5 Worst Selling Cars in Indian Automotive History

Car manufacturing is an art which involves many factors that decide the life of car in market. An automobile has to be visually acceptable (if not attractive), consume less, cost less and it should be safe to some extent to have good business in India. At times, manufacturers fail in one or more of these areas while bringing out their product. When the sale of a new product dips, the business gets hampered because lot of cost, time and effort goes into research and manufacturing process of a car.

It also brings a negative shade on the marque that makes this model. Cars are mobile showpieces which are displayed on streets. An unearthly wagon running on the road can easily be noticed by people around. The brand logo, on these cars, can ruin the image of the particular marque which manufactured it.

Worst Selling Cars

The fiberglass bodied, Montana was launched by Sipani Automobiles Ltd in the 80s. The car weighed less because of fiberglass material. It had an 848 cc engine. Sipani could sell this car only in four states of South India because of poorly distributed sales network. The company could not meet the demand too. It was a time when Maruti Suzuki was all set to start its journey in India. Sipani cars became obsolete after the entry of Maruti 800 in 1984. Some of these cars can be found in garage yards of Bangalore and Chennai. The people who own these vehicles call them as race models of 80s, because Sipanis could touch 0-80 km/hr in 12 seconds.

Sipani Montana

Rhino is a SUV product of little known brand, International Cars and Motors Ltd. This car which looks more like Toyota Qualis had a low price tag of around Rs 6 lakh to Rs 9 lakh. Rhino is powered by 2.0L turbocharged 100 bhp engine and it does have some comfort features like AC and media player. The upper body including pillars look boxy and out of fashion. Poor distribution of sales network and lack of marketing were primary reasons for failure of Rhino. In cities like Bangalore, the car is used as cabs by travel and IT sector.

The Rhino from International Cars

This MUV of the late 80s could be seen in tourist destinations of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu and in villages of North India. Many auto enthusiasts refer to this vehicle as one of the ugliest automobiles ever seen on Indian roads. The vehicle has a flat and long nose. Bold right-angled edges are seen everywhere on the front, including the design of front grille, headlamps and windshield. This face gives the vehicle an awkward look. The seating however is practical. It had the same engine that was loaded in the iconic Ambassador. The vehicle is used as people mover in some villages of Southern India, even today. It was available both in open top and soft top design during its time.

Hindustan Trekker

Did the people expect too much out of the 2nd MPV that came after Omni, from Maruti Suzuki? Not really, because the Versa which was launched in 2001 did not have the charm of a regular family car. Versa is powered by a 1.3L 82 bhp engine and was available in 8 seater and 5 seater models. The vehicle has unattractive design at its rear and roofline. No doubt the car was much practical compared to competitors of its time, but for some reason it did not reach many consumers. The company stopped production of this vehicle in 2010.

Maruti Versa

This was the first car produced by Indian auto giant, Tata. The car, during its time, had everything that a customer would expect from an automobile. The car was big, lengthy and good-looking from all sides. It was a 5-seater powered by 2.0L 68 bhp engine. The main problem in this vehicle was with its power. Many consumers said that the vehicle had less power for its size and its dynamic stature. Tata Estate was mostly bought by rich people as a symbol of their status.

Tata Estate

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