The Rover Montego is one of the few cars which can be considered as an epitome of classiness. The car spoke of executive-ness all around.
When the British Leyland started manufacturing it in Britain, it gave it the slogan – Designed for living, Perfect for driving.
And so was it. The car was the best of both worlds. It had the sportiness and fun of a car to drive around. On the other hand, the car also had the executive edge to chauffeur around.
The Austin Montego was reintroduced in India after the production of the car was ceased in the United Kingdom. Let’s find out the story of the Rover Montego in India. What made the car come and go without making an impact on the country.
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Welcome to India | Rover Montego Meets Sipani
Rover always thought of moving these cars to the east. India seemed to be a lucrative option bach then. The economy had open up and many carmakers were looking to invest in here.
Rover decided to sign an accord with Bangalore-based Sipani Automobiles. The firm was one of the few in the country to gain an automobile production license back in 1973.
Moreover, Sipani back then didn’t have much of a reputation in the car industry back then. The Bangalore-based carmaker always struggled to make an impact on the Indian car market. Back in 1982, Sipani launched Dolphin which was touted to become a best-seller but was grossly overshadowed by the onset of the Maruti 800.
Seeing this, Sipani made yet another attempt by launching the Montana. It was Sipani’s answer to the Maruti 800. Montana was a proper 5-door family car and was longer, wider and taller than it’s predecessor, the Dolphin.
However, things didn’t work out as Sipani had expected them to. Montana did outsell the Dolphin but was no answer to the Maruti 800. Sales of the car were simply limited to Bangalore and nearby areas.
Rover Montego | Specifications
The Rover Montego was built in Cowley, the UK by Austin. The car was powered by a 1257 cc mated with a 5-speed gearbox. It generated 68 hp and 102 Nm of torque, with a top speed of 154 mph (as declared by the factory).
On the outside, the car was 4468 mm long and 1710 mm wide. The Rover had a rather good looking design. The car had a simple looking front with the headlamps placed correctly. All in all the car had the correct looks which were totally worth the price tag.
Sipani’s Rover Montego was surely way ahead of its time. It came fully equipped with air conditioning, power windows and power steering, which was rare in those times.
Rover Montego | What Went Wrong?
The deal was finally struck with Sipani. Rover had planned to ship the assembled parts in Cowley, United Kingdom to Bangalore in Semi Knocked Down form (SKD) form. Montego will then be sold through Sipani’s subsidiary, the Dolphin Motors Limited.
Everything was going fine, and Sipani was quite optimistic about the car in India. However, when the SKD units started arriving in India, Sipani faced some issues with the authorities. The Rover Montego faced higher than ever import duties from the customs. These custom duties made the cars priced a lot higher. So much so, the car was priced at seven times more than the Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador.
Adding to this was the ineffective dealership network in the country. Dolphin could only manage a few workshops around the country as dealerships.
After the liberalisation, the Indian consumers wanted more. They wanted to experiment and explore with brands and were eager to try out new things. Indian consumers clearly knew that the car was outdated back in Europe and hence wouldn’t prefer it necessarily.
Adding to all of this was the price factor. The car was priced at ₹11 lakhs. This hefty price tag was a big factor in the car failing miserably in India. Back then, the amount was exorbitantly high for a car.
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Conclusion
Sipani Motors tried to shed off its image of an automobile dealer and into a full-time manufacturer. However, it failed miserably.
The Austin Rover Montego could’ve had a better after had it partnered with some other company. There were many complaints about Sipani’s ‘cost-cutting techniques’ which made them compromise on quality.
The history of the Indian automotive industry could’ve been completely different if Sipani would be around today.
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