Perhaps the most unpopular in Russia are Indian cars. However, many people know about them. Particularly due to their incredibly low cost. In general, this topic is of some interest, so I would like to talk about it in more detail.
A bit of history
So, before talking about Indian cars, I would like to touch upon their history.
It all started in the 90s. It was then that Indian cars firmly entered the daily life of the population of Indochina. The machines of this production cannot boast of great design, new technical developments, powerful motors and elegant design. But they are economical and cheap - and this is the most important thing for them. But there is one company that is actively trying to promote its models in the global market. And it is known under the name TELCO.
Her most popular model- Tata. More precisely, this is a whole line of cars. The developers themselves claim that these are the machines that are bound to become popular models not only in India, but throughout the region.
Characteristics of the Tata line
Now it’s worth talking more about these Indian cars, since their manufacturer is trying to actively promote them. The line consists of sedans, station wagons and hatchbacks. Specifications are not very impressive - one gasoline engine and diesel. The volume of both of them is the same - 1.4 liters. Just like power - only 85 "horses".
There are even Indian trucks. It's hard to imagine, but it's really a fact - Tata decided not to stop at "passenger cars". Heavy trucks also went into production.
Of course, the world community does not think as optimistically as the Indians themselves. Everything is simple here - salt in price and quality. At first, cars were brought to the UK. However, they were so unpopular there that the price of the model was reduced to 20 thousand pounds. But even after that, there was not much demand. Yes, even in Russia, no one is eager to buy a new Indian car from Tata. Yes, before the increase in the rate, it cost 250 thousand rubles. This is the same Tata Nano model. But many motorists said that they would rather buy a used foreign car (for example, a Mercedes in the back of a w201 or a Ford from the 90s) than this car. The reason for this is quality. Everyone knows that German manufacturers released really good cars. And they will last as long as they have already left. But what is Tata - no one knows. It is quite possible that the new Indian car will crumble in two years.
Other manufacturers
Maruti is pretty major producer Indian cars. And his cars are quite popular at home. Probably because Indian specialists are closely cooperating with Japanese automotive organizations. By the way, the company itself was organized jointly with Suzuki Motors. It was in 1973 in New Delhi.
Mahindra is another manufacturer. Incidentally, the very first automobile company! It was founded by a politician in the past. He was known as John Mahindra. In general, these are two firms that are more or less known to the rest of the world. Because the first one was founded under the management of the eminent concern, and the second one is the very first in the state.
The smallest car
So, above was mentioned in passing about Tata car Nano. Now I would like to tell you a little more about it. Despite the fact that the design that distinguishes this cheap Indian car was developed by several eminent studios, it did not turn out to be successful. We saved on everything we could.
There is no trunk lid, as the engine is installed in the back of the car. The wheels are too small - you can only move on really ideal roads. The body shape is strange - it is incompatible with these same wheels. The interior is generally minimal. Inside there is only a steering wheel, a handbrake, a transmission lever and seats that can hardly be called comfortable. By the way, the engine capacity is 0.6 liters. Power - and at all 33 (!) horsepower. Yes, the first Volkswagen Beetles, produced in the mid-60s, were distinguished by such “power”.
By the way, the car consumes about 5 liters per 100 km. With such and such a volume of the engine should be at least 2.5-3 liters. So in terms of consumption, the experts lost a little.
Bajaj Qute features
This is another popular Indian car industry. It's compact, that's the first thing. It costs 250 thousand rubles - this is the second. And the third, and most interesting, is that the Indian car Bajaj is classified as an ATV. And yes, they plan to provide it on the Russian market.
Its engine is 1-cylinder, and the power is only 13.5 Horse power. It is hard to imagine that on Russian roads, where BMWs, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagens (and other popular cars in our country), whose engines produce several hundred hp, are cut through, this Indian car will drive.
What else is worth knowing about the new product?
What else can surprise this car? Indian Qute will not be able to please with comfort - that's for sure. On the small center console you can see the transmission lever, the steering wheel and the motorcycle speedometer are not very comfortable in appearance. The wheels are small, hardly have adjustment, and the rear seats are a solid sofa, where three people fit very hard. Two is still possible.
In general, the model is definitely not for Russian connoisseurs who are accustomed to good and quality cars. But anything happens - maybe someday this ATV car will find its buyers. Manufacturers, by the way, have planned to supply 300 copies of these models to our market. In general, it remains to wait for the premiere and the start of sales, if, of course, this happens.
MOSCOW, October 6 - RIA Novosti, Alexei Zakharov. Sales of the world's cheapest car Bajaj Qute started in Russia. The first private customers can order a model from India at a price of 360,000 rubles. About whether it is worth standing in line for a novelty - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Fast sidecar
Russian partner Indian company Bajaj Auto Ltd. announced the start of accepting orders for the most cheap car in the world from private clients. The Qute model (Kyut), which is certified in Russia as a quadricycle (motorized stroller), will cost from 360 thousand rubles. Previously, cars from the first batches were offered to corporate customers, but the model had to be finalized for private buyers, a representative of Bajaj in Russia told RIA Novosti.
The rear-wheel drive Bajaj Qute is powered by a 0.217 liter single-cylinder petrol engine with 13 hp. (some motorcycles are more powerful). The power unit with a 5-speed gearbox from a motorcycle is able to accelerate a car weighing 399 kg to 70 km per hour. Fuel consumption - at the level of 2-3 liters per 100 kilometers, with a tank capacity of 8 liters. Part of the body parts of the car is made of plastic, it will fit four passengers and up to 44 liters of luggage.
The car can still be ordered through a car dealership in Moscow, but by the end of the year car centers may appear in other cities. "We officially started. We didn't force things. After all basic version it was equipped with film windows, it lacked a stove and a driver's door lock cylinder. It took several months to develop improvements, and now Qute - with side windows, a lock cylinder and a heater," the company explained.
In the future, Qute will come from India with modifications for the Russian market. The company plans to sell about 500 vehicles in 2016, part of the quadricycles have already arrived to corporative clients. Among them there is a large pizza delivery chain.
Bajaj Auto's main products are motorcycles. Last year there were 5 centers for the sale of two-wheelers in Russia, currently there are 25, and next year there are plans to expand to 60 points. It is likely that some of them will also supply plastic Qutes.
Expert opinion
"No. This car is not for private use," RIA Novosti answered a question about a possible purchase of a new model. automotive expert Maxim Pastushenko, who spent several days behind the wheel of a Qute on the streets of Moscow.
He believes that the car will fit perfectly into corporate fleets, especially delivery and car sharing services. For himself, for this money, he would buy Lada Granta, Daewoo Matiz(deliveries of the model have been discontinued in Russia, but you can still find cars at dealers) or Ravon R2.
“The car is funny. It’s not even a Zaporozhets. It’s not a car, but a quadricycle, that is, a motorized carriage. And if we compare it with products from Serpukhov, where motorized carriages were previously produced, then everything falls into place,” Pastushenko believes.
Qute can accelerate to 70 km per hour, and in urban conditions this is quite enough. But it is uncomfortable, unpleasant and even unsafe to drive on the highway - you are just superfluous in the stream, the expert notes. "The car roars on maximum speed. There is no soundproofing. Weird landing. So it tends to roll over during sudden changes. Everyone in the city is looking at you. They laugh and give a thumbs up. People come up and take pictures. Even when you are driving sports cars, there is no such attention," Pastushenko described his impressions of driving a quadricycle from India.
Indian spices, Indian elephants, Indian movies... Cars have never been the forte of the Indians. And yet this country has its own authentic inner, no matter what similar market. And the vast majority of models outside of this market is simply impossible to sell.
Tata Motors
We know this manufacturer, first of all, due to the fact that they own the asset Jaguar Land Rover. Someone else will remember the cheapest car in the world - Tata Nano. In addition to him, this Indian manufacturer has a very wide own the lineup and ambitions to sell all this stuff on the European market. But the financial position of the company in recent years has been greatly shaken. In May, sales decreased by 24% compared to last year, despite the fact that competitors (mostly foreign ones) are only strengthening their positions. Here are some of their notable models:
Tata Indica
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The first generation of this model was released in 1998, and it is considered a landmark for the Indian car industry, as it became the first completely local model in history. No third-party units or platforms were used when creating Indica - only our own developments. However, the Italians from the I.DE.A design and engineering institute helped to create the car.
In 2008, the second generation of Indica was released. They abandoned their own units in favor of small-capacity Fiat engines. At the end of 2014, the assembly line model will be replaced by a pair of new Zest and Bolt subcompact hatchbacks, which were shown on Geneva Motor Show and plan to sell worldwide.
Tata Nano
And again the car-record holder. This time, for the price. A car without a trunk lid and a radio, but with a 2-cylinder engine and 4-speed manual, costs from 147,000 rupees, that is, from about 85,000 rubles. For that kind of money, you can only buy a simple Yamaha YBR125 motorcycle from us.
At these prices, Nano was expected to break through in the Indian market, but sales were more than three times lower than planned - about 70,000 a year instead of 250,000 in 2008-2009. Now monthly sales do not exceed a thousand pieces.
All in all, Tata failed to replicate the success of the VW Beetle and Fiat 500, in large part because they underestimated the demands of Indian drivers. They were not ready for such spartan conditions and, more importantly, the complete lack of funds. passive safety. In the crash test according to the NCAP standard, Tata Nano received zero stars out of five, which is “cool” even by the standards of the Russian VAZ “classics”.
Tata Aria
Having acquired Jaguar Land Rover in 2008, the Indians decided to try their luck in the production of luxury crossovers and released the Aria model, close in size to Porsche Cayenne. Equipment, by measure Indian market, chic: climate control, seats upholstered in genuine leather, 6 airbags, ABS, ESP and even a GPS navigator. Is it true, power unit boring: 151-horsepower turbodiesel plus 5-speed manual.
Russian trace
Tata cars are not delivered to Russia, and it is unrealistic to find Indian cars on the secondary market. But we have an official representative office selling Tata 613 angular trucks with different bodies. Sales are not very good, and the quality leaves much to be desired. Soon, however, it is planned to launch the assembly of Korean commercial vehicles Tata Daewoo.
Mahindra
Mahindra is one of the largest local producers, and one of the three who can seriously compete with foreigners. The history of the production of simple Mahindra SUVs dates back to 1947, and now the company offers a very wide range of models, including not only its own cars, but also converted foreign cars. We describe several key models.
Mahindra SsangYong
Since 2011, the Indian concern has been the owner of a 70% stake in the Korean company SsangYong. Therefore, the entire model range of the brand is sold in India under the Mahindra brand, including executive sedan chairman. For some reason, the Indians are not afraid of internal competition with their own SUVs.
Mahindra Verito
Verito is an Indian Renault Logan. IN 2007 Renault created with Mahindra joint venture especially for release budget sedan, and initially under the French brand. I must say that, unlike in Russia, Logan did not “shoot” in India, and sales were much lower than planned.
In 2011, the joint venture broke up, but the Mahindra retained the right to sell Logan under their own brand - thus Verito was born. The B0 platform remained unshakable, but the Indians worked with the appearance, and also made their own Mahindra Verito Vibe liftback on it. It is positioned as a more youthful and "sporty" version of "Indie Logan".
Mahindra Bolero
The Bolero is the best selling SUV in India and ranks sixth in the sales rankings overall. The conservative frame structure with a 72-horsepower turbodiesel and mechanics has not fundamentally changed since 2001, but the model has gone through a lot of restyling since then. There is even a luxury version of Special Edition c leather interior, ABS and USB radio.
Mahindra XUV500
With this car, Mahindra hopes to conquer, if not the whole world, then at least a few more markets, in addition to home. There are certain prerequisites for that: the car, which went on sale two years ago, has a monocoque design, a 140-horsepower diesel engine, a 6-speed manual, McPherson front and a multi-link rear. The design doesn't disappoint either. Based on the XUV500, the Indians hope to make a whole line of modern, by world standards, crossovers.
Mahindra e2o
A serious company counting on global expansion should have an electric car. But creating it yourself from scratch is expensive and time consuming. Therefore, Mahindra bought the main Indian electric vehicle manufacturer REVA in 2010. The joint model e2o outwardly turned out to be even prettier than the same Mitsubishi iMiEV, and the technical characteristics do not stand out from other lithium-ion cars. At the end of 2014, the car goes on sale in the UK and Norway. It remains only to wait for the results of crash tests according to the EuroNCAP standard ...
Premier
Once quite famous, and now a very modest automaker from Mumbai. In the 40s of the last century, he began with the production of trucks under the Chrysler license, then collaborated with Peugeot and Fiat ... We may be interested in their Premier 118NE model, in the appearance of which the resemblance to the VAZ "five" is unmistakably guessed. This is an Indian clone of the Fiat 124, only with a Nissan power unit.
Premier is now selling the only Rio model – compact crossover, which is a converted Japanese Daihatsu Terios of the first generation. Car kits for him, however, do not come from Japan, but from China, where the old Terios is known as Zotye 5008.
Force Motors
Without going into the details of mergers and acquisitions, this company traces its history back to 1958, and for a long time she collaborated with Daimler-Benz, including producing the legendary licensed OM-616 diesel engines. Now Force Motors is not much car manufacturer, how many tractor, bus, truck and agricultural. By the way, this company has nothing to do with the Force India Formula 1 team, except for the similarity of the name. And about some of their current models can be told:
Force Trax
Force Gurkha
Real frame SUV with Mercedes turbodiesel, permanent all-wheel drive and interlocks for the Indian Army. Available in 3-door and 5-door body styles. It is named, which is characteristic, in honor of the Gurkhas - Nepalese mercenary soldiers who originally served the British crown, and now work for several states, including India. The basis of the car is still based on the Gelendevagen base, although the Indians have done a lot of work on the original design. Perhaps they shouldn't have done it.
force one
Indian crossover. Clumsy, with terrible pseudo-wooden plastic in the cabin, but, unlike its archaic off-road "relatives", it can move normally on asphalt roads. In any case, the front and rear suspension here they are independent, and in addition to the OM-616, they offer a more modern (also Stuttgart) diesel engine 2.2 liters about 141 hp.
ICML
ICML stands for International Cars and Motors Limited. However, this manufacturer is far from the international level. Their only model is the Extreme off-road vehicle with an Isuzu diesel engine, a typically Indian inexpressive design and very modest equipment (even without ABS).
Chinkara Motors
Chinkara is a relatively small, by local standards, manufacturing company that assembles not only cars, but also ATVs, trikes, motorhomes, light helicopters, gliders and small yachts. Production volumes are small, prices are high, and the clientele is rich.
Main car model company is a lightweight Chinkara Roadster, made in the image and likeness of the Lotus 7. Thanks to its light weight and 1.8-liter engine from Isuzu, the roadster accelerates to 100 km / h in less than 8 seconds, and maximum speed is 190 km/h. Not a Lotus, of course, but by local standards, very good.
The fact is that from 1958 to 2014, the company produced the Hindustan Ambassador car, which, together with the legendary Volkswagen T1, shared the status of the oldest produced model in the world. Ambassador is a tracing paper from the British Morris Oxford III sample 1956.
Basically, the car was used as a taxi, although there were also enough private owners. For more than half a century, it has been constantly refined, and there are six generations in total. However, the design, base and petrol 1.5-liter engine remained unchanged. However, in the 90s, another 1.8-liter version and a 2-liter diesel were added to it.
In 2011, when new environmental regulations emissions, the use of the Ambassador in a taxi was banned, and the company no longer had the strength to modify the car to new standards, and production ceased.
What's next?
The future of the Indian market is predetermined: total globalization. Sales statistics speak for themselves: the motorization of the population is mainly due to sales of foreign cars. Local producers, of course, do not give up their positions voluntarily, although let's be honest: their own products are not very good for them. It is obvious that soon there will be practically no authentic brands and models on the Indian market.
Cars in India as an objective reality
The Indian car is neither science fiction nor an oxymoron. The world does not stand still, and the third world is no exception in this respect.
Since the 90s of the last century, Indian cars have firmly entered the life of the large population of the entire Indochina. And if the inhabitants of our Far East have already become closely acquainted with the results of the automobile industry of the Middle Kingdom, then India still remains for us the birthplace of elephants and malaria.
Meanwhile, in India, it is the car, not the elephant, that is the vehicle. True, Indian cars can not yet boast of any radical design, or unearthly feature set, or outstanding quality. However, the leading Indian automaker Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) does not despair and makes every effort to promote its products on the world market.
So, at international shows, the Tata line of cars regularly appears, which, according to the assurances of the developers, should become folk cars first in India and then throughout the region.
The Tata line is a set of Indica hatchbacks, Indigo sedans and Indigo SW station wagons. The specifications are as follows: Gas engine volume of 1.4 liters and a capacity of 85 horsepower. Same for diesel engines.
Indian cars are not limited to the concept of "passenger car". All the same Tata produces lungs and heavy trucks. In short, the whole range of services, a wide range, the target audience not limited.
Although the world community does not share such optimistic views. This is largely due to the notorious price-quality ratio. So, after a systematic price reduction due to low demand for products in the UK, an Indian car costs around 20,000 pounds.
Indian cars cannot be called cheap for the Russian market either. Provided that the line of SUVs will be assembled in Russia, the estimated price of an average SUV will be around $16,000.
Such a considerable cost of an Indian car is explained by the original development. Unlike its neighbors, India did not follow the path of unceremonious copying of other people's ideas and decided to honestly pay for them. As a result, the five-seater hatchback Tata Mint alone became an Indian car only by country of origin, because both the French (engine designed by La Moteur Moderne) and Italians (designed by I.De.A) had a hand in its creation.
And so it is with almost every model, which is why the idea of creating a people's Indian car seems, if feasible, then not in this century.
Along with this, it is impossible not to note the creative delights of manufacturers, who now and then present Indian conceptual cars to the public. For example, last time it was the Tata Crossover and the Cliffrider pickup.
Now Reva Electric Car Company, JV Maini Group of Bangalore and AEV LLC of USA have developed an Indian fuel cell car. This prototype operates on a "flexible" platform, which changes in accordance with the size of the hydrogen tank.
The principle of operation is called Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM). This means that electricity is generated by a chemical reaction involving hydrogen fuel and oxygen.
Automotive industry India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing in the world. The production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in India is the sixth largest in the world.
Since the 90s of the last century, Indian cars have firmly entered the life of the large population of the entire Indochina. And if the inhabitants of our Far East have already become closely acquainted with the results of the automobile industry of the Middle Kingdom, then India still remains for us the birthplace of elephants and malaria.
Meanwhile, in India, it is the car, not the elephant, that is the vehicle. True, Indian cars can not yet boast of any radical design, or unearthly feature set, or outstanding quality. However, the leading Indian automaker Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) does not despair and makes every effort to promote its products on the world market.
Thus, the Tata line of cars regularly appears at international shows, which, according to the assurances of the developers, should become people's cars, first in India, and then throughout the region.
The Tata line is a collection of Indica hatchbacks, Indigo sedans and Indigo SW station wagons. The technical characteristics are as follows: a 1.4-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 85 horsepower. Same for diesel engines.
Indian cars not limited to the concept a car". All the same Tata produces light and heavy trucks. In a word, the whole range of services, the range is wide, the target audience is not limited.
Although the world community does not share such optimistic views. This is largely due to the notorious price-quality ratio. So, after a systematic price reduction due to low demand for products in the UK, an Indian car costs around 20,000 pounds.
Indian cars cannot be called cheap for the Russian market either. Provided that the line of SUVs will be assembled in Russia, the estimated price of an average SUV will be around $16,000.
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Such a considerable Indian car price explained by original design. Unlike its neighbors, India did not follow the path of unceremonious copying of other people's ideas and decided to honestly pay for them. As a result, the five-seater hatchback Tata Mint alone became an Indian car only by country of origin, because both the French (engine designed by La Moteur Moderne) and Italians (designed by I.De.A) had a hand in its creation.
And so it is with almost every model, which is why the idea of creating a people's Indian car seems, if feasible, then not in this century.
As a result, in the global automotive industry, India, although it does not stand still, is also called common cars from india also not possible. However, the wealth of the region (as well as that of China) is doing its job: Indian automakers are more and more significantly represented in the global car market, albeit not in the form of their cars. They simply buy eminent American, European and Asian brands, thus becoming in the shadow of the glory of their wards.
Naked numbers: back in 1999, the entire automotive industry in India produced less than 1 million cars (to be exact - 818 thousand), and already in 2011 the number of cars produced reached almost 4 million (3.9, to be exact).
Indian car companies
As in the case of, or, the Indian auto industry has known both ups and downs. Like Icarus, not everyone who took off was able to land successfully, and not everyone who landed was able to continue moving.
There are not many “native” automakers in India, but due to the very, very large potential of the market, quite famous models are produced or assembled there. For example, Germans (BMW India, Volkswagen Group Sales India, Mercedes-Benz India), Italians (Fiat India), Americans (Ford India, GM India), Japanese (Honda India, Nissan India, Toyota Kirloskar) and many others (not all of the already named countries are listed, some European and Asian manufacturers are not listed).
So, what are the completely Indian automakers? How to recognize a car from India by the emblem?
Located in Mumbai, Maharashtra province, the Indian brand is interested in both the creation of automobiles and the marine with the aviation industry. Among the "famous" creations of Chingara - 2-seater sport car called Chinkara Roadster 1.8S and Jeepster (a copy of the classic Jeep from the 1940s). Vehicles designed by Alibag near Mumbai, India.
The Marine division specializes in the production of fiber-reinforced plastic multi-hull (catamarans and trimarans) jet skis.
The aviation division makes GFP gliders and motor gliders, Gyrocopters and ultralight aircraft.
Force Motors Ltd.(formerly Firodia Tempo Ltd. and Bajaj Tempo Ltd.) - Indian manufacturer trucks, buses and agricultural machinery. For some time the company was part of the structure of Bajaj Auto.
Buses of small and medium capacity are manufactured on the basis of the T1 truck.
Tempo Excel Commuter - depending on the version, city or intercity small buses, 6.7 meters long, with a number of seats from 18 to 32. Turbo diesel engine 4-cylinder (2.6 l.) 76 hp
Citiline School Bus is a school bus with 24 seats.
ABOUT this manufacturer we can say with absolute certainty: this is a “one-man theater”.
Hindustan Ambassador "Ambassador"- the only car produced by Hindustan Motors. Its production began in 1957, and since minor changes and improvements continued until 2014. The model is based on the English Morris Oxford III, produced by Morris Motors Limited from 1956 to 1959. Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is considered an all-Indian car, and is affectionately referred to as the "King of the Roads of India". Over the years, it has been dernied, acquired different attachments (Mark-I, Mark-II, Mark-III, Mark-IV, Ambassador Nova, etc.), but remained practically unchanged externally and internally.
International Cars and motors Ltd.(ICML) is subsidiary Sonalika Group. As of 2012, he has been India's fourth largest producer in terms of sales. His current offering is the "Extreme MUV", an updated and technically improved version of his "Rhino MUV".
*MUV— Minivan Universal Vehicle
ICML is known for making MUVs well suited to meet the needs of Indians as well as global customers. "Extreme" is an SUV with a capacity of 6 to 9 seats, "Oyster" has a double cab, and "Windy" is a 1.2 ton single cab commercial vehicle, which was presented during the 11th Auto Expo in 2012 in New Delhi.
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited- Indian division of the Mahindra Group, engaged in automotive, agricultural equipment, financial services, trade, logistics, automotive components and spare parts.
The company was organized in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed, later, after the division of India, Ghulam Muhammad returned to Pakistan and became its first Minister of Finance, from that moment the company was renamed Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948.
Tata Motors Ltd. (Hindi टाटा मोटर्स, ṭāṭā moṭars, NYSE: TTM) is the largest Indian automotive company, part of the Tata Group, formerly known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company). The company's headquarters is located in Mumbai. Today, Tata Motors is one of the largest auto giants in the world. Tata Group in India is one of the largest monopolists, which is represented in all important areas of the country's economy. Revenue for the 2005-2006 fiscal year was about $22 billion, which is equal to 2.9% of the country's GDP. The TATA Group consists of 93 active companies in 7 business sectors, such as: mechanical engineering, new materials, chemicals, energy, consumer goods and the service sector, Information Systems and telecommunications. All TATA Group companies employ approximately 220,000 people.
