12 sedans of India that you’ve almost forgotten: Daewoo Nexia to Maruti Suzuki Kizashi

Indian automotive market has evolved over the years and currently, it is one of the biggest markets in the world. However, it did take some time for the manufacturers to get going in the Indian market and in the past many vehicles were launched, which did not become as popular in the Indian market as their manufacturers would have liked. Here are twelve sedan cars from the past that currently most of us don’t remember.

Mitsubishi Cedia

After the relatively successful run of Lancer in India, Mitsubishi launched the sportier version of the sedan – Lancer Cedia. The sporty D-Segment sedan that went on sale in the Indian market took on the likes of Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic when it was launched. However, due to the strong competition, the Cedia did not find many takes in the market. It came powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a sporty body kit.

Ford Escort

While Ford is quite popular in India, the American brand entered the Indian market with the Ford Escort sedan. It was a heavily loaded vehicle at that time and came with a hefty price tag, which is why the vehicle did not find many buyers in the Indian market. The Escort came with features like power steering, air-conditioner, electrically adjustable ORVMs, factory-fitted music system and power windows.

Peugeot 309

Premier Motors Ltd after launching Fiat vehicles in India also joined hands with the French manufacturer Peugeot. The first car from the brand in India was a 309 and it was a sedan. Peugeot offered both petrol and diesel engine options with the award-winning TUD5 diesel engine. The car also offered good driving dynamics and great ride quality.

Daewoo Nexia

While many of us do remember the Daewoo Cielo, most of us do not remember the Nexia, which was based on the Cielo sedan. The Nexia was a premium version of the Cielo and came with a powerful 1.6-litre petrol engine that was good for 90 Bhp. The Nexia looked very classy, to say the least, but the high price tag kept the customers away from it.

Nissan Teana

The Nissan Teana was an expensive sedan that took on the likes of Skoda Superb in the Indian market. The Teana was launched as a CBU product, which made sure of its high price tag in the Indian market. The Teana offered an extremely comfortable cabin and was offered with a powerful but thirsty V6 petrol engine.

Opel Vectra

The Opel Vectra was a premium sedan, which failed to attract the customers at that time. The sedan came with a 2.2-litre engine that churns out a maximum of 146 Bhp, making it one of the most powerful cars in its time. The Vectra also offered a feature-laden cabin and offered a great ride quality too.

Rover Montego

Sipani Automobiles, which launched the rebadged version of the popular cars like Robin Reliant in the Indian market also tied up with other manufacturers in the market. Sipani also launched the Austin Montego, which was renamed as Rover Montego in India. Both sedans and station wagon version of the models were sold in India. The feature-laden Montego sedan did not find many takers in the Indian market as it was super exotic at that time.

Maruti 1000

After launching the Maruti 800 in the Indian market, 1000 was launched as the first sedan from the manufacturer. The sedan came powered by a 970cc engine producing only a maximum of 46 Bhp. It was quite fun to drive as it weighed only 825 kg. However, it was later replaced with the Maruti Suzuki Esteem, which came with a bigger engine and went on to become one of the largest selling cars in India.

Fiat Siena

Fiat launched the Siena to take on the Maruti Suzuki Esteem in the Indian market. However, the infamous service-network of Fiat ensured that it never became as popular as its rival in India. The Siena was later replaced with the Petra, which posted similar results on the sales charts.

Tata Indigo XL

Tata Indica platform was properly utilised by Tata to offer various cars. The Tata Indigo XL was a long base version of the Indigo sedan and it offered huge rear legroom. The Indigo XL came with more space than a Honda Accord in that time. It became a big-time hit among the fleet owners but never became popular enough to survive the competition for a long time.

Suzuki Kizashi

The Kizashi was the premium sedan that was a CBU import. It looked brilliant but it was too expensive for anyone’s liking. The Kizashi was powered by a 2.4-litre V6 petrol engine that generated 175 Bhp. However, the poor fuel efficiency and the hefty price tag did not make the car very popular in the Indian market.

Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta is a popular name but when the facelifted version came with an Aston Martin-inspired front grille, the popularity if the car just went down. The Ford Fiesta went against the likes of Honda City. However, the Fiesta just failed to gain enough customers in the Indian market.