Waiting Period Woes: Cars with long waiting periods

A lot of us might have not experienced it first hand, but there were times when you had to wait for years to get your car delivered. Fast forward to the present day, and the usual waiting period ranges anywhere between a few days to a couple of months. However, given that we are living in a fast-paced era, a couple of months isn’t a small time. We take a look at a few cars that are said to have longish waiting periods.

Starting with the smallest:

Renault Kwid

The Indian car market still loves rugged looking vehicles, and the Kwid happens to be the smallest, least expensive, and of course, rugged looking. Launched in September, the entry level Renault currently has a waiting period of up to 6 months, according to reports on the Internet.

It’s the styling and a decently long list of features (the base versions are bare, as mentioned in our story: ), that make the Kwid so interesting. Powered by an 800cc engine that produces 54 hp and returns 25.17 kmpl (manufacturer claimed), the car is priced at Rs 2.57 lakh onwards.

Hyundai Creta

The compact SUV segment is no stranger to long waiting periods, be it the EcoSport or the Duster, there was always more demand than supply. The Hyundai Creta has just taken it all a level ahead, though. The waiting period currently is said to be around 6-10 months depending on your city and variant, while the company has announced that following an increase in production, the period will reduce.

The Creta is the first entrant in the segment from one of the top three carmakers, which justifies the attention it deserved. But on top of that, the Creta, like the segment leaders that precede it (Duster and EcoSport), is a well-rounded package. And from the customer’s perspective, it ticks a lot of boxes. Engine options include a 1.6-litre petrol, a 1.4-litre diesel, and a 1.6-litre diesel. While its FWD architecture won’t be the best off road, the optional automatic gearbox on the top-spec diesel is a segment first.

Honda Jazz

Known to be one of the most versatile cars (in terms of seating, at least), the Jazz made its comeback to India in an all-new, highly localised avatar. The demand soared, and the car is said to have a waiting period of 6-8 weeks at max. What worked this time around is that the car now also gets a diesel powertrain choice, which means it doesn’t have to solely rely on petrol variant.

As expected, the diesel’s the same unit as found in City, Amaze, and Mobilio. With a 6-speed gearbox and ample power underneath, it adds to the versatile nature of the car. And with the premium hatchback looking strong, there’s quite a demand for the Jazz as well.

Toyota Fortuner

Full size SUVs don’t come any fuller than this, do they? It’s again the segment leader, and you ought to wait for the best, so a waiting period of 4-8 weeks is expected in case of the Fortuner as well. It can seat seven, comes with old school SUV looks, and has Toyota reliability and longevity added as well.

Not a lot of cars can beat the Fortuner in terms of street presence, and it remains pretty potent off-road, too. The competition is building up now, so that could be a slight problem for the Fortuner. Until the next one comes out, that is.