Flop cars in our market

dhanushs · 12th April 2011, 01:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987

.... Can't believe it would sell for a premium though; hardly anything exclusive (in the good sense) in that car!...

Reason - There isn't ONE 'hot' two door hatch comparable, which is this mod friendly as the Zen, having an equally impressive, balanced dynamics.

Plonk in a 1.3 or 1.6 L with generous mod's and like I heard somewhere in the forum, you can smoke a stock XF!..

btw, IIRC, there were only 300 of them.

amitoj · 12th April 2011, 09:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasmeetsingh

Did someone write Daewoo Nexia or not.

I did, although I used the older name, but not many people believed me

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj

And the Daewoo Cielo. I remember drooling over it whenever its ad used to air.

Daewood · 12th April 2011, 10:59

Sanstorm - jus looks and no substance. a modded M800 will be more FTD
Reva - 5L for a 'micro mini' car was too much. Gov. tax sops can make this green car a success in future.
Opel Corsa Sail - the car sailed into oblivion alongwith the OPEL brand in India.
Hyundai Sonata - Eventhough it sold in decent numbers initially, it never was a success and Hyundai's tag as a small carmaker played spoilsport

RJ555 · 12th April 2011, 11:16

not all cars discussed in this post are flops... cielo did pretty good during its era, later did the company operations cease & the spares being priced high,adding to this teh difficulties in sourcing contributed to fading image.

rajeev k · 12th April 2011, 11:27

Cielo - The ad where a lady saying something like we never held our hands together while driving which still lingers on though Cielo is forgotten.

Zen Carbon and Steel were export surpluses nee rejects and were not made for Indian customers because we never accepted 2 door cars.

Badal, Dolphin Montana and D1 comes to mind here.

And a car stillborn is the then oft touted assumedly named to be Meghdoot the 6 cylinder car from HM which never made it.

DicKy · 12th April 2011, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajeev k

And a car stillborn is the then oft touted assumedly named to be Meghdoot the 6 cylinder car from HM which never made it.

Again a discovery for me,after the Tata Magna and Tata Calypso.
Please elaborate on the 6 cyl HM car.
Any prototypes or such?

Sudipto-S-Team · 12th April 2011, 15:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Cielo - The ad where a lady saying something like we never held our hands together while driving which still lingers on though Cielo is forgotten.

That ad was Suhel and Swapan Seth's creation (they had an agency called Equus). Suhel of course has of late turned into a professional TV commentator commenting on everything under the sun and more. I am told it's a very profitable career to be a TV commentator these days.

I have very fond memories of driving a Cielo from Delhi to Kufri (Kufri town had a couple of feet of snow all over) and then back to Agra and finally Delhi - way back in 1999.

On the first day to my horror I realised I didn't know how to engage the reverse gear !!!

vinya_jag · 12th April 2011, 17:38

Fiat petra, adventure station wagon (My friend had this and I did have a ride in its boot once)
Chevrolet SRV can we have this here?
Versa?

libranof1987 · 12th April 2011, 19:11

If you look at it, no station wagon has worked in India; be it Baleno Altura, Skoda Combi, Corsa Swing etc.

Indigo Marina too finds its place mostly with Meru cabs.

Jidousha · 12th April 2011, 19:40

How about Ford Mondeo, Palio Adventure, Baleno Altura, Cora Swing, OPel Vectra?

Turbocharged-KC · 13th April 2011, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jidousha

How about Ford Mondeo, Palio Adventure, Baleno Altura, Cora Swing, OPel Vectra?

Well Personally I think the Ford Mondeo was briliiant car.. despite of being way too ahead of its time .. it was still decently accepted in the Indian market.

The Palio adventure needless to say was on the same platform as the Palio. The cost to the company to set up that model in India would have been minimal because of their existing facilities. From a manufactures point of view it was not a wrong decision. The vehicle was in a niche segment and was not expected to sell as many numbers.

Similar for the Baleno Altura and the Opel Corsa swing, they were both on platforms of already existing vehicles and in a very niche segment. So 'technically' I don't think these models were a flop.

The Opel Vectra.... again a very well made, decently powerful and smart looking vehicle launched in the market way ahead of its time.

Both the Mondeo and the Opel were similarly priced. The Mondeo sold better because of its superb drivability. Ofcourse Ford was a comparatively better known brand than Opel

I think the market opened up in this segment with the Skoda Octavia.
Its powerful and efficient diesel Engine was what made Skoda from a completely unknown brand to one of the the most sought after (not respected).

Now coming to the point of a flop car in the Indian market - Am not sure but I think the San Storm was an absolute flop. Technically as well as a product.

1) A car that looks like a sports car but doesn't perform anywhere close to it.
2) A soft top in our country... thats absolute no.
3) Absolutely no brand value

architect · 13th April 2011, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987

If you look at it, no station wagon has worked in India; be it Baleno Altura, Skoda Combi, Corsa Swing etc.

Indigo Marina too finds its place mostly with Meru cabs.

One of the reasons is that estates / wagons have highly ineffective air-conditioning as compared to their sedan counterparts. Can be a deal-breaker in India. The second reason is lifestyle users who need that extra space prefer a rugged SUV instead. Or even a softroader. I would have preferred a Skoda Combi to a CR-V but the market thinks otherwise.

riteshpawar · 13th April 2011, 04:00

Everybody around is talking about Ford Figo and Ford Fiesta, Skodas, Hondas, Marutis, Toyotas, Hyundais etc

This thread is a tribute to those car manufactures who ruled Indian Roads with their cars and then these models were either replaced by newer ones or the company simply shut down.

Some vehicles our family owned in the past :

Premier Automobiles Ltd : <PAL>

Premier 1100D (Delite)

Premier 1100 President

Premier Padmini SAB

Premier Padmini Safari
(This one was the station wagon model designed by some French designer hired by Premier) Anybody got any info about this ??

Premier Padmini S1

Peugeot 309

Premier 118NE

Premier 138D

Premier Padmini 137D

Premier Viceroy (138D with a better engine)

Premier Sigma (Diesel Van -- still selling this)

Premier Roaster (Diesel dumpers and pickups -- seen these with Mumbai Municipal Corp.)

Premier RIO (India's cheapest SUV -- still in production)

HINDUSTAN MOTORS <HM>

Hindustan Ambassador Mk III and Mk IV

Hindustan Trekker

Hindustan Contessa (With Ambassador Engine)

Hindustan Contessa (with Isuzu 1.8l engine)

Sipani Automobiles India Ltd <SAIL>

Badal (3 wheeler passenger car with 175 cc engine)

Dolphin

Montana

Rover Montego

FIAT India

Fiat Uno (Petrol and Diesel)

Fiat Palio

Fiat Stile

Chinkara Motors

(no idea about the variants)

Help me here someone !!

San Motors India LTD (San Storm)

It seems they are still in production, probably only by special orders. Introduced in 1998 designed by French Le Mans Group; powered by a 1149cc Renault engine delivering 60 BHP and a top speed of 152 kmph Fibre Glass body and a best 0-100 km/h of 13 seconds.

Did I forget something ?? Please fill in the space fellow Team BHPians, please also upload some snaps (please make sure that these are authentic photos such as those from old car brochures, car advertisements, restored vehicles or lying in junk,

Fornax · 13th April 2011, 10:41

If flop was defined as "relative sales" compared to other cars in its segment, then wouldn't Fiat Linea also qualify for the same? This car retails in both petrol and diesel variants, and should easily be crossing 3.5K - instead it does paltry 0.7K in good months.

Also - the same logic would rule against the Cedia.

Both cases point to hesitant manufacturers hell bent on waiting untill god know what.

vinya_jag · 13th April 2011, 12:25

@Fornax
I agree, but with that in mind, Fiat has all its cars in the flop bracket.
They are really poor at marketing.....
Best looking car, best ride quality and a cool package, yet they sell their Punto at 1K per month.....I guess they are not committed enough.

This one is a sure flop: Fiat 500
I just had a look at the interiors. This sure is a cute class vehicle, futuristic in every way you can look at.

Can they not build a new car for India using a few of these components?

12th April 2011, 10:59	#318
Daewood BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 940 Thanked: 234 Times	re: Flop cars in our market Sanstorm - jus looks and no substance. a modded M800 will be more FTD Reva - 5L for a 'micro mini' car was too much. Gov. tax sops can make this green car a success in future. Opel Corsa Sail - the car sailed into oblivion alongwith the OPEL brand in India. Hyundai Sonata - Eventhough it sold in decent numbers initially, it never was a success and Hyundai's tag as a small carmaker played spoilsport Last edited by Daewood : 12th April 2011 at 11:01.
	() Thanks

12th April 2011, 11:16	#319
RJ555 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 102 Thanked: 32 Times View My Garage	re: Flop cars in our market not all cars discussed in this post are flops... cielo did pretty good during its era, later did the company operations cease & the spares being priced high,adding to this teh difficulties in sourcing contributed to fading image.
	() Thanks

12th April 2011, 11:27	#320
rajeev k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Emerging Metro Posts: 3,352 Thanked: 1,947 Times	re: Flop cars in our market Cielo - The ad where a lady saying something like we never held our hands together while driving which still lingers on though Cielo is forgotten. Zen Carbon and Steel were export surpluses nee rejects and were not made for Indian customers because we never accepted 2 door cars. Badal, Dolphin Montana and D1 comes to mind here. And a car stillborn is the then oft touted assumedly named to be Meghdoot the 6 cylinder car from HM which never made it.
	() Thanks

12th April 2011, 17:38	#323
vinya_jag BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 617 Thanked: 1,226 Times	re: Flop cars in our market Fiat petra, adventure station wagon (My friend had this and I did have a ride in its boot once) Chevrolet SRV can we have this here? Versa?
	() Thanks

12th April 2011, 19:11	#324
libranof1987 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: All over! Posts: 7,615 Thanked: 18,342 Times	re: Flop cars in our market If you look at it, no station wagon has worked in India; be it Baleno Altura, Skoda Combi, Corsa Swing etc. Indigo Marina too finds its place mostly with Meru cabs.
	() Thanks

12th April 2011, 19:40	#325
Jidousha BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: The HOT seat Posts: 47 Thanked: 6 Times	re: Flop cars in our market How about Ford Mondeo, Palio Adventure, Baleno Altura, Cora Swing, OPel Vectra?
	() Thanks

13th April 2011, 04:00	#328
riteshpawar BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 91 Thanked: 28 Times View My Garage	Long forgotten Indian Cars !! Flopped cars in India Everybody around is talking about Ford Figo and Ford Fiesta, Skodas, Hondas, Marutis, Toyotas, Hyundais etc This thread is a tribute to those car manufactures who ruled Indian Roads with their cars and then these models were either replaced by newer ones or the company simply shut down. Some vehicles our family owned in the past : Premier Automobiles Ltd : <PAL> Premier 1100D (Delite) Premier 1100 President Premier Padmini SAB Premier Padmini Safari (This one was the station wagon model designed by some French designer hired by Premier) Anybody got any info about this ?? Premier Padmini S1 Peugeot 309 Premier 118NE Premier 138D Premier Padmini 137D Premier Viceroy (138D with a better engine) Premier Sigma (Diesel Van -- still selling this) Premier Roaster (Diesel dumpers and pickups -- seen these with Mumbai Municipal Corp.) Premier RIO (India's cheapest SUV -- still in production) HINDUSTAN MOTORS <HM> Hindustan Ambassador Mk III and Mk IV Hindustan Trekker Hindustan Contessa (With Ambassador Engine) Hindustan Contessa (with Isuzu 1.8l engine) Sipani Automobiles India Ltd <SAIL> Badal (3 wheeler passenger car with 175 cc engine) Dolphin Montana Rover Montego FIAT India Fiat Uno (Petrol and Diesel) Fiat Palio Fiat Stile Chinkara Motors (no idea about the variants) Help me here someone !! San Motors India LTD (San Storm) It seems they are still in production, probably only by special orders. Introduced in 1998 designed by French Le Mans Group; powered by a 1149cc Renault engine delivering 60 BHP and a top speed of 152 kmph Fibre Glass body and a best 0-100 km/h of 13 seconds. Did I forget something ?? Please fill in the space fellow Team BHPians, please also upload some snaps (please make sure that these are authentic photos such as those from old car brochures, car advertisements, restored vehicles or lying in junk, Attached Thumbnails Last edited by aah78 : 13th April 2011 at 05:04. Reason: Thread merged with existing. Please search before posting.
	() Thanks

13th April 2011, 10:41	#329
Fornax BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 293 Thanked: 91 Times View My Garage	re: Flop cars in our market If flop was defined as "relative sales" compared to other cars in its segment, then wouldn't Fiat Linea also qualify for the same? This car retails in both petrol and diesel variants, and should easily be crossing 3.5K - instead it does paltry 0.7K in good months. Also - the same logic would rule against the Cedia. Both cases point to hesitant manufacturers hell bent on waiting untill god know what.
	(1) Thanks

13th April 2011, 12:25	#330
vinya_jag BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 617 Thanked: 1,226 Times	re: Flop cars in our market @Fornax I agree, but with that in mind, Fiat has all its cars in the flop bracket. They are really poor at marketing..... Best looking car, best ride quality and a cool package, yet they sell their Punto at 1K per month.....I guess they are not committed enough. This one is a sure flop: Fiat 500 I just had a look at the interiors. This sure is a cute class vehicle, futuristic in every way you can look at. Can they not build a new car for India using a few of these components?
	() Thanks