[ambarkhan]

Slightly OT
Tata Xenon
Always remained a niche product until it was moved to Commercial Category(Xenon Yoddha) and there it is doing good numbers.

Mahindra Scorpio Getaway
Failed and Discontinued in India, but doing good in Australian Market

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by ambarkhan

Slightly OT
Tata Xenon
Always remained a niche product until it was moved to Commercial Category(Xenon Yoddha) and there it is doing good numbers.

Mahindra Scorpio Getaway
Failed and Discontinued in India, but doing good in Australian Market

If only we had a few options for small sized lifestyle/utility pickups in India.
The Isuzu V-Cross is way too big and pricey for what it offers.

[sramanat]

I see Indica being mentioned in the thread. IIRC, Indica was probably a middling success, but Indica V2 was truly a bonafide hit. There were even writeups in management/business journals at that time.

[fawad0222]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

When the Diesel Indica came along, cabbies & drivers in our area refused to touch it.
The reason that was quoted was that they could not view the bonnet, which they could see in their Ambassadors.

Of course, a couple of years down the line, these blokes realized how much better the Indica was, and then no one wanted to touch the Amabassador!

Indica really started selling well once it's V2 version was launched. Initial petrol indica was received very poorly as its engine sounded like a diesel Tata truck engines. Even the initial indica diesels didn't fare well. Theoretically Tata had tried to improve upon maruti 800 in all aspects but I bet that's why they say things on grounds are far different than what is taught in theory. Tata slowly learnt its way forward.

[Bhalla]

I’m going to mention about a bike here rather than a car and it’s TVS Apache. First generation Apache with 150cc engine was average seller if not flop. Since the introduction of RTR series in 2007, Apache begin to sell in very good numbers and Apache series regularly features in Top 15 best selling 2-wheelers in India.

[ishan0278]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Can I take the liberty to mention a motorcycle?

The BMW 310 GS, was priced atrociously when launched and could not find many takers. Specially with the viral service bills. Rs 1500 for washing

The sales only went up after BMW started offering massive discounts and eventually corrected the price.

Would like to add on this, The Ninja 300 was a Big Flop because of the same issue. Too Expensive Parts for The CBU Ones. Then KAwasaki India got it localised and it for sure made it approachable to a lot more customers.

[Muscle Boyy]

Maruti's SX4 came to my mind after going through this thread. It was one of the great products maruti had managed to launch in our market but there were flaws for its failure.It did not have a diesel engine at launch and the market during that time had set diesels as the default choice for sedans and even for hatchbacks like Swift. It was a great looking car with balanced proportions and was taller than the competition. It's successor Ciaz, was a hit at one point of time but rivals got updated with more tech and power.

[rachitagarwal]

Ford Ikon, relatively unpopular in the initial years but sold better in later years especially with the Ikon Flair variant.

Chevrolet Spark, launched at an inflated price in 2006-2007, which was rectified mid-2007ish which got it improved sales

[BrabarusMark]

Originally Posted by funkykar

The Tata Nano could have been the best car that could make a turnaround if it had the right leadership.

I'm still hoping Tata's current leadership does see the potential in the Nano and brings the brand back. For all its failings, the car did become an icon, and for a while did distract from the stagnating Indica design. I'm not sure if they can repurpose the Tiago/Tigor platform to become the new Nano EV and place it at the ₹5 lakh point while keeping the petrol variant directly against the Alto 800.

[Apex1815]

TATA Nexon

When the TATA Nexon was launched in the Year 2017, it had received a moderate response from the market. (One of the reason may be Indica inspired looks). The initial Sales volume of TATA Nexon was moderate around 3000 to 4000 per month.

After the first facelift of Nexon which was launched in the year 2020, Nexon has become Market leader in its segment and sells around 14~15000 units per month.

[bwildrd#1]

I’m surprised to see no one has mentioned Tata Tigor. A great all rounder with decent space inside and a huge boot. Engine performance is not the best but adequate for its segment. Even polo was offered with 1.0 MPI. I thought Tigor will be discontinued but averaging now @ ~3.5k/month is not that bad. I believe it was selling around 1k/month or less than that for the first couple of years.

JTP version should have been retained or even if that partnership doesn’t workout for them, Tata at least should have a turbocharged sporty variant for enthusiasts.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sramanat

I see Indica being mentioned in the thread. IIRC, Indica was probably a middling success, but Indica V2 was truly a bonafide hit. There were even writeups in management/business journals at that time.

The Indica V2 Turbo Diesel with that 1.4 litre engine was a very comfortable car and good for passengers and luggage. My parents used one from 2005 to 2014. Regular use in city and on the highways. It was a good, reliable vehicle, easy and inexpensive to maintain. With the major upgrade that we did to its tyres and wheels and seats and upholstery, it did stellar duty as a compact, economical touring car for two people and their luggage.

[Astargea]

I wouldn't say the Tata Nexon was a flop, but once Tata introduced a facelift, sales doubled (2020 vs 2021) and even has the potential to triple this year.

[Acid Burn]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

The Maruti Versa which we today know as the Eeco was a car that flopped big time in its day. It was a luxury "van" in those days but as the market has shown, they don't take too keenly to such cars. The same car was later stripped down, given a makeup and launched as the Eeco which targetted more utilitarian audiences looking for an alternative to the Omni and it truly worked wonders

I remember maruti Omni & Versa being used as a kidnap vans.

[Aakash118]

Ford Fusion though highly capable was a big flop. Then Ford tweaked it’s looks, gave a smaller petrol engine and repositioned it as a midsize hatch named Figo and it was selling in good numbers. In fact, when we bought the Fabia Tdi in 2011, Figo diesel had a long waiting period.