Many new manufacturers have entered the Indian market due to which the competition has increased and old cars got discontinued. Many legendary cars made a significant impact on the Indian market and had their fair share of hits. Let us start our trip down memory lane by looking at five of the most iconic Indian cars of all time.
Hindustan Ambassador
Hindustan Ambassador is known as the King of Indian roads and is the longest production car in India a run of 56 years. Hindustan Ambassador doesn’t see enough changes through its lifecycle but saw seven generations. The Hindustan Ambassador was a heavy and durable official car of Bharat Sarkar. In the time of competition, Ambassador failed to maintain their position and was no longer the king.
Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini was a beautiful Italian design car having steering-mounted gears and the sound from the motor you feel spellbound. Just like Hindustan Ambassador Padmini doesn’t see enough changes or neither bother to update it and just like that we lost a true icon. At its time Padmini was one of the most loved cars which was fun to drive in nature.
Hindustan Contessa
In 1984 Hindustan launched the Hindustan Contessa and it was discontinued in 2002. Contessa was based on the 1976 Vauxhall VX series car and was positioned as a premium sedan. It was the muscle car of India and was priced between Rs 4.85 lakh to Rs 5.42 lakh in India. The Contessa suffered when TATA, Hyundai, and Maruti Suzuki entered the market as it was more fuel-efficient and cheaper.
Maruti 800
Maruti 800 was one of the cheapest and most affordable vehicles in India. Many people started buying the car as it was cheaper than the competitors like Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padmini. Maruti 800 generated 35 Bhp and later generated up to 45 Bhp which attracted a lot of people. In 2004 Maruti 800 was the best-selling vehicle in India and stayed in production till 2014. However, Maruti 800 was the most iconic car in the automobiles industries.
Premier 118NE
Premier 118NE was launched in 1985 after tooling from Fiat and was very similar to the Fiat 124. The car was equipped with a Nissan-sourced 1.2-liter A12 engine and was capable of producing 52hp of power. Premier 118NE was a mid-luxury car offering a good amount of features at that time. Premier 118NE was costly and people were not ready to spend money on 118NE when there was a cheaper option from Maruti Suzuki available.