From Opel to Daewoo, 7 cars that bombed in Indian market

Italian car maker and one of the largest automobile manufacturers, Fiat came to India with models like Palio, Punto and Linea. However, it never saw great success and had to shut shops in 2019 owing to stricter BS6 norms in the country.

Loved by off-roader enthusiasts world over, Mitsubishi was a brand to reckon with thanks to its SUV Pajero. However it failed to capitalise on the growing demands of the domestic buyers and folded its operations in 2016. It had a sedan model, Lancer as well.

General Motors returned to India in 1996 with Opel, but reliability issues and expensive repairs meant the brand image was ruined to the extent that the Opel had to be discontinued. It had launched models like Astra and Corsa before winding up in 2017.

Goa-based car manufacturer San-Motors introduced a two-door coupe for the first time to India in 1996. The demand was very low and it could not keep up with the competition from the rivals for long. Its production ended in 2013.

Korean firm, Daewoo had Matiz hatchback and Cielo sedan in its line up in India. the Daewoo group had a troubled run internationally that affected its India operations. The brand shut shop in India just before selling its assets to GM in 2001

ICML, a joint venture between the tractor maker Sonalika and MG Rover, (under China’s Nanjing Automobiles) started production of the Rhino MUV in 2006. Quality and finish were not up to the mark and it was poorly engineered too, forcing it to quit the manufacturing soon after.

Japanese brand, Datsun, was launched to serve as the entry level brand for Nissan globally. Datsun launched the ‘Go’ hatchback in 2014. The products, however, were all too basic, cheaply built and under equipped. It walked out of the Indian market with its last model redi-GO in 2021.