Despite being some of the best selling cars globally, these cars failed to make an impression in India

5 Cars That Failed In India

In the past decade, we started getting global models in India soon after their launch in developed markets. This is, of course, a great thing and car brands expected the sales to be as good in India, as it was abroad. But these models tanked and didn’t sell in the numbers we all expected them to. In today’s listicle, we will talk about 5 cars that failed in India.

5 Cars That Failed In India
The Corolla’s outstanding reliability & practicality makes it the top-selling car in the world

Toyota Corolla

Around 50 million units have been sold over the 12 generations this car has been on sale. The Toyota Corolla is the world’s top-selling car and was launched in India in 2003. The D-segment sedan is known for its no-nonsense design and terrific reliability but failed to excite Indian buyers. Majority of the sales were from the commercial segment and it was discontinued earlier this year.

5 Cars That Failed In India
One of the most popular hatchbacks suffers in India due to its maintenance costs & low practicality

Volkswagen Polo

First launched in 1975, this car has seen six generations although, in India, we still get the last-gen model. Launched in India in 2010, the Volkswagen Polo is a very popular model globally because of its solid build, good dynamic balance and excellent powertrain choices. However, in India, it didn’t sell as well because of the lack of rear seat space and high upkeep costs.

5 Cars That Failed In India
The most over-built and capable SUV ever, the Land Cruiser was priced way above its competition

Toyota Land Cruiser

With more than 10 million units sold, this car is Toyota’s longest-running nameplate and also the second-longest SUV in production. Known for its off-road ability and bulletproof reliability, the Land Cruiser was launched in India in 2009 but discontinued earlier this year as it didn’t make the BS6 cut. It never sold well here because Toyota grossly overpriced it at Rs. 1.80 crores (on-road, Mumbai) but the 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine was a workhorse. Toyota is now planning to launch a BS6 version of the Land Cruiser soon.

5 Cars That Failed In India
The Yeti’s practical and capable aspects only attracted a niche set of buyers

Skoda Yeti

The Skoda Yeti was actually a great car to drive and it was super practical too. It got the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine that was offered on a lot of VAG cars but there were quite a few things going against the Yeti. Indian buyers didn’t really fancy the quirky design while the lack of an automatic was a downer because the Laura which was offered with the same engine got a 6-speed DSG too which was never offered with the Yeti. Back then, there also used to be a lot of poor experiences shared by people who used Skoda’s after-sales service and this didn’t help matters either.

5 Cars That Failed In India
An iconic luxury sedan, the Accord lost its charm due to an increase in price with every generation

Honda Accord

On the top of the list is a favourite of many car enthusiasts. It’s a car that has been on sale since 54 years globally and has spanned 10 generations, out of which 4 generations were launched in India. The most stolen car in the world, the Accord was popular in India initially but Honda increased prices with every generation, so much so that the last model which was sold here didn’t make any economic sense whatsoever. Finding no buyers, it was eventually discontinued.

Which globally popular cars do you want to see in India? Do let me know by leaving it in the comments below.