[DicKy]

Like the premise of the thread, but the exclusivity factor is entirely subjective. Depends on region, social class, place of residence etc.

To be frank, I would have a second look at each car in the list if I see them on the street. Then again, I am the kind of guy who would have a second look at a well maintained initial batch Omni.

The ones that I feel are really exclusive in the OP list are:

Camry- One of my favourite, pity that it is not common on the road like the previous gen was. The sheer size and low slung nature will make everyone notice. Heck, any sedan above 15 lakhs are exclusive nowadays (except maybe Merc/BMW)

Wrangler- Yes, actually any Jeep that is not a Compass is exclusive. IMO, the Grand Cherokee is even more exclusive.

Gurkha- Now this one is exclusive. Even if my hometown has two of them which I see almost daily, when you see a Gurkha on road. It just stands out. Maybe the height? Maybe the expedition/explorer/overlander/adventure nature of it. Unlike the Thar which has many faces; enthusiasts, college guy, show off types, government office usage, farmers et al, the Gurkha is exclusively an enthusiast purchase. Explains the sales figures.

Mitsubishi Outlander- I believe most people will go if you say that you have bought a brand new Mitsubishi. Even enthusiasts are like, "Oh, they are still here?"
The Pajero Sport was a decent seller and is not really exclusive. But the Outlander is. Heck!! I would say any non-Fortuner/Endeavour high rider in the 25-50 lakhs segment is exclusive. The Outlander is the most left field of them all.

Macan- With that pricing, it has to be. Even potential BHPian customers are put off by the price-size ratio.

Originally Posted by nagr22

Since the purpose is exclusivity and the ability to stand out from the crowd, you can add Toyota Yaris to the list. It's a very rare car due to its low sales...

Depends. In my place, Yaris is way too common. So much so, when I see the shamefully low sales figures, I guess almost all the units sold end up in Kerala. But have to say, this is one of the rare times when a super market flop is actually a pretty safe purchase IRL.

[Raghu M]

I think the VW Passat can be added to the list. I saw the car closely the other day, it was just awesome. The sheer size and the premium interiors make it a stand out. Yes, the exteriors are pretty straight forward but the car looks very elegant and exclusive.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Further, I am not sure Thar is so exclusive anymore. Given the number of bookings pending with Mahindra, once all those cars are delivered, we will see a Thar at every corner of the street.

Say no more, I already see them everytime I head out here in NCR, the numbers are only going to increase as every Tom, Dick and Harry booked one considering the initial euphoria. The sad part is thought most of these are being used exclusively as city slickers.

On a different note, I am surprised to see Mitsubishi cars in the list, I thought they stopped operations in India as I didn't hear of their cars being upgraded to meet BS6 norms and they are the ones who requested the court to extend the deadline for the same.

[S15]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Say no more, I already see them everytime I head out here in NCR, the numbers are only going to increase as every Tom, Dick and Harry booked one considering the initial euphoria. The sad part is thought most of these are being used exclusively as city slickers.

On a different note, I am surprised to see Mitsubishi cars in the list, I thought they stopped operations in India as I didn't hear of their cars being upgraded to meet BS6 norms and they are the ones who requested the court to extend the deadline for the same.

You can identify a poser from miles out, just by looking at what tyres he/she has on their thar.

If its 20+inches, you know you're better off not-talking to them.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by pavi

It depends on the location you live in. My Honda City does not have any exclusivity here as a number families have one. But my Skoda Rapid exudes exclusivity as only me and my brother own one.

So true . Where I live, there is no Audi. Literally! I haven't seen any Audi owner in my zip code, although there are enough Mercedes & BMWs. Another car absent in my zip code is the Harrier / Safari.

It depends on local tastes, sure. But another big contributor could be the presence (or absence) of a strong + prominent local dealership. E.g. in your small town, perhaps, there is a major Honda dealer nearby, but no one selling Skodas.

[Balaji31582]

While specific models or brands can add exclusivity, I think based on current trends,

• If you drive a Sedan that itself is going to add exclusivity down the line.
• Also the same goes with the EVs. I have seen one MG ZS EV nearby to my community and at least to me looking at the green colour number plate it was all very unique and the outlook gave exclusivity while in traffic.
• On specific model, to keep it with public, I see driving a Nano now adds more exclusivity at least in suburbs.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I think the VW Passat can be added to the list. I saw the car closely the other day, it was just awesome. The sheer size and the premium interiors make it a stand out. Yes, the exteriors are pretty straight forward but the car looks very elegant and exclusive.

I don't think the Passat is on sale anymore, VW was planning to get the facelift here but there is no tentative date/month provided for the same.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by pavi

It depends on the location you live in.

So true. My 9 YO Brio gets attention even today, seems strange to me.

[reignofchaos]

Anything from Volvo definitely gets stares on the road because there are so few of them.

Audi A5/S5/RS5/A6 (new gen)/RS7 - very few of these around.

VW Passat/Touareg/Tiguan

Anything from Lexus

Anything from Jaguar (very few here in Bangalore)

Anything from Porsche

[Lambydude]

For me an exclusive car should not be one which is exclusive because of being expensive OR because of being incompetent.

An exclusive car should be something that was not soldin huge numbers because it was targetted at niche set of customers OR it was ahead of its time.

Although these are not sold in India now, couple of examples that comes to my mind are
1. SKODA Yeti
2. Abarth Punto
3. Octavia vRS (especially the grey colour)
4. Tiago JTP

[maheshm619]

Take this for exclusivity.Fiat 500 was previously sold in India.

It is powered by the national engine 1.3 MJD. The car is practical and does not bear the exclusivity tag just because of its pricetag. This particular example is owned by a BHPian in Kochi.

[unknownartist01]

For me, exclusivity is directly related to availability and not low sales or lack of purchasing power parity.

The only thing exclusive for most of the cars listed in the post is that they all have low sales either due to higher prices (luxury) or poor/half-hearted interest and execution from their manufacturers.

For me, exclusivity would be something like owning a Jonga or like GTO's Mahindra Classic. There are some great Ambassadors as well in the forum which are much more exclusive than their german counterparts. All these machines are not easy to find, buy, maintain and above all - you can buy a much better, modern and safer car for the same price.

Exclusivity is a matter of perception, but for me it's not about spending insane amount of money to buy cars which others don't want or can't usually buy. It's about getting something which others couldn't get their hands on and the car itself becomes more and more rarer as the time passes by.

[4Runner]

Two words: Tata Sumo

I bought this beast straight off the showroom in 2015 and sold it 4 years and 58kms later. Absolute shame cuz now I am forced to drive a 7 speed CVT transmission Nissan Rogue abroad which I keep cranking while it's on cuz I can't hear it at all. But ain't no Kia, Toyota, Skoda or anyone else coming close to the stature of this vehicle.

[vivekji05]

Originally Posted by maheshm619

Take this for exclusivity.Fiat 500 was previously sold in India.

It is powered by the national engine 1.3 MJD. The car is practical and does not bear the exclusivity tag just because of its pricetag. This particular example is owned by a BHPian in Kochi.

I was about to post this, but you beat me to it.

Here is what it looks like now. Tried on some Abarth wheels.



If you want exclusivity, I think this has it in spades. My Toyota Altezza RS200 Z Edition



And this is my 2JZ powered Crown

[aayusht]

Since we are including discontinued models, wouldnt Tiago/Tigor JTP versions also qualify?
They weren't too expensive within their segment.