5 “real’ #MAKEININDIA cars

It’s the Make In India week and the Indian government seeks to encourage manufacturing activity in India. Obviously, cars a major part of this. Today, we take a look at 5 “real” #MakeInIndia cars, and how they’re taking Indian manufacturing to the world. We also run through 5 cars to watch out for in 2016 as far as exports go.

Nissan Micra

The Micra is a slow seller in India but a major money bagger for Nissan from the export market. The hatchback, which is sold with petrol and diesel engines, is exported mainly with a 1.2 liter Supercharged petrol. The car is also the reason why Nissan is able to utilize its production facility at Oragadam, which would otherwise be underutilized as the automaker is struggling to sell cars in India. 76,120 units of the Micra were exported from India in FY2015.

Grand i10

The Grand i10 from Hyundai is a major success for the South Korean automaker in India. The car is big on exports too, with the automaker exporting 63,585 units in FY2015. The Grand i10 is sold with petrol and turbo diesel engine options in India. For the export market though, Hyundai mainly sells the car with the 1.2 liter petrol engine. The Grand i10 has beaten the Maruti Swift in terms of exports, while it’s behind the latter in domestic sales.

Volkswagen Vento

The Vento is India’s most exported sedan and Volkswagen’s top car in terms of exports. Mexico is a major market for the made-in-India Vento, where it sells as the Polo sedan. Volkswagen exported 56,064 units of the Vento in FY2015. As is the case with Nissan, Volkswagen’s India operations are being sustained due to the strong export market. In face, Volkswagen exports more Vento sedans than it sells in India.

Ford Ecosport

The Ford Ecosport is another car that’s strong both in the domestic market as well as on the exports front. Ford India exported 55,178 units of the sub-4 meter crossover to markets across the globe. European markets are major destinations for the crossover. However, the India-made Ecosport sold in Europe is of better quality than the one sold in India due to the greater demands developed markets place on cars.

Nissan Sunny

Like it’s hatchback sibling, the Sunny sedan is a slow seller in India, but is big on exports. Like the Micra, Nissan sells more Sunny sedans in markets abroad than in India. In FY2015, Nissan exported 38,759 units of the made-in-India sedan. The car is badged the Almera in many export markets. The Sunny sold in India is sold with petrol, petrol-automatic and diesel engine options.

Cars to watch out for in 2016

Renault Kwid

The heavily localized Renault Kwid was a part of the Make-In-India week event at Mumbai. Renault has big plans to export the Kwid from India, to developing markets around the world. The car has turned out to be Renault’s best seller here. The French automaker is grappling with high demand and a massive order book. Production is being ramped up to meet the big demand.

Hyundai Creta

The Creta is Hyundai’s latest success, and a big one at that. The compact SUV is another vehicle that is likely to see big export numbers from India. In fact, Hyundai has already figured out export markets for the Creta from the Middle East and Africa. The South Korean automaker has about 25,000 orders for the compact SUV from these markets. However, it’ll be a tight rope for Hyundai as the domestic demand for the Creta is very high too.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

The Baleno’s production hub is in India, and it’ll be exported to developed markets around the world. Maruti has already begun exporting the car to Japan, and exports to Europe will commence from next month. Heavily localized, and with many engine and transmission options, the Baleno is a world car that offers ABS+EBD and Airbags as standard features across variants.

Mahindra KUV100

The Mahindra KUV100 is turning out to be a big success for the Indian utility vehicle maker. Mahindra is ramping up production of the micro SUV, which is seeing big demand, and long waiting periods as a consequence. The well priced vehicle is stealing sales from the Swift and the Grand i10, going on to enforce Mahindra’s strategy of making the KUV an alternate to B-Segment hatchbacks. Exports to right hand drive markets will commence soon.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

The Vitara Brezza is a vehicle with 98 % localization, and one that has been designed and developed in India. So, it has glowing credentials to fit the Make-in-India campaign. Maruti is likely to export this sub-4 meter compact SUV to a large number of developing markets. Conservative styling that appeals to a wide swathe of buyers, tried and tested mechanicals and a sharp price tag are expected to be major selling points of the Brezza.