10 Biggest Flop Cars in India | From the Suzuki Kizashi to Ford Fusion

India has been one of the largest auto markets in the world. There have been some good players and there were some that failed miserably in catching the attention of the customers. In this article, We have put together a list of The Biggest Flop Cars in India which actually had the potential to be a hit but ended up as duds.

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1. Mahindra Quanto | First appearance deceives many

   

   Indian auto giant Mahindra is known for its bold and muscular vehicles. Its SUVs are doing really well in the market and are the first preference for many SUV buyers. But not all rides made by the company were a huge success and one of them was the Mahindra Quanto. This car gave a good performance with its 1.5 Litre diesel engine which delivered 100hp with a peak torque of 240 Nm.

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   But The car’s disproportionate design and unattractive rear looks were the reasons why it flopped. To accommodate an extra two seats at the rear the company had ruined the occupancy in the middle Row. Due to such a terrible design, the car failed to find any buyers in the market and was discontinued in 2016.

2. Mitsubishi Cedia | A nice try though

   

   the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is known for many cars. Cedia not one of them. Mitsubishi Cedia was a joint venture between Mitsubishi JV and Hindustan motors. The car was powered by a 2.0-litre engine that delivered 114hp at a peak torque of 175 Nm as the output.

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   It was one of the best looking D-segment cars in India. But the companies fewer service stations and very expensive spare parts of the car kept it away from customers. Due to very less demand, the company stopped its sales in 2013.

3. Suzuki Kizashi | A bit expensive

   

   The famous automaker Suzuki tried to enter into the Indian luxury sedan segment with Suzuki Kizashi but failed miserably. The main reason for its failure was the car’s high price(which crossed Rs.17 lakhs) because of its arrival in India through the CBU route. Despite having a good brand name and a powerful engine that delivered 175.6hp at a peak torque of 230 Nm Kizashi couldn’t compete with the D-segment sedans like the Chevrolet Cruze and Volkswagen Jetta which offered more or less the same features at a much affordable price.

   After many flopped attempts to revamp the samurai’s image, the Kizashi didn’t turn out to be any good for the company. This car was Suzuki’s second failed solo attempt to enter the Indian market after Suzuki Grand Vitara.

4. Rover Montego | Unsung marvel

   

   We are sure that not many of you will be aware of the Indian automobile brand Sipani. This company had its headquarters in Karnataka and was selling vehicles until its closure in 2002. One of its rides was the Rover Montego which was inspired by the Austin Montgo and was the joint venture between Rover and Sipani group. The car was powered by a 1.9-Litre engine which churned 81hp at a peak torque of 158Nm.

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   Rover Montego featured power windows, power steering, air-conditioning system, and a 5-speed manual transmission. But despite having many features and a decent engine it was a big flop in the market because of its high cost which crossed Rs.10 lakhs.

   The Rover Montego production was discontinued in 1995 because the company could only sell 287 units in total!

5. Chevrolet Sail UV-A | It never really sailed much far

   

   The American brand Chevrolet launched a lot of cars in the Indian market which got mixed reviews from the audience. Some were able to make an impact while many failed miserably. One of its biggest failures was the Chevrolet Sail.UV-A. This car was powered by a 1.19Litre engine that churned 82.5hp at a peak torque of 108.5 Nm which offered a satisfying performance. Also, the car was spacious and offered a comfortable ride to the passengers. Then what went wrong??

   The main reason for its failure was its low pickup, poor acceleration and some customers also complained of heavy noise from the diesel engine which resulted in its negative image in the market.

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   Also, it got a very tough competition from the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20 which were ruling the Indian auto market at that time. The company was able to sell only 279 units in the Q2 of 2015 which was one of the lowest in the auto market. By the end of 2015, the company discontinued the sales of the chevy sail UV-A in India.

6. Mahindra Verito Vibe | Another flop attempt

   

   Well, it seems like Quanto wasn’t Mahindra’s only flop car. Its other big failure was the Mahindra Verito Vibe. Mahindra launched this car back in 2013 and it came with the Renault sourced 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine which offered a maximum power of 63hp at a peak torque of 160 Nm. Mahindra Verito Vibe only came with a diesel engine and there was no petrol variant offered since the time of its launch.

   But the car’s basic design, limited features and a killer competition from the likes of Hyundai i20, Honda Amaze, and Maruti Suzuki Dzire kept it away from buyers. The situation was bad since the company could only sell 619 units of Verito Vibe in 2015 which was also one of the lowest in the Indian auto market.

   Due to such a few numbers of sales, Mahindra closed its production in 2016 had learned the lesson that they need to work much harder if they wanted to enter into the sedan and hatchback segments.

7. Peugeot 309 | Not the car’s fault

   

   Introduced in India through a joint venture between Peugeot and Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL), 309 received a pretty good response from the consumers owing to its unique design and style. It was powered by a 1.12lt engine which churned 59hp at a peak torque of 87.5Nm.

   But unfortunately, the two companies faced major labour and financial crises which resulted in discontinuation of this venture and the 309 was discontinued just three years after its launch in 1994. It is also reported that the after-sale service of the company was not good and it was difficult to find spare parts of 309 in the Indian auto market.

8. Hyundai Tucson | A bit ahead of time

   

   The Korean carmaker launched Hyundai Tucson way back in 2005. The car had done really well globally and was quite successful in the USA. This beast was powered by a nice 1.9lt engine that delivered 120hp at a peak torque of 270Nm.

   Initially, it did get a lukewarm response from the Indian SUV buyers but later went very weak in the market. The sales kept getting deteriorating and finally, in 2010 the company lifted Tucson from the Indian market. One of the reasons why it flopped miserably can be that the Indians weren’t ready to adapt to the big SUV trend back then.

   For those who want to buy Tuscan, we have good news for you! It is expected that the company will soon launch a new version of Hyundai Tucson in India in 2021. But the main question still remains whether it will work or turn out to be a flop car again?

9. Ford Fusion Diesel | Fusion or “Confusion”

   

   It might be surprising for you to find a Ford car on this list but not all that glitters is gold, right? Ford Fusion Diesel had an amazing build quality, unique design, and very spacious compartments. It was powered by a 1.4-litre engine that delivered 68hp at a peak torque of 160 Nm.

   However, the car’s high price (which crossed Rs. 6.5 lakhs) was the main reason why it flopped. Consumers couldn’t find a reason to invest so much money in this and some customers also reported that the diesel engine made too much noise which lowered its stature even more. So, despite having the strong “FORD” brand name the Fusion Diesel turned out to be a flop car and was discontinued just three years after its arrival in 2007.

10. Standard 2000 | Not so standard company

    

    For those who don’t know, Standard was also an Indian automobile manufacturer in Chennai which was making cars until it’s closure in 1988. One of its rides was the standard 2000. The car was launched in 1985. It offered features like electric windows and air conditioners which were considered a luxury at that time. It was powered by a massive 2.5lt engine that delivered 82hp at a peak torque of 147 Nm.

    Standard 2000 design and engine were very powerful and it was considered a luxury vehicle. But the car couldn’t stay in the market for long because of the company’s demise in 1988 and hence failed to make an impact in the market. Now it’s very difficult to get a glimpse of this car on Indian roads. Back in time was considered one of the most affordable luxury cars priced at Rs. 2.2 lakhs.

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    This is our list of the top 10 flop cars in India. We can say that not all cars died because they were bad. India is a tough market with consumers that are very hard to stir. Let us know in the comment section if you agree with the list or not.