India At 70 : Celebrating 7 decades of the Indian Automobile Industry

India is a great land of heritage and modernization. In other words, our country has managed to pull off a great blend of cultural heritage at the same time keeping up with the world with respect to technology and modernization. India has achieved a great deal in numerous fields – business, science, culture etc. in a relatively short span of 70 years as a free and independent nation. With 65% of our population being under 40 years of age, India also has amongst the youngest population on earth. The sky is certainly the limit for what India can achieve! Just like countries worldwide cars are an important component of Indian culture. The Indian automobile industry began from humble beginnings to become one of the hottest and fastest emerging markets worldwide. Over the past 7 decades, the Indian automobile industry has evolved, seen a lot of successful cars, made great leaps in manufacturing and much more. On India celebrating 70 years as an independent nation, we take a trip down memory lane!

1.     1947-1957: The advent of independence made way for a great automotive opportunity for the Indian industry. Many of the cars in the country at that time were imported and assembled here. Hindustan Motors (HM) and Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL) were the big players in the domestic market during this decade. In 1949, HM introduced its first car the Hindustan 10, based on the British Morris 10. This was followed by the “Baby Hindustan” (Based on the Morris Minor), the Hindustan 14. It was in 1954 when the production of the HM Landmaster commenced. Meanwhile, PAL was assembling Dodge and Plymouth cars at its Kurla plant in Mumbai.
2.  1957-1967: 1958 saw the production of one of the most iconic Indian cars – The Hindustan Ambassador. This was based on the Morris Oxford of Britain. Known for its curvy design and great comfort; the Ambassador soon became a favorite in the industry. Later, the Ambassador became a symbol for politicians and bureaucrats. With the last Ambassador being produced in 2014, this car was one of the longest serving cars manufactured in India. Other notable cars from that era were the Standard 10, Pennant, Triumph.
3.  1967-1977: In 1973, PAL introduced the Premier Padmini. This car was based on the Fiat 1100, soon became very popular in the market. It remains iconic till today and can be seen on roads, used primarily as a taxi. As the market was dominated by the Hindustan Ambassador & Standard Triumph, the Premier Padmini was welcome competition. Other notable cars from this period were the Standard Herald.
4. 1977-1987: The 1970s saw no new cars introduced in the Indian industry. It was in 1984 when a true legend was born – The Maruti 800. Manufactured by the then government backed Maruti Udyog Limited (later became Maruti Suzuki as we know it) the 800 soon went on to become a favorite of the masses. This car is widely believed to be the most successful car in India as it is one of the best-selling cars to have graced our industry.
5. 1987-1997: This decade was the turning point in the Indian industry as it saw the beginning of a new, modern phase in the market. Asian giants such as Honda, Toyota and Hyundai started to enter the market by way of investments. The liberalization reforms taken by the government opened up the market to global players and saw a rise in investments, joint ventures with Indian companies.
6. 1997-2007: 1997 began with the introduction of the Tata Indica, the first indigenously manufactured car in India. This soon became one of the highest selling cars in India. Hyundai introduced the Santro in 1997. At the turn of the 21^st century, Mahindra introduced the Scorpio SUV. It went on to become the best-selling SUV manufactured by an Indian company. In 2003, a more updated model of the Hyundai Santro, the Santro Xing became an instant hit in the market raking in a lot of sales. Other notable cars of this decade were the Skoda Octavia, Toyota Qualis etc.
7. 2007-2017: The Tata Nano was introduced in 2008. The ‘cheapest car in the world’ this was Tata’s solution to solving our mass transport woes – an affordable car for every Indian. However, this did not quite live up to the hype but it did bring the notion of owning a car much closer to reality than it ever was. This era was dominated by foreign manufacturers the likes of Volkswagen Group, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota etc. As the Indian population became younger, disposable income increased the demand for tech-laden and luxury cars surged. This decade has also ushered in a demand for cars that are safer, reliable and of course value for money. Notable cars from this decade are – Honda City, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i10, Maruti Suzuki Swift etc.