Maruti Gypsy to Tata Sumo: 10 cars we’ll soon have to say ‘Goodbye’ to

Indian automotive scenario is going through a major change. Recently, the Supreme Court of India ordered that no private vehicle without BS IV compliance cannot be sold in the market and that created quite a few changes in the two-wheeler market. In next years, an even more stringent emission compliance and safety compliance will in place.

From 2020, only BS VI compliant vehicles would be allowed for sale and the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assesment Program (BNVSAP) would be in place too. It would see a lot of changes in the line-up of the manufacturers and many models would be dropped from the line-up. Here are all ten such models that may get discontinued from the market.

Maruti Omni

Reason: Safety

Maruti Suzuki would drop the good old Omni van from the line-up due to the stricter safety rules that will be mandatory for all the vehicles. The rule will kick in by October 2020 and that’s when the last Omni would roll out from the production line. The Omni would be replaced with the Eeco in the market. The amount of development and research that would be needed to make Omni meet the safety standard is quite high and according to RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, Omni will not get upgraded to meet the safety norms.

Maruti Gypsy

Reason: Safety

The Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is the oldest car in production in India. It was launched in 1985 and since then it has been an integral part of the paramilitary and army forces of the country. Even though there have been rumours of the all-new Jimny being launched to replace the Gypsy, nothing official has come from Maruti Suzuki and in all likeliness, the Gypsy would be taken off the production. Even now, the Gypsy is made-to-order and the demand of the vehicle by the civilians is quite low.

Hyundai Eon

Reason: Safety

Even though the all-new Santro has been slotted between the entry-level Eon and the Grand i10 hatchback, we may not see the Eon after the mandatory safety rules come into effect. The Hyundai Eon takes on the likes of Maruti Alto 800 in the market but is not as popular as the rivals. Hyundai has not officially said that a next-generation of Eon would be in place. Eventually, the Santro would take the place Eon in the market.

Honda Brio

Reason: Strategy change

Honda Brio is the entry-level offering from the Japanese car manufacturer in India. Honda has unveiled the all-new Brio in the international market but it will not be launched in the Indian market. The all-new Brio is made on an all-new platform, which will increase the price of the vehicle in the price-sensitive Indian market. Also, Honda has indicated that they will only focus on the vehicles that are positioned between the Jazz and the CR-V in the Indian market.

Mahindra Verito

Reason: Safety

Mahindra Verito is not a very popular vehicle in the market. It was first launched with Mahindra-Renault badge in the Indian market and was later rebadged as Mahindra Verito. The Verito is currently being offered in diesel and electric versions but with the stricter safety norms in place, Mahindra may not work to make the Verito safer as it is quite unpopular in the Indian market.

Tata Sumo

Reason: Safety

The Tata Sumo MUV would be removed from the market soon and it would not get a replacement. It has remained one of the favourite people-mover over the years but is not popular enough in the market. The rugged Sumo would see an end due to the stricter safety guidelines in India that will kick-in from 2020.

Fiat Punto

Reason: Strategy changes

Even though Fiat supplies engines to almost all the manufacturers in India, its own cars are not very popular. According to a report in BusinessWorld, Fiat is looking to realign their focus in the Indian market in the coming times. The Fiat Punto has already been discontinued in the European markets and if Fiat goes ahead with their exit strategy, the Punto may disappear from the Indian market too.

Fiat Linea

Reason: Strategy changes

As Fiat pulls out of India, we will also see the Line sedan getting discontinued from the market. Fiat will now focus on the Jeep brand in India, which is doing quite well in the market. Jeep is expected to launch mass-segment cars in the Indian market in the coming times.

Toyota Etios Liva

Reason: Emission compliance

The Toyota Etios Liva is the most-affordable sedan in the Indian market and is offered with both petrol and diesel engine options. However, with the BS VI emission compliance coming soon, Toyota may not update the engines to meet the new emission norms. Upgrading an engine to cleaner emission needs a lot of investment and Toyota Kirloskar may not invest more in the Liva, which is not very popular in the Indian market. The Etios Cross based on the Liva would be discontinued from the market too.

Toyota Etios

Reason: Emission compliance

The Etios is quite popular among the taxi aggregators in the Indian market. However, it faces stiff competition from the rivals and is not crowd-puller in the showrooms. Toyota may put a full-stop to the Etios sedan as a lot of investment would be needed to upgrade the current engine and the body of the Etios.