Tata Estate to Maruti Baleno Altura: India’s 10 FORGOTTEN ‘station wagons’

Station Wagons are one of the most practical vehicles and are extremely popular in European nations. When it comes to India, the station wagons just did not become popular, even though the manufacturers launched a bunch of them in the market. Currently, there are no affordable station wagons available in the Indian market and the reason is that every one of them launched in the past never gained popularity. Here are ten such station wagons which were launched in the Indian market but are not forgotten.

Fiat Padmini Premier Safari

The Fiat Padmini Premier used to a common name in the Indian market. Due to the popularity of the sedan version, Fiat launched the station wagon version of the car, which was known as the Padmini Premier Safari. It became the first station wagon in the Indian market and was manufactured by the Mumbai-based coach builders – Starline Motors. After launching in 1973, the vehicle was discontinued from the market after not receiving a good response from the market.

Hindustan Ambassador Estate

The extremely popular Ambassador, which gained a cult status in the Indian market also had a station wagon version. The station version was launched in the later 1970s after the launch of the Premier Safari. It looked quite hideous as the company only added a metal box with windows in the rear and did not change the shape of the door or the body. Predictably, it did not gain much attention in the market.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno sedan never became as popular as the other vehicles from the brand in the Indian market in the Indian market. This is when the manufacturer decided to launch the station wagon version of the sedan and it met the same fate. The car was powered by a powerful petrol engine that also offered good fuel efficiency. Even with the features like speed-sensitive steering wheel, Kenwood audio system, alloy wheels and power windows, the Baleno Alturas could not get customers.

Skoda Octavia Combi

The Skoda Octavia Combi vRS was a special vehicle. It was made for the family car buyers as well as the enthusiasts. The vehicle came powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing a maximum of 151 PS. Even though it offered a lot more space than the sedan, it never grabbed the attention of the market.

Tata Indigo Marina

Tata experimented quite a lot in the Indian market. After launching the first diesel-powered passenger vehicle in the Indian market, Tata launched the Indigo, which was the sedan version of the Indica. Later, the station wagon version of the Indigo was launched, which got the name Marina.

Opel Corsa Swing

The Opel brand operated under the GM brand in India and the brand launched the performance-oriented Corsa in the Indian market. Based on the Corsa sedan, the Swing was launched in 2003. It was powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine generating about 94 PS. It also looked quite good compared to the other station wagons but failed to attract the customers.

Rover Montego Station Wagon

You may have not even heard of this brand if you do not follow automobiles as much. Britain based Rover Motors and India-based Sipani Automobiles launched the Rover Montego sedan followed by the Station Wagon version in 1993. It also came with a sunroof and self-levelling suspension among other high-end features. However, the lesser-known brand never caught the steam.

Tata Estate

This was Tata Motor’s first passenger vehicle and it came loaded with features. The station wagon came with power windows, power steering, 15-inch wheels, factory-fitted cassette player, tachometer and several other things. It was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz station wagon but being Tata’s first vehicle in the market, people did not pay much attention to this one.

Fiat Weekend

Fiat has tried out several vehicles for the Indian market. Based on the Sienna sedan, the Weekend was a station wagon which was launched in 2002. It was designed by famous Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italy and came with a 1.6-litre petrol engine.

Fiat Palio Adventure

The Fiat Palio Adventure is another station wagon, which was launched in the market after the Weekend. Fiat launched it with extra cladding, sportier alloy wheels with wider tyres. However, even this attempt to make the customers like station wagons went futile.