Six Crazy Cars That Never Got Built

Snapshot – Great looking cars from the floors of motor shows around the globe often don’t reach production. The reasons for this could be many, from the market not yet ready for these cars to cost of production being too high. Here are six such crazy car concepts from Indian automakers that wowed the world but never made it past the showfloor.

Tata Sumo Extreme 4X4

The Sumo Extreme 4X4 could have been India’s very own Land Rover Defender, or at least something close to the iconic British off roader. While Tata Motors does make 4X4 variants of the Sumo on order  for the Indian army and the government, the automaker has no plans of readying up a civilian version of the tasty looking Sumo Extreme concept showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. What the concept does is, it gives enthusiasts ideas on how good the Sumo can actually look with some strategic tweaks to the design. With mud terrain tyres and a 4X4 system, the Sumo Extreme seems ready to be the rugged, hard top expedition vehicle that India has been long waiting for.

Tata Safari Storme Ladakh Edition

 

Tata Motors showcased a beefier version of the Safari Storme at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, and christened it the Ladakh Edition. A body kit that consists of changes to the front and the rear of the SUV, and a blacked out roof make for the major visual changes on the Ladakh Concept. Chunkier mud terrain tyres mounted on alloy wheels adds another dollop of visual bulk to the Safari Storme’s Ladakh Concept. Other embellishments on the vehicle included mountaineering accessories such as ice picks and carabiners. Curiously though, Tata Motors never even offered the body kit of this concept SUV as an after market add on to the Storme.

Mahindra Dune Bug

 

The Dune Bug is an outrageous buggy that was put together by automotive designer Himanshu Bhardwaj for Mahindra. This concept vehicle was showcased at the 2012 and 2014 iterations of the Indian Auto Expo. A twin seater, the Dune Bug is perhaps a direction that the Mahindra Thar could take after a couple of decades. Futuristic and butch from get go, the Dune Bug concept seems more like an urban recreation vehicle than an out and out off roader. If something like this is eventually built by Mahindra, expect the Indian automaker to dig deep into Reva Electric’s electric car knowhow.

Mahindra Reva NXG

The Mahindra Reva NXG concept was essentially a showcase of where electric cars could head to when the sporty button is pressed. The NXG was first showcased at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show by Mahindra Reva, and ever since, this concept vehicle has been put into cold storage. The NXG is a targa top version of the Reva E2O, with styling from Dilip Chhabria. The NXG, in concept form, featured more pep than the E2O, what with a 130 Kph top speed and 200 kilometer range. Like the E2O, the NXG is powered by lithium ion batteries. Seating though, was to be restricted to two adults.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star Cabriolet

[Images: Team-BHP]

The Maruti Suzuki A-Star, known as the global Alto never really did well in India though the hatchback found plenty of takers in international markets. While this car has now been discontinued in India, with the Celerio replacing it, Maruti Suzuki did showcase an interesting iteration of the A-Star at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. As its name signifies, the cabriolet variant dropped the A-Star’s top, making it a compact convertible. Maruti Suzuki never got around to putting this car into production though as the past hasn’t been favourable to such cars in India, where weather conditions are harsh in the best of times.

Tata Megapixel

The Tata MegaPixel is the direction that the Tata Nano could take in future. For now though, the MegaPixel will firmly remain in the concept car world. The car featured a range extender hybrid mechanism, a route that future cars are likely to take as the pressure on oil resources and the environment reaches a tipping point. The MegaPixel featured four, lithium ion battery powered electric motors in each of its wheels, with a 325cc single cylinder petrol engine acting as a generator to recharge the battery stack. Equipped with a steering system to make for turning on a dime, the park assist equipped concept seemed all set to battle Indian traffic.