5 Underrated Cars In India That May Get Discontinued In 2022

There are many discontinued cars in India, reason being that automakers couldn’t sell them much. They simply don’t sell because majority of people reuse to consider it as their car, since it just doesn’t fit into their list of criteria. And because we hardly consider so many underrated cars in india, they are now on the verge of getting discontinued.

They hence become victims to low car sales and this leads them to enter the ‘discontinued cars in India’ list. It is high time we appreciate these cars, and prevent it from falling to a similar fate like the VW Polo.

A List Of Discontinued Cars In India, that we hope never actually takes place:

1) Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

Maruti is generally successful with most of their cars. However there are a few exceptions here and there. This is one of them. The Maruti Suzuki S-Cross brings in monthly volumes that are around 2000 units monthly, which is decent. However, for a carmaker that sells more than 10k units each month, we can completely say that they wouldn’t be targeting this number especially in such a popular segment where sales reach more than 10k units easily!

Why Do People Not Buy It?

1. The S-Cross generally isn’t opted by buyers because of Maruti’s brand perception that it cant make a premium car, and its low on features,
2. The other reason is looks, which although is purely subjective.

Why You should Buy It (And help prevent it from being a discontinued car in india):

This underrated car in India, is quite premium for the price it offers. It offers one of the most spacious cabins in class, handling is excellent and feels like a hatchback to drive, and a 4 Star GNCAP rating! Apart from this it has the usual features one would expect from a car which costs 13 lakhs such as a touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control etc…

1. Offers Excellent cabin space
2. Is a Value for money buy (price range is 9-13 lakhs)
3. Carries the Maruti Pro of Economy
4. Is a perfect all rounder car

2) Nissan Kicks

Next in this list comes the Nissan Kicks [That sort of rhymed :)]. Nissan launched the Kicks back in 2018, and again saw a refreshed model in 2020. However both failed to impress the choosy Indian audience.

The Reasons For Slow Sales:

1. The Indian audience just didn’t approve of the looks of this car, especially from the rear end
2. Apart from that, the turbo petrol version, although is extremely punchy, is a tad bit overpriced at 17 lakhs for the features and premium equipment it has on offer.
3. After sales, is a different headache altogether, along with the uncertain future of Nissan (Although the Magnite recently is doing well for them)

Although there are a few reasons to dislike it, there are many to actually like it and consider it as your new car.

Why We wish the Kicks not to be one of the discontinued cars in India:

We wish the Kicks to be not one of the discontinued cars in India because of the following reasons-

1. The 1.3 litre turbo engine is a delight to drive, producing a best in class 156 bhp and 254 nm of torque. 0-100 km/h comes in around 10.5 seconds.
2. Comprises of Solid Build Quality
3. It has Applaudable Ride quality and handling

3) Citroen C5 AirCross

The PSA Group had decided to re-enter the Indian market by bringing in the Citroen C5 Air Cross to the Indian shores. It looked promising at first, but it didn’t translate to sales, which made it one of the most underrated cars in India. However it failed to make an actual mark, at least till now as it sells roughly 100 units each month. In fact in July, it recorded lowest monthly sales of 41 units in July 2021, just a few months after its launch.

Why This Car May Get Discontinued In India – Reasons For Slow Sales

1. Over priced. The starting price tag of over 30 lakhs has scared many potential buyers who don’t want to splurge their money on a brand new brand
2. Less Features. For a car that is already overpriced, it doesn’t carry a lot of premium equipment one would expect from it. The 8” touchscreen that it has is already a small unit compared to competition, and on top of that it is laggy.
3. The Funky Styling is a hit or a miss for many. Lots of people don’t just like it, and hence never consider it.
4. It is only available in Diesel. This makes it target a smaller population right away.

Things to Like About It, And Buy The C5 AirCross

1. Comfort. Arguably the most comfortable car under 45 lakhs, Citroen presents its car as a comfort oriented car. With practical interiors and a spacious cabin, it is the top choice for people looking for a car with top notch ride quality.

   

2. Although the French Styling is a miss for many, it is also liked by a lot of people. Its distinguished looks are appreciated by a lot of people looking for cars.
3. Punchy Engine. The Citroen has a torquey 2-litre engine that makes 177hp and 400Nm of torque. 0-100 comes up at a quick 9.5 seconds.
4. Although this underrated car in India is low on features, the cabin is well laid out, and everything is neatly fit together. It has a premium centre console, and follows a symmetrical pattern for the dashboard.

   

4) Mahindra Marazzo (High chance of being a discontinued car in India)

Mahindra launched its Ertiga rival a while back in 2018, but things haven’t looked great for the MPV. Its ever declining sales has made many people speculate it may be one of the discontinued cars in India. Although Mahindra’s top official stated that they wont be stopping the Marazzo brand in India, we still believe that if not in 2022, it will be phased out eventually as it wont find any buyers in the next 2 years.

Why It Is Most Likely To Enter The ‘Discontinued Cars In India’ List – Reasons for Poor sales

1. Marazzo is offered only in diesel, while its segment has most buyers looking for petrol
2. Again, exterior styling of the car is not liked by many.
3. No Automatic still available
4. Mahindra plans to focus on other SUVs in its portfolio like increasing production of thethe XUV 700, launching the upcoming 2022 Scorpio, etc…

What We Still Like About It:

1. One of the most spacious cars in segment, with a 3rd row capable of seating adults.
2. Surprisingly smooth gearbox and refined engine (Especially for a Diesel)
3. Robust build quality with best in class safety rating of 4 Stars GNCAP rating.

BONUS: Toyota Camry

Although the 2022 Camry has recently been launched in January, it still does pose threat pf discontinuation from Toyota die to low demand.

The Toyota Camry is one of the best selling cars in the world, but only because it’s one of the most affordable and value for money options out there in foreign markets. Sadly the case is completely opposite in India, where the Camry is positioned as a premium car. This has led to a scenario in which mass market brand – Toyota, is selling a luxury niche car with  a few buyers (roughly 100-150 units per month) – The Camry.

Why Camry Might Be One Of The Discontinued Cars In India Of 2022

1. The sky rocket on road price of over 50 lakhs (due to import duties) One can buy a Fortuner or an entry level German luxury car such as the BMW X1/BMW 2 Series/BMW 3 Series/Skoda Octavia/Skoda Superb etc…
2. For a sticker price of 40 lakhs, one expects a car brand that it premium, not a mass market one. Although the same should imply for the Fortuner, it still seems to sell despite this.
3. The Hybrid Powertrain although offers excellent mileage, still lags behinds competition. 0-100 comes at around 10 seconds, which is far behind then the expected timings of competitors who do the same in 6-7 seconds!
4. Two Words – No Sunroof

Why We wish The Camry to not be one of the discontinued cars in India:

1. The Camry is extremely smooth to drive thanks to its hybrid powertrain. This also makes it very mileage friendly, offering 15 km/l in city conditions! It also has a butter smooth CVT.
2. Can be opted as a chauffeur driven car as the rear seat comfort is fabulous. Comprises of Excellent NVH levels and body roll is well contained too.
3. One can taste luxury without the expense of high maintenance bills.
4. Can be easily called as the most reliable car in segment, sparing you from DSG breakdowns in case you opt for Skoda Octavia/Superb.
5. Has an extensive feature list comprising of a slick 9 inch touchscreen, 9 airbags, Heads up display, 3 Zone Climate Control, 10-way power-adjustable driver seat with memory function etc…

Special Note:

Through this blog, we wished to state that each car has its own pros and flaws, some of which have flaws that are more prominently visible. This makes us have a common perception of it, and thus we never consider them in the first place. This has led to the extinction of countless good cars like the Civic, OG Safari, Fiat Abarth Punto, Civic and recently the Polo and Vento.

It is high time we appreciate these underrated cars in India for their own strengths, and give them a chance to stand up for their own pros. Maybe you might be impressed by them and end up buying one yourself.

And while we are not forcing you to like these cars, as it is okay for one to have an opinion about a car, one shouldn’t have a stereotype about them (Like the S Cross has the stereotype that it isn’t a feature loaded car, which is true as compared to its rivals, but also look at its price, and then compare like wise variants of it. You might end up realising that its top model priced at 13 lakhs, offers much more premium interior quality, than perhaps the HTK+ variant of the Seltos)

So this was our list for underrated cars that can be discontinued in India in 2022. We wish that this list would never exist in the first place.

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