[DudeWithaFiat]

Indian automobile scene has changed an awful lot in the last 15 years. Most of the cars that heralded the new automobile era was out of reach of the middle class when they were introduced, but with the purchasing power of common-man gone high, there will be more of us who can afford them now if they were to be re-introduced. IMO, peoples' love for iconic cars increases when it nears extinction, but most of us keep a safe distance from them solely because of maintenance woos. Contessas in immaculate conditions were sold for 50k about 2 or 3 years back, but now, they have risen to > 1L. An average Premier Padmini costed 20k 4 years back, and now it fetches a cool 50 to 70k. What cars do you think will be a hit again if any of them is to be given a new file with contemporary features and matching power by their parent company. Here is my list:


1. Tata Estate : The rich man's car with acres of space. The desi version of W124 estate. I am sure this will be one hot cake if Tata is to introduce them again with a new adequately powered engine.

2. Tata Sierra: There are still people who love it. Plonk in a 2.2 DiCOR, this will be a hit again.

3. Contessa : Not sure, but the enthusiasts are gonna love it.

4. Cielo : Such a nice car and such a fast death. I wish GM had adopted Cielo along with Matiz.

Any more of them guys?

[Ricci]

I loved the Sierra in concept, and the Contessa too. Never sat in either, then I could only see them on the roads and dream of owning/driving one ....even more than that I loved the Standard 2000 aka Rover 3500. It was huge for its time, and heard it was a real gas guzzler.

[swathyd]

What about the w124 taking a 'punarjanm' . The best merc with better technology .

[Valkyrie]

1) I would love to see a new take on the Amby. On the same lines of a Mini Cooper.
That said, I am aware of the dealer and service network woes of HM. Plus other things.

2) I would love to see the Esteem back. It is too precious a brand name for Suzuki to just let go waste in India. More so, as the new Dzire is shorter and appeals to a narrower (though long) number of audience. A mini Kizashi will be a nice appetizer. A 1.6 liter, 6 speed, 16 inch, stiff chassis, low seating.... Miss the Esteem.

3)Same goes for Zen.

So much...so far...

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by Ricci

I loved the Sierra in concept, and the Contessa too. Never sat in either, then I could only see them on the roads and dream of owning/driving one

Have driven a 1.8 Contessa. Wasn't that great, but man, I love the car for its super-wide interiors and muscle car looks from the side.

Originally Posted by swathyd

What about the w124 taking a 'punarjanm' . The best merc with better technology .

Oh man, how can I leave the W124 out even after I mention it in the OP and even after having already decided that a used W124 is going to be my next car . It does deserve a come back, but in its original 'stock' form, unlike the others. Its the best Merc ever.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Indian automobile scene has changed an awful lot in the last 15 years. Most of the cars that heralded the new automobile era was out of reach of the middle class when they were introduced, but with the purchasing power of common-man gone high, there will be more of us who can afford them now if they were to be re-introduced. IMO, peoples' love for iconic cars increases when it nears extinction, but most of us keep a safe distance from them solely because of maintenance woos. Contessas in immaculate conditions were sold for 50k about 2 or 3 years back, but now, they have risen to > 1L. An average Premier Padmini costed 20k 4 years back, and now it fetches a cool 50 to 70k. What cars do you think will be a hit again if any of them is to be given a new file with contemporary features and matching power by their parent company. Here is my list:


1. Tata Estate : The rich man's car with acres of space. The desi version of W124 estate. I am sure this will be one hot cake if Tata is to introduce them again with a new adequately powered engine.

2. Tata Sierra: There are still people who love it. Plonk in a 2.2 DiCOR, this will be a hit again.

3. Contessa : Not sure, but the enthusiasts are gonna love it.

4. Cielo : Such a nice car and such a fast death. I wish GM had adopted Cielo along with Matiz.

Any more of them guys?

Quite a good idea, but it will mean retro styling and retros are yet to come of age in our country. It has to be a massive redesign (like the New Beetle, Fiat 500, BMW Mini and so on). But the redesign won't come in affordable prices.
Those old body styles as these were available won't sell very well and may not be economically viable for the manufacturers.
The Tata Estate and even the Sierra were full of niggling problems.There were faults in many areas.The build quality was quite below par.
The Contessa had very good mechanicals (the ISZ1800 engine was 88bhp 1817 cc initially, but detuned later to I believe 74 bhp), but the body was too prone to rusting and rattling- a typical car from the HM stable. Fit and finish were poor. No doubt it commands a price for its nostalgia, unique looks and styling but a trouble free ownership is rare for the car.
The Cielo was really one good car from Daewoo, but it was killed firstly due to the Korean method of a sudden price cut (believe they slashed it by Rs 22 K firstly), done in good faith due to the massive competition. We were not used to such down pricings and the car's image took a beating.Next, the chaebol crashed due to its own problems.But the car if sold with a diesel heart, a bit of refreshing and some goodies can still draw buyers.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

It has to be a massive redesign (like the New Beetle, Fiat 500, BMW Mini and so on). But the redesign won't come in affordable prices.
Those old body styles as these were available won't sell very well and may not be economically viable for the manufacturers.
No doubt it commands a price for its nostalgia, unique looks and styling but a trouble free ownership is rare for the car.
The Cielo was really one good car from Daewoo, but it was killed firstly due to the Korean method of a sudden price cut (believe they slashed it by Rs 22 K firstly), done in good faith due to the massive competition. We were not used to such down pricings and the car's image took a beating.Next, the chaebol crashed due to its own problems.But the car if sold with a diesel heart, a bit of refreshing and some goodies can still draw buyers.

True dat.

But I doubt whether it would really need a massive and expensive re-design since these cars from the 90s are not really generations old like the Old Beetle or the old Fiat 500. How hard is it going to be for Tata Motors to re-introduce the Sierra or the Estate with Safari's engine. The lack of competition it had those days can be accounted for the below par build quality issues on the Estates and Sierras.

IMHO, a 'New Sierra' can be placed between the Sumo and Safari price-wise. It will cater to the needs of those who can't afford a Safari and are not comfortable with taxi image of Sumo. Slight competition to Bolero as well

Tata Estate : None of the estates have really done a good job in India. Reason - for majority of Indians, buying a car is mainly driven by its aspirational value and we don't really see the point in paying those extra bucks to buy an estate when a sedan that commands equal or more respect is available for the same model with a cheaper price tag. So the general failure of estate models in India shouldn't hold back Tata to bring the Tata Estate back since there is no sedan version of Tata Estate available. Tata Motors have come a long way now and I doubt whether the newer models will have as any niggling issues as their first generation cars had. Tata estate is definitely going to be a winner since there is virtually no competition in the Estate scene in India.

Cielo surely will do good with a diesel heart. Its looks and road presence can still threaten the newer generation cars. Have never traveled in a cielo, but it looks like a car with top-notch ride-quality.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Originally Posted by Valkyrie

2) I would love to see the Esteem back. It is too precious a brand name for Suzuki to just let go waste in India. More so, as the new Dzire is shorter and appeals to a narrower (though long) number of audience. A mini Kizashi will be a nice appetizer. A 1.6 liter, 6 speed, 16 inch, stiff chassis, low seating.... Miss the Esteem.

3)Same goes for Zen.

+1 to that. Esteem coming back in a contemporary avatar would be great. I own one and even after 7 years i cannot stop loving her. Zen for the old shape, it looked so car like, the new one has proved to be a flop.

Would also love to see reincarnation of 118NE

[akshay380]

A Premier Padmini or 118NE anyday. Absolutely loved those cars when I was a kid and played NFS 2000 day and night.

[urajkumar]

Originally Posted by Ricci

I loved the Sierra in concept, and the Contessa too. Never sat in either, then I could only see them on the roads and dream of owning/driving one ....even more than that I loved the Standard 2000 aka Rover 3500. It was huge for its time, and heard it was a real gas guzzler.

The Sierra was an attention grabber during its time and i remember how we boys used to huddle togeather in the back! It definetely will create a bang if it returns with better finish and engine! (The only problem was how much rubber (Tyre) it used to burn)

The Contessa was a classic! Spacious, premium & good ride quality! It was of course a gas guzzler but still such a comfortable car in its time.

Sadly i was not allowed to drive the vehicle during that time!

[agbenny]

Re-birth of cars is possible, if their manufactures believes in it. I like to see
1. Skoda Octavia, 2. Toyota Qualis and 3. Maruthi Zen

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by agbenny

Re-birth of cars is possible, if their manufactures believes in it. I like to see
1. Skoda Octavia, 2. Toyota Qualis and 3. Maruthi Zen

People loved the old shaped Maruti Zen and it has to be given a re-birth, but I doubt that about the Octavia. Octy did had a charm like any other good-looking new-comer, but I don't think its 'loved' by people like the Zen.

Qualis : Oh yeah, the taxi guys are gonna love it.

[agbenny]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

People loved the old shaped Maruti Zen and it has to be given a re-birth, but I doubt that about the Octavia. Octy did had a charm like any other good-looking new-comer, but I don't think its 'loved' by people like the Zen.

Qualis : Oh yeah, the taxi guys are gonna love it.

I think Octavia with the new (Skoda) age grill changes would do.

[caprico4]

We had an Esteem for 10 long years and i loved it to death, learned how to drive in that car plus a lot of special times.

if they re-introduce the Esteem with a K series and a Multijet, i am sure it will do very well. i, for one, would not look at any other car in that category.

[DieselDon]

Originally Posted by agbenny

I like to see 1. Skoda Octavia

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Octy did had a charm like any other good-looking new-comer

Originally Posted by agbenny

I think Octavia with the new (Skoda) age grill changes would do.

Could not resist posting. a lil birdie was murmuring: 'Octavia' might replace the 'Laura' tag soon !?! - was not willing to divulge any more detail though.