10 made-in-India cars & bikes that every Indian should be proud of

On the occasion of Republic Day of India, we take a look at the automobile market that it has become. On its journey to becoming the world’s fourth-largest automobile market in the world, there are many manufacturers that have contributed immensely. While many foreign manufacturers entered the market and did great to the whole ecosystem, there are a few vehicles that are made-in-India, made-for-India and the vehicles we should be proud of. Here are ten such vehicles.

Tata Nano

The Nano was the brainchild of Ratan Tata. It was one of his most loved projects and was built to provide means to safe transportation to the common man who cannot spend much to buy a car. Tata launched the Nano as the world’s cheapest car. Ratan Tata delivered the promise of putting a price tag of Rs 1 lakh on the Nano. Most of the work was done by Tata’s in-house engineers and the design was done by I.D.E.A.

Reva-i

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Much before the government started promoting electric cars in India, Reva-i became the first electric car in India. The small, city car was developed in India and was even exported to a few foreign markets. The Reva-i did not do well because of the lack of awareness and the charging infrastructure but if you ever go to Bangalore, you will still find these small EVs doing rounds on the roads.

Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio seriously changed the Indian automobile scenario in 2002. Mahindra and Mahindra launched the Scorpio to mark the 50th anniversary of the group and it was the first vehicle that they developed in-house. Mahindra and Mahindra got inputs from AVL, Austria and other consultants from Japan. The whole project was completed by a small team of only 23 engineers.

DC Avanti

While DC’s founder is currently in the news for all the wrong reasons, we cannot take away the credits of giving India its first sportscar. Made-for-Indian conditions, the DC Avanti was launched with an affordable price tag for a sports car. The DC Avanti offered a high ground clearance, which suits the road conditions perfectly. Also, DC offered a very usable power of 248 Bhp and 350 Nm powered by a turbocharged in-line four-cylinder petrol engine.

Tork T6X

The Tork T6X is India’s first electric bike and is developed in 7 years. The bike is made by a Pune-based start-up and will be launched later this year. It is powered by a BLDC 6kW motor that can take the bike to 100 km/h. On a full charge, it returns 100 km of range. It is a smart bike and charges in just 60 minutes.

Ather S430

Ather made India’s first electric smart scooter that offers wireless communication. The futuristic scooter gets an all-digital coloured display as an instrument cluster and it also gets OTA updates just like mobile phones. It can go up to 75km/h and has a range of about 100 km per charge.

Royal Enfield Himalayan

World’s oldest motorcycle brand – Royal Enfield launched the Himalayan in 2016. It was a first product from the brand that diverts from the segment that they manufactured at that time. The bike came powered by an all-new 411cc, four-stroke engine that produces a maximum power of 24.5 Bhp and peak torque of 32 Nm. The adventure comes with features like a compass, ambient temperature, LED parking lamps and more.

Bajaj Pulsar

The Pulsar has become a brand name in itself at the present. Bajaj launched the Pulsar as India’s first affordable sports bike although it was launched after the Hero Honda CBZ. The Pulsar became mu9ch more popular than the CBZ though and it is quite popular in the markets around the world too. The Pulsar offers a wide range of engine options and body styles.

Tata Indica

Tata Motors showcased the Indica globally in 1998. The vehicle marked Tata Motors entrance into the passenger vehicle market but the company always had the expertise of making commercial vehicles like heavy trucks. With the Indica itself, Tata Motors started the journey of offering value-for-money products. It was also the first diesel vehicle in the Indian market.

Bajaj RE60 Qute

The Bajaj RE60 finally got the sale approval in India since the Quadricycles were not allowed to be sold in the country. The Qute is sold as a commercial vehicle in India and is powered by a 216cc, twin-cylinder engine that makes about 20 Bhp. It was on sale in the international markets before the Indian authorities approved it for the Indian market.

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