The Indian market has matured so much that you'd be hard-pressed to find a truly bad car on sale today. Most 2020 cars are either good or acceptable. However, ever so often, a rotten apple does somehow get launched...defying taste, common sense, research & wisdom.

Note: This is NOT a subjective list. It's also based on market performance and ALL of the listed cars have flopped in India. The Top 10 worst Indian cars of the last decade IMHO are as follows:

Mahindra Quanto

You can't simply shorten a failed product (Xylo) and expect it to sell. Yes, the Quanto was spacious and had a practical engine, but boy was it ugly! It also had the ride quality of a pogo stick. Mahindra later applied some lipstick on it, but the NuvoSport bombed too.

DC Avanti

Dilip Chhabria wanted to build a super'ish car for India, although enthusiasts gave it an extremely insulting i-g-n-o-r-e. Yes, I'll be the first to admit it was a fair effort by a tiny home-grown manufacturer and that its acceleration was decent for the price (acceleration mind you, not the top speed). But there was little else to lure any petrol-head toward it. The styling was weird (especially that ugly rear end), it was heavy at 1600 kilos, the build was inconsistent, the interior quality shoddy, there were no airbags and the sales / service support was zero. Of course, you then had "hand-built" car reliability & sloppy handling to live with. On the Lonavla ghats, a 10-lakh rupee Abarth Punto would leave this wannabe supercar for dead. Thanks DC, but for ~35 lakhs, gearheads will gladly pick up the world-class Octavia vRS instead.

Premier Rio

The losers at Premier Auto - who were partially responsible for ruining Peugeot & Fiat in India - thought they'll jump onto the emerging crossover trend with a cheap Chinese import. Luckily for India, its shrewd customers saw behind the facade and realised it's a rebadged Zotye Nomad from China (the cars even arrived with the Zotye badge). Worse still, Premier later did the usual "Padmini jugaad" and plonked the 1.3L MJD into it. The Rio was horribly built, had a depressing interior, was noisy and suffered awful highway manners. Then of course were the suspect promoters backing it!

Datsun Go / Go+

Datsun represents what is a completely disjointed thought process & strategy from none other than fugitive Carlos Ghosn himself! Enthusiastically entering the Indian market thinking that "cheap will sell", Datsun launched the Go without even a glovebox lid. Cost-cutting is more obvious than at your local beedi shop, and there was a mobile docking port offered instead of a head-unit! The Go+ then showed the world how NOT to do a 3rd-row seat (although sister concern Renault did it right with the Triber).

Ashok Leyland Stile

A truck maker tried to enter the car segment with a shortcut and it ended pretty badly. Not only did the car fail, but it led to a messy divorce in the courts (related link). The Stile is a rebadged Nissan Evalia, albeit a poorer + decontented version of what was already a flop car. So stripped was the Stile that its supposed top-end LX version (costing over a million bucks, mind you) didn't even get a rear defogger or remote locking! The hapless dealers were forced to think up schemes, giving away a Stile for free if you placed a big truck order. IMHO, Ashok Leyland should stick to making trucks & buses.

Isuzu MU-7

Isuzu launched the D-Max pickup truck which BHPians loved (review link) & at a fantastic price too. Overnight, it became the best pickup truck on sale in India. Sadly, Isuzu also brought in the outdated MU-7 SUV which was already being replaced by the newer MU-X internationally. The old MU-7 was overpriced for what it offered, had a 1980s interior and no brand value / dealer network to speak of. Not that its replacement - the MU-X - did any better. Isuzu didn't learn from earlier mistakes and launched the 2013 MU-X in 2017 (instead of the latest version). The MU-X's gearbox was terribly slow, the wavy ride quality can make you car-sick and it corners like a ship. Both SUVs deservedly sank like the Titanic.

Mahindra Verito Vibe

I can't decide which one is the uglier hack job - the Quanto or this contraption? It's one of those OEM products that deserves an entry in our weird & wacky mod jobs thread. Can't decide if this weirdo was a joke from Mahindra or an unpardonable error? Any which way, it made the company a laughing stock. An outdated design, basic interior and such a poor chop-job that 50% of people think it's an ugly hatchback, while the other 50% think it's a sedan.

Force One

Force Motors wanted to cash in on the SUV craze, but didn't have the resources to develop a proper one in-house. So, it simply did what me and you do on AliExpress = placed an order in China + shipped it in. Drive the Force One and you'll know how unsorted it was. Not to forget, the unlucky few who did buy one had to contend with reliability issues, scarce part availability and clueless after-sales support. Not even Amitabh Bachchan could save this turkey (he was the brand ambassador). There was simply no reason to pick it up over say, the similarly priced XUV500.

Chevrolet Sail / U-VA

You'll find this hard to believe, but the group that brought the MG Hector here is the same one behind the Sail twins. You could say they learnt their lesson! The Sail & U-VA were so boring that - apparently - the agency making a pitch told Chevy to rebrand the cars as vanilla 1 & vanilla 2. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the cars, but the problem was that whoever saw one fell asleep instantly. If the dictionary ever needed a graphical representation of "boring", they should use this picture. In a market that was getting snazzier designs from other car makers, no customer even noticed the Sail twins' boring exterior + boring interior + boring drive. I'm yawning, just writing this paragraph.

Renault Koleos

The Koleos was one of the first products Renault launched in India...and among the worst. Launched at an obscene 23 lakhs in 2011, it was more expensive than the Fortuner & Endeavour! The BMW X1 wasn't too far away either. The product itself had a dimwitted automatic gearbox, limited rear seat space, awkward styling and zero badge value. As a result, this dud is rarer than a Ferrari on Indian roads.

Mahindra has launched the NuvoSport in India. The vehicle is priced between Rs. 7.35 lakh and Rs. 9.76 lakh (ex-showroom, Thane). It is available in N4, N4+, N6, N6 AMT, N8 and N8 AMT variants.

The NuvoSport is a restyled version of the Quanto. At the front, it has a redesigned fascia with new headlamps, daytime running lights, a hexagonal grille, a bumper with silver faux skid plate, round fog lamps and a bonnet scoop. A black body cladding runs along the sides and wheel arches of the car. At the rear, there's a pair of reworked tail light clusters and a roof-mounted spoiler.

The vehicle is based on the same platform as the Scorpio. It measures 3,985 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width and 1,870 mm in height and has a wheelbase measuring 2,760 mm. The car has a 60-litre fuel tank and a 412-litre boot. It rides of 16-inch alloy wheels shod with 215/65 section tyres.

On the inside, the NuvoSport has a black and grey theme, faux leather upholstery, steering wheel with integrated audio and phone controls, chrome accents on the instrument cluster, aluminium pedals and aluminium scuff plates. The car has a 7-seater configuration. The second row seats are foldable and split in a ratio of 60:40. They recline, flip and fold down completely. The third row seats also fold down.

The NuvoSport is equipped with a 6.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, hands-free calling, FM, CD, DVD, USB and Aux-in. Other features include a height-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support, electrically adjustable ORVMs, lead-me-to-vehicle & follow-me-home headlamps, cruise control, adjustable armrests for the driver & co-driver and puddle lamps.

Coming to safety features, dual airbags and ABS with EBD are available as optional on the base variant and standard on the mid and top variants. Other safety features include speed-sensing auto door locks, height adjustable seatbelts and an anti-theft digital immobilizer with an encrypted key recognition system.

The NuvoSport is powered by a 1,493cc, 3-cylinder, BS-IV compliant mHawk 100 diesel engine with a 2-stage turbocharger. It has power and eco driving modes and an engine start-stop system. The engine produces 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 240 Nm of torque @ 1,600 - 2,800 rpm. The car is available with a 5-speed manual gearbox. A 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) is available on the mid and top variants as well.

The NuvoSport is available in six body colours - Molten Red, Rust Orange, Diamond White, Regal Blue, Mist Silver and Fiery Black. The vehicle comes with a warranty of 3 years / 1 lakh kms.

Prices (ex-showroom, Thane):

• N4 - Rs. 7,35,000
• N4+ - Rs. 7,65,000
• N6 - Rs. 8,36,000
• N6 AMT - Rs. 9,00,000
• N8 - Rs. 9,12,000
• N8 AMT - Rs. 9,76,000

Thank you to BHPian Senna4Ever for sharing this information with other enthusiasts.

Mahindra will launch the NuvoSport on April 4, 2016. With just a few days to go for the launch, engine details of the vehicle have been leaked.

The NuvoSport will use same 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder mHawk diesel engine as the Quanto. Mahindra has given the car two driving modes - power and economy. In power mode, the engine produces 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 240 Nm of torque @ 1,600 - 2,800 rpm, while in economy mode it develops 72 BHP @ 3,250 rpm and 180 Nm of torque @ 1,600 - 2,100 rpm.

The engine complies with BS-IV emission norms and is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. An automated manual transmission could also be on the cards.

Mahindra is expected to sell the NuvoSport in four variants - N4, N4+, N6 and N8.

Mahindra has confirmed that it will launch the NuvoSport on April 4, 2016.

The NuvoSport is based on the same platform as the Scorpio and looks like a Quanto with cosmetic tweaks. At the front, it has a redesigned fascia with new headlamps, restyled bumper with an integrated skid plate, new fog lamps and a bonnet scoop. A black body cladding runs along the sides and wheel arches of the car. At the rear, there's a pair of reworked tail light clusters, a roof-mounted spoiler and a new cover for the spare wheel.

Mahindra has designed and developed the NuvoSport in-house and the research & development of the vehicle has been carried out at the Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) in Chennai.

The company has not revealed the details of the engine and transmission options that the NuvoSport will be will be available with. According to some media reports, the vehicle is likely to use the 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine that is found in the TUV300.

The official website for the NuvoSport is now live. Check it out here.

Mahindra has been testing a facelifted version of the Quanto for a long time. Now, images of the vehicle without any camouflage have surfaced on the internet.

According to a report by Overdrive, the facelifted Quanto will be named Nuvosport. The images suggest that the vehicle will get a new grille, redesigned front bumper with a large air dam, restyled headlamps, eyebrow DRLs, a bonnet scoop, new turn indicators on the sides and reworked tail lamps. The car also gets alloy wheels of a different design and body cladding.

Earlier spy images have revealed that the Nuvosport gets a beige dashboard and a new multi-function steering wheel (click here to read report). The vehicle is expected to retain the 7-seater configuration of the Quanto. Mahindra might equip the car with a new infotainment system and reworked seats.

The Nuvosport is likely to use the same 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine that powers the outgoing model. Mahindra is also likely to introduce a new petrol engine in the Nuvosport. This engine may be named mHawk 100 and is likely to be available with a 5-speed manual gearbox and an automated manual transmission.

The Nuvosport is expected to be launched in the third week of March 2016. The car is expected to be priced between Rs. 5.5 lakh to Rs. 8.5 lakh.

A test mule of the Mahindra Quanto facelift has been spotted once again. In the latest round of spy shots, the vehicle is seen with an automated manual transmission (AMT).

Mahindra had displayed an AMT-equipped Quanto at the 2014 Auto Expo. The company had even started testing the car on public roads (click here to read report). However, that was the pre-facelift model and Mahindra seemed to have kept its plans to introduce the AMT on hold. The company is now likely to launch it with the facelifted model.

The refreshed Quanto is likely to get a new grille, redesigned front and rear bumpers, restyled headlamps, which appear to have DRLs, a bonnet scoop and reworked tail lamps. The vehicle is also likely to get alloy wheels of a different design.

On the inside, the Quanto gets a beige dashboard and a new multifunction steering wheel. An updated audio system and reworked seats are also likely to be provided.

According to media reports, the Quanto is likely to use the same 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine as the TUV300. The vehicle's suspension is expected to be tweaked as well.

Source: Carwale

Mahindra's attempt at capturing the sub-4 meter SUV market hasn't really gone too well with the Indian car market. With the Quanto managing dismal sales figures month after month, Mahindra has decided to add some new life into this dying SUV / MUV.

Test mules for the facelift variant have been spotted since as early as February 2015. In May 2015, we had reported that this vehicle is likely to be called Canto. This facelift project is codenamed U215.

This time around, new images have cropped up on the internet, revealing some more exterior details. The face bears a lot of resemblance with the 2014 Scorpio, due to the hexagonal grill with 6 vertical slats and headlamps which appear to have DRL eyelids. This car is likely to sport a hood scoop as well. Not much seems different in the side and rear profile apart from the LED tail lamps. It might also get a different alloy wheel pattern too.

Inside, this car is likely to get a beige dashboard, a new steering wheel and better cushioned seats with improved lumbar support. Mahindra could provide an updated audio system with Bluetooth connectivity and voice commands as well.

Some reports suggest that this car is likely to use the new TUV300's engine and transmission options i.e. 1.5L diesel with a 5-speed manual or automated manual transmission. Coming to mechanical changes, it is expected to get a reworked suspension with extra bushes and a rear stabilizer bar. These changes will be in line with those made to the Xylo in 2014.

Images: Carwale

By no means has the Quanto been a range leader for Mahindra. The Xylo based compact UV is one of Mahindra's weakest sellers in India. While the Quanto is expected to get a facelift and an AMT in India, Mahindra's Italian division has offered the Quanto with major upgrades in the form of the 2.2L mHawk engine (118 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 290 Nm of torque @ 1,600 - 2,800 rpm) and a Borg Warner 4x4 system as well!

The Italian Quanto gets a 4x2 system with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, with the optional 4x4 variant weighing around 100 kg more. Apart from producing 18 BHP / 50 Nm more than the 1.5L, 3-cylinder model, the 2.2L engine equipped Quanto also rides on 215/60 tyres with 16-inch wheels vs the Indian spec's 205/60 tyres with 15-inch wheels.

The equipment list also includes ESP, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, seatbelts with pretensioners, cruise control with steering wheel controls and a sound system with steering mounted controls.

Mahindra has revealed that it plans to launch nine models in the current fiscal year. The models that are expected from the utility vehicle major include two new compact SUVs and facelifted versions of current models among others.

The two compact SUVs being referred to are likely to be the S101 and U301 (next-generation Bolero). Test mules of both these vehicles have been spotted on our roads on multiple occasions. Both models are expected to be priced lower than the Quanto compact MPV.

Mahindra also revealed that it is not planning to give any major updates to the diesel-powered Verito. However, its plans include the introduction of an electric version of the car.

While no more information on the upcoming products was disclosed, from past reports and sightings, we can assume that some of the other models that are likely to be launched in the coming months are likely to include the P601 small commercial vehicle (a Tata Ace rival) and the facelifted Quanto.

Source: ET Auto

Thanks to BHPian carfreak7 for sharing these images with other enthusiasts.

Mahindra's facelift department is having a busy year. We've already uncovered the XUV500 facelift here, here and here.

Now, a little birdie tells us that the Mahindra Quanto might be called the Canto. We already know that the Quanto facelift has been codenamed U215 by the company. A search on import / export website zauba.com reveals that it has imported bumpers for a vehicle called the Canto U215 from South Korea.

Mahindra's subsidiary, SsangYong is based in South Korea. It is clear that most samples and moulds are created there and brought to India. In the spyshot, the Quanto appears to be using one of the imported sample bumpers. While it is covered by camouflage, we can see that the new bumper features a wide air dam with a honeycomb mesh grille. The fog lamps are new as well and have a round shape.

The interior of the facelifted Quanto has been snapped as well. From the limited view that we have, it appears that the MPV will get a beige and grey theme on the inside. The only new addition seems to be a multifunction steering wheel. The instrument cluster, air-conditioner vents and switchgear are carried over from the outgoing model.