These Are The 10 Biggest Flop Cars Ever To Be Sold In India

Over the years, we have seen numerous hit vehicles in India which have become icons. However, have you ever wondered about the most flop cars of all time from the Indian automotive market? Well, we are very certain that you have not. So today we thought we should bring to you the list of 10 of the biggest flop cars that were sold in India. So without any further delay let’s have look at these flip cars.

Opel Vectra

The German automaker Opel which has now left India launched its D-segment sedan – the Opel Vectra back in 2003. It was launched with a price tag of Rs 16 lakh which at that point of time was a lot. The sedan was positioned above the Opel Astra and Corsa. However, it never took off.

Its high price tag along with poor fuel economy, high maintenance costs, and a lack of reliability contributed to its lackluster sales. However, despite all of these shortcomings it has to be noted that it came with a powerful 2.2-liter engine producing 146 bhp. Also it was loaded with features as well.

Ford Fusion

Second car on this list is from the American automaker Ford. We are talking about the Ford Fusion compact crossover. This particular vehicle, according to many people, arrived ahead of its time. It boasted characteristics of a hatchback and an SUV.

Now although this idea seemed very cool on paper, in reality it did not suit Indian preferences. This unique crossover design did not resonate with the masses and its high maintenance costs and running costs also added to the failure of this vehicle.

The Ford Fusion was offered with two engine options. The first was a 1.6-litre 105 PS petrol engine. On the other hand there was also a 1.4-litre 68 PS diesel engine. Another huge issue with the Fusion was that it did not deliver a decent mileage which as we all know is very important for Indian car buyers.

Chevrolet SR-V

Another American automaker which no longer exists in India is Chevrolet which launched a sportier, hatchback version of the Chevrolet Optra sedan. It was called the SR-V and was aimed at premium buyers who wanted a sporty yet premium hatchback.

Now although the car itself was decent, its high pricing was a deal breaker for many people. Those days, buyers looked at hatchbacks as budget-friendly cars meant for practicality.

Chevrolet offered the SR-V with a 1.6-litre 101 PS engine. As for the design on the outside and inside, it shared a lot of it with its sedan sibling the Optra which was a good vehicle and achieved decent sales in India.

Mahindra Nuvosport

Mahindra has a habit of rebranding it’s old vehicles by giving them a few minor updates. Now sometimes these models work, but a lot of the time they fail. Of these failures one vehicle is the Mahindra Nuvosport SUV. This crossover SUV which was a revamped version of the Quanto that already failed horribly in India.

It’s awkward boxy shape and poor driving dynamics were the main reasons behind its failure. This reworked SUV could not convince Indian car buyers and people did not buy it. The Mahindra Nuvosport came equipped with a a 1.5-litre 100 PS diesel engine.

Tata Bolt

Tata Motors has given India the Indica which was the country’s first indigenous vehicle. It was then followed by a lot of different versions of which one was the India Vista on which the Bolt was based. Now overall the Tata Bolt was a very good vehicle with a lot of space and decent features.

However, as the Indica Vista did not have a solid reputation, the Bolt could not change the market perception. This along with the shifting of focus to the Tata Tiago, caused the Bolt to get discontinued in the country due to poor sales. It came with two engine options, a 1.2-litre 90 PS petrol engine and a 1.3-litre 75 PS diesel engine.

Mitsubishi Cedia

The Japanese automaker Mitsubishi after the success of Lancer launched the Cedia in India. It was meant to be a more premium and sporty version of the Lancer. However, due to poor marketing, lack of interest from enthusiasts and competition from the popular Honda City caused this sedan to fail.

This sporty sedan came equipped with a 2-litre petrol motor which made 114 bhp of power and 175 Nm of torque. As for the transmission it came mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Another reason behind its failure in India was the poor after sales service of Mitsubishi.

Nissan Evalia

The compact MPV Evalia from Nissan also is regarded as one of the biggest flop cars in India. This MPV was launched to rival the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Renault Lodgy. However, its lack of premium interiors and boxy design could not lure in buyers in the country.

This MPV came equipped with a K9K 1.5 litre diesel engine. This motor was capable of producing 84 bhp of power and 200 Nm of torque. It came mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Renault Captur

The Renault Captur is a prime example which shows that despite doing all the things correctly a car can still fail. This premium SUV positioned above the Duster was launched to lure in more premium buyers. However, in reality it could not manage to do the same.

Many Indian buyers could not adapt to the crossover stance of this SUV and this caused it to fail in India. Another major reason behind its failure was the launch of the Hyundai Creta mid-size SUV. The Creta became a huge success in the country due to its lower price tag and more features offered.

The Renault Captur came powered by two engine options. The first was a 1.6-litre 106 PS petrol engine. Meanwhile, the other was a 1.5-litre 110 PS diesel engine. The SUV offered a good balance of ride and handling, however it was not enough to pull the desired sales.

Datsun Go+

Launched to bring in affordable MPV buyers to the brand, the Datsun Go+ became a huge failure in India. The primary reason for its failure was that it was essentially a stretched version of the Datsun Go hatchback. Due to this the company employed a lot of drastic cost cutting measures.

The result of it was that the Go+ hatchback received a lot of criticism and it eventually failed. Later the company also exited the Indian automotive market due to poor sales of this MPV along with all its other models.

Fiat Urban Cross

The Fiat Urban Cross was launched as a better alternative to the Avventura crossover. This particular model ditched the inconvenient rear-mounted spare wheel and offered a more refined experience. However, despite being a good vehicle, the Fiat Urban Cross failed in India due to the poor after sales service of the Fiat brand.

At the time Fiat, was viewed as an unreliable brand which could exit India at any point and this made buyers uneasy to buy a vehicle from it. The Urban Cross came equipped with a 1.4-litre 140 PS turbo-petrol and a 1.3-litre 93 PS diesel engine.