It was the time when India took a decisive step in liberalising the economy. The Narasimha Rao-led government with Manmohan Singh as the finance minister opened India’s doors to foreign investment. Post-1991 when India was coming of age, existing car makers like Premier Automobiles, Hindustan Motors, and Tata Engineering & Locomotive Company (now Tata Motors)… Continue reading India at 75: The SUV that fuelled Mahindra’s SUV vision
Tag: Tata
Volvo XC40 Recharge 2022 UK drive
Volvo’s marketeers have played a blinder. The company is seen as future-looking, eco-friendly and huggable, the car brand that everyone loves to love, yet it has never been the fully electric pioneer compared with some rivals. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Audi all were a bit quicker in the EV dash. The dual-motor XC40 P8 Recharge… Continue reading Volvo XC40 Recharge 2022 UK drive
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
It is truly a heady moment to commemorate 75 years of Independence and there are no two ways about the fact that India has come a long way since 1947. More specifically, the economic reforms unleashed by the PV Narasimha-led government in 1991 played a big role in accelerating the growth story. What can one… Continue reading LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
INDIA@75: The Fiat duo that lost their way
The Uno which Fiat decided to build with its India partner, Premier Automobiles could have made an impact in India’s car sector that was opening up to competition but nothing went right from the word go. Premier Automobiles, known for the boxy Padminis, was unable to make the committed 30,000 units that had to be… Continue reading INDIA@75: The Fiat duo that lost their way
INDIA@75: Qualis, the never-say-die brand
Almost 22 years after it made its debut, the Toyota Qualis based on the Kijang that was the Japanese company’s global product at one time, is one brand that its patrons still fondly remember. The vehicle which marked the entry of Toyota into India as a JV with the Kirloskar Group in India in 2000… Continue reading INDIA@75: Qualis, the never-say-die brand
INDIA@75: Indica, the model that ignited India
It was the year 1998, and the Auto Expo in Delhi had the Who’s Who present when Tata Motors, a company associated with bulky trucks and boxy SUVs displayed its first offering for the passenger car sector. The new car was designed by IDEA of Italy, but engineered in India. And it was at this… Continue reading INDIA@75: Indica, the model that ignited India
INDIA@75: Nano, the dream that died
In June 2018, only one Nano was produced from Tata Motors’ Sanand plant and the company, at the time admitted that the car would not continue in its present form after 2019. Wind back to the 2008 Auto Expo. The crowds that gathered to witness the launch of the Nano had to be seen to be… Continue reading INDIA@75: Nano, the dream that died
India at 75: Electric is now mantra for automakers
As the push for sustainability gains further momentum the world over, India’s ICE companies and startups, many of whom work with the old economy players are looking to reengineer the vehicle architecture from a sustainability perspective. For a developing country like India, where the predominant share of the personal vehicle parc is formed by two-wheelers,… Continue reading India at 75: Electric is now mantra for automakers
INDIA@75: For cars, it was survival of the fittest
Even as India celebrates 75 years of Independence, its true potential was unleashed only in 1991 when the PV Narasimha-led government kicked off its historic economic reforms initiative. Till then, it was just another part of the world map chugging along complacently with a minuscule presence but all that changed when liberalisation became the new… Continue reading INDIA@75: For cars, it was survival of the fittest
Tata’s Ace in the pack
When Tata Motors launched its Ace four-wheeler in 2005, there weren’t many small commercial vehicles available. It was an opportunity that Tata spotted and decided to launch, a vehicle which that would later go by the sobriquet, “Chotta Hathi”, equipped with a 700cc engine capable of producing 16hp of power and a peak torque of… Continue reading Tata’s Ace in the pack