India’s FORGOTTEN ‘People’s Cars’
India is one of the biggest automobile markets in the world and it has grown massively in the past few years. In the process, there were many cars that were launched to become successful and change the whole market scenario in the country. India has always been a budget-conscious market where the success of the car models has dependent on its price. Well, there was many made-in-India people’s car that was launched in the market to become a massive success but failed terribly. And they’re now totally forgotten.
Aravind
It is touted as first Indian car ever made and was built by Late Mr K A Menon in 1956. The vehicle was ready for production within 10 years of independence, however, the car never made to the production. The Aravind car was expected to get a price tag of Rs 5,000 but the vehicle never received government approval. The luxury sedan-type vehicle made by him was powered by Triumph motorcycle engines. The car came with an 11 Bhp, single-cylinder engine taken from a scrapped bike. The car came with a box chassis frame that was shaped out of 18 gauge mild steel plate. The entire body was made from 22 gauge sheet. All the materials were sourced from local dealers. The car was built to change the history of Indian automobiles but in 1971, Maruti Suzuki made an official entry to the Indian market, which killed cars that could’ve become very successful, including this one.
Meera Mini
Tata Nano is currently known as the first microcar in India that was aimed at small families with limited budget. Well, in 1945, the idea was conceptualised by Shankarrao Kulkarni. The first prototype of the vehicle was ready in 1949 and it was the first two-seater car made in India. It came powered by an air-cooled engine and all-rubber suspension that was used to save the cost of the spare parts used in the conventional suspension system. The puny car came powered by a 19 Bhp engine in 1951 that could do 90 km/h and returned a maximum of 21 km/l. Mr Kulkarni kept on improving the model and in 1970, a new prototype with a V-twin engine producing 14 Bhp power was launched. It was planned to be sold for Rs 12,000. However, Maruti Suzuki launched the 800, which completely changed the Indian automobile scenario.
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