Pankaj Doval | TNN
New Delhi: Come 2010 and the Indian small car market is all set to hit fourth gear. Close to a dozen new small cars from big names, including Maruti-Suzuki, Honda, Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford and Toyota, are expected to hit the Indian roads, rejuvenating the market that accounts for as much as 75% of car sales.
As a fallout, the current lot of small cars could possibly be headed for a phase-out, aided by hefty discounts as manufacturers try to reduce their stocks — a trend already evident in models like Maruti WagonR and Hyundai Santro.
The launches, set to spoil you for choice, come at a time when carmakers globally focus on India which has emerged as one of the hottest destinations for new launches and volumes. The competition is set to hot up in the already bustling sector so those of you waiting to buy a small car can happily hold on for some more time, with good reason.
The new cars, many of which would also have variants loaded with latest features like automatic drive, ABS and airbags, will flow from almost the entire spectrum of carmakers present in India and be available in the Rs 3-5 lakh bracket (excluding the Rs 1 lakh wonder Tata Nano).
