About India

To truly understand the concept of vehicles in Indian context, we will have to glace back to just 4000 years back. That was the first time when wheel was used for transportation. Our mythological scriptures also mention use of udan-khatola or a vehicle used by Lord of Wealth, Kuber for flying purpose. On the grounds, wheel used to be carried by horses. Circa to modern era and we find development of steam engines in the western world in 16^th-17^th century. First cars were called Vintage cars and they rolled onto streets in 18^th century. Automobiles completely revolutionised the modern world that was already witnessing a wave of change since the industrial revolution.

Thanks to automobiles, transportation became easier and faster and a source of employment of thousands of people as well. Indian automobile industry is chock-a-bloc with who’s who of automobile industry. Almost all the major car manufacturers have established their bases on Indian soil. Indian automobile industry has witnessed a complete turnaround of fortunes in last few decades. Suzuki was the first major automobile company to unearth the huge potential of Indian market and set up its shop in early 80s. Maruti 800 became a cult car and it is still the shining symbol of Indian car industry.

Some of the major car manufacturers present in India are, Fiat India Private Ltd, Hindustan Motors, Maruti Udyog, General Motors India Pvt. Ltd, Ford India Ltd, Hyundai Motors India Ltd, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Skoda India Private Ltd etc. The two-wheeler segment is no less rich. It has presence of giants like TVS, Hero Honda, Yamaha, Bajaj, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. Among the home grown companies, Tata Motors and Mahindra Group have established their high technology and credentials in not only India but also on foreign shores. Going by the bright rate of growth, Indian automobile industry seems set for further heights. 

India has witnessed a huge surge in the car market segment. In 2006-7 one million cars have been sold and the queue for more cars just does not seem to get smaller.

Infact the car market is so huge that more and more foreign cars are entering the segment to give a riding experience never felt before to the Indian driver. New cars in India that will soon hit the market include Aston Martin, Audi Q7, Ford Focus, Hummer from General Motors, Outlander from Hindustan Motors Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen – New Beetle, Porsche – Cayman S and a few more models from Rolls-Royce.

With these cars entering the market you can look forward to top class machines spinning you around. But are they really meant for the Indian roads, you will know only once you get behind the wheel. Consumers in India prefer family cars like the Innova and other MUVs like Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Safari or compact cars that can provide parking anywhere. No doubt in this segment the Maruti 800 was the leader till a few years back. Now there is the Zen and Hyundai Santro that gives you more headroom and legroom.

So if you are planning to buy a car, first make up your mind as to what you want – style, looks, space, adjustable for family members etc. Once you made up your mind go to a few car dealers. The Indian car bazaar has big names like Autocar market, Vitesse and many more. Here in their showroom you will get a variety of cars all under one roof. So you can make a better choice.

At the end of the day if you think new cars do not fit your budget then look for used cars. Here too the market is substantial. Last year 2006-7 had seen a rise of 1 million users purchasing used cars. So the market is as big as the new car market.

So huge is the market with increasing takers that General Motors is planning to enter the pre-owned car market. Even Porsche has entered it and has sold 40 cars in the past eighteen months.