sedan that raked high volumes in India.
2003 : TOYOTA COROLLA:
Better late than never. The Indian Market had been taken very seriously by auto makers all over the world, and 2003 saw the launch of the world’s best seller in India, The Toyota Corolla. The Car that clocked the highest sales figures world over was now available for the Indian Consumer, and boy did the consumers respond to Toyota’s decision the car within months of launch, snatched the market share from Skoda Octavia that had been ruling the segment for quite some time and in no time became one of the best sellers in India. What the corolla also did was to strengthen Toyota’s foothold in the Indian market making it the second successful model in Toyota India’s portfolio after the Qualis.
2004 : MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT :
The end of 2004, saw the launch of a car , that was set to change the whole small car market scenario in India. Maruti drove in the Suzuki Swift . What followed was a story that need not be told, it’s a story known by all of us. The Swift was an Instant hit, and has been in waiting all over India ever since its launch. Such was the success of Swift that in 2007 it prompted Maruti to launch an Exclusive Made for India sedan on the platform of the Swift , the Swift Dzire. Swift soon became the No.1 choice of all college goers, all young entrepreneurs and even of some first time car buyers.
2005: TOYOTA INNOVA :
In 2005, Toyota did the unbelievable. They discontinued its all time best seller (in India) the Qualis and replaced it with the Innova, that was not only a little bigger than the Qualis but also a lot more expensive. The general perception in the minds of people were that Toyota had gone nuts discontinuing the Qualis, but wollaaahhh !! 5 years after its launch the Innova is the market leader in its segment (by a long shot) , it not only enjoyed more success than the Qualis but also replaced the word “ Big Car” by the word “Innova” in our vocabulary.
2006 : HONDA CIVIC :
Lets be true to ourselves. At some point of time we have aspired to own a Civic. The Car had that kind of aura around it , that made it so so desirable. 2006 saw the world best seller Toyota Corolla taking a thrashing left right and Centre by Honda’s latest entrant the Civic. The Corolla sales dropped to an all time low and the segment had a new king The Honda Civic. The Car with its bold look and futuristic interiors had struck the right chord with the Indian Consumer, and like most international markets it gave the Corolla a tough run for its money.
2007 : BMW 3 SERIES :
In 2007 , 13 years after arch rival Mercedes Benz forayed into India, BMW entered the Indian luxury markets with two products to offer the 3 series and the 5 series. Both the models were instant hits with the Cash Rich Indian, who now had an option to chose, while buying his 30 lakh rupee car, and within two years of its launch , in 2009 , BMW displaced Mercedes Benz from its numero uno position and became the largest player in the luxury car segment , a position it still holds. The entry of BMW in India, also made it clear of how seriously car manufacturers all over the Globe were looking at the Indian Auto Sector.
2008 : TATA NANO
The Nano. Well , despite the ups and downs despite the controversies , despite the fire incidents , the Tata Nano could well be the car of the Decade. It was the car, that got the attention of all and I mean all car manufacturers across the globe to India and to a man Mr.Ratan Tata , who , to his promise brought in a car that was within the reach of the common man in India , never could the world think that a car worth $2000 could be made. The Nano created news world over and despite the Silgur incident Ratan Tata was able to launch the car at a little above a lakh rupee, and Tata has managed helping many people realize their distant dream of owning a car.
2009 : JAGUAR LAND ROVER
Most people in India might have been unaware of these two names Jaguar and Land Rover. in 2008 Tata Motors bought these two companies from Ford and launched the two brands in India , the Jaguar came in with the XF and the Land Rover came in with the Freelander. These two brands are historic in themselves as one brand defines sportiness and luxury while the other is the epitome of off roading, And now two of the world’s most prestigious brands were INDIAN . This only goes to show the strength that Indian Economy has achieved and the pivotal position it is acquiring in the Global Auto Market.
2010 : HARLEY DAVIDSON :
“Harley’s for Mangoes” well this is the headlines that struck most news papers and magazines when Harley was finally going to Foray into the Indian Market. Americans didn’t find Indian Mangoes and the pesticides and fertilizers used for them to grow suitable for their countrymen and neither did the Indian Government find Harley meeting the pollution norms here, so the mutual deal was to allow each do business in the other’s country, and so came Harley Davidson , the most prestigious motor cycle brand world wide to India. With its first showroom in Hyderabad and 4 more that followed, it is significant that how much the Indian Bike rider grown. With other major manufacturers pouring in interesting bikes and cars the year 2011 seems to be a treat.
THE MOST ANTICIPATED CARS AND BIKES OF 2011:
The year 2011 will see launches from all spectrum of the automobile industry. While we are keenly waiting for the Toyota Etios which will spruce up the mid size car segment , everyone is also eagerly waiting for the Brio , Honda’s new small car that aims to shake the small car market and make a space for itself.
Also another interesting Honda that will find its way to India in April 2011 is its two wheeled Marvel the CBR 250R, that will be pitched in against the Kawasaki Ninja, but to think of it , The Ninja is almost twice as expensive as the CBR. Speaking of Ninja, Bajaj also plans to bring in the bigger kwacker, the Kawasaki Ninja 650 sometime soon in 2011, also we can expect Bajaj to roll out the KTM Duke 125 in the first quarter next year.
