10 Cars that lead the Indian Automotive Industry to Glory

India is a land of diversified culture and used to be known as the “Golden Sparrow”. Then came in the Britishers and we know how that went! But still, India has risen to glory yet again, be it any field, any sector. Take the automotive industry for example. If the global history of automotive is concerned, India started way too late. Yet, our country has become one of the largest markets. Not only that, Indian brands such as Tata Motors, Mahindra, Hero Motocorp and many more have made a mark at the international scale. There was a time when it all started. Let’s take a look at 10 cars that have paved the way for the Indian automotive industry to grow at such a large scale.

1. Hindustan Ambassador
   The ‘Laal Batti Wali Gaadi’. There is not a single soul from the pre-2000s era that is not familiar with the name. And even the ones after the 2000s might know the car. Well, this is because of the reason that the Ambassador is the longest production car in India, it went on for a long haul of 57 years! Ambassador was launched by Hindustan Motors back in 1957. The design that never went through a vigorous calibration, an engine that did go through some changes in order to meet the emission requirements and the stature of being the first car that was made in India, HM Ambassador is surely a car that led the Indian Automotive industry to its glory.
2. Premier Padmini
   India’s most loved family car! The saloon came into existence in 1964, a few years after the HM Amby was enjoying the sole dominion. With an enhanced design, features and at the heart, an engine sourced from the company known for its engines, Padmini won hearts of a lot of people in this country. Padmini was powered by Fiat-sourced 1.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It has been used as a Taxi in many cities in India, Mumbai is one of them. In fact, the last Premier Padmini to run as a taxi in Mumbai was decommissioned in 2019, i.e. last year. Padmini, although discontinued in 2000, still ran on the roads, and saw the transition of Bombay to Mumbai. Padmini and Ambassador are the two pillar on which the industry has been built, there’s no denying in that.
3. Sipani Dolphin
   Now that’s a name that even the boomers might not remember or know. Do you remember Mr Bean? The three-wheeled car that used to topple a lot around Mr Bean’s car? The car was the Reliant Robin. In India, Sipani tried to bring in the concept and introduced the Badal, not many of you, again, might not have heard of. The same company introduced a fibreglass hatchback named Dolphin, in 1982. This car became one of the most successful from the brand and even found its place in the motorsports. Yet the car that comes next in the list is what led to the downfall of Dolphin. Nevertheless, this car did introduce Indians to light weighed cars.
4. Maruti Suzuki 800
   And here comes the king of the Indian roads. A car that led many cars to the road of discontinuation, many concepts just remaining concepts. The Maruti Suzuki 800. Launched in 1983, it made people go crazy about cars. A compact design yet a spacious one, a decent engine, good fuel mileage and better features, Maruti Suzuki dominated the whole industry in no time and remained at the top till 2004, only to lose to its own sibling, the Alto. 800 can be credited to make the company so sure and strong, that Maruti Suzuki now own 51% share of the industry!
5. Maruti Suzuki Omni
   A Van. That is what it was called when launched back in 1984. Down to a few years, it was renamed as Omni. Known as kidnapping van, school van, ambulance, whatever you call it, the MPV is for sure the flag bearer of the segment in India. Omni showed others how it’s done. Maruti Suzuki knew that there was a need for a vehicle that could carry more people, more luggage and still have space for more people. Omni ran for a long period and was taken over by the Eeco when the company ended production in 2019.
6. Tata Sierra
   A 3-door SUV from Tata, or naming it correctly, TELCO. This is what Tata’s automotive division was known earlier. Sierra was Tata Motor’s first passenger vehicle and was based on the pickup truck, the Telcoline. Sierra, due to its looks, the powerful engine and Tata’s very own engineering did land on the road. And the SUV segment was born.
7. Hyundai Santro
   The Korean carmaker entered our shores in 1998, launching the Santro with Sharukh Khan as the brand ambassadors. People were not given many options in terms of designs and features. Or either the cars were too costly, take for example the Opel Corsa. Santro paved the way for Hyundai and led it to become India’s second-largest carmaker.
8. Tata Indica
   December 30, 1998. That was the date from when Indians would have to never suffer from a small car, again. Indica, India’s first totally indigenous car, from the design to the engine, everything developed in-house, Indica gave other carmakers run for their money. It has been one of the most popular models from Tata and can be seen on the roads, even today. Although there was a downfall, eventually, this car told people that space and power can fit into one car.
9. Mahindra CJ3A
   Mahindra Thar, who has not heard about the offroader. The 2020 Mahindra Thar is in the air, all for good reasons. But the history of Mahindra’s offroaders dates back to 1949 when the company began producing the Willys CJ3A jeep. And down to just two years less than our independence, Mahindra has revolutionised the offroading scene in India, where no other carmaker seems to have guts to take on the Thar.
10. Tata Safari
    An SUV that was launched in the early 2000s. Safari became a popular SUV in India during the time when people were inclined towards buying small cars. Tata gave them an option to show the muscularity. Safari can be credited to bring in the 4WD in India. Totally developed in India, Tata Safari has gained huge popularity amongst the enthusiasts and became the SUV icon we all are well aware of!

So these were 10 such cars that led the Indian automotive industry. We might have missed a few, but no one can deny that these are the ones that began something we all are proud of.

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