India as an automobile market has been different from the developed countries in one aspect. The car buyer in India has always been sensitive to pricing and the ‘value for money’ point.
It’s natural that car manufacturers, therefore, have taken note of this factor and ensured this in their offerings. The mileage discussion often comes up whenever anyone is out to buy a car in India.
There was a culture of opting for a diesel car to reduce operating costs. Given the difference in the price of petrol and diesel, it is a time honoured tradition in India to buy a diesel car. The higher purchase price tag failed to be deterrent enough as there was more thought given to the recurring cost like fuelling and refueling. This led to an increase in the sale of diesel cars.
In the earlier days, diesel cars used to be noisier and demanding higher maintenance. This did mean that retail customers – those driving their cars for personal use – often bought petrol cars only. With modern technology resulting in smoother driving experience and less maintenance, there is a growing demand for diesel engines.
Across both budget and costlier segments, there is a proliferation of fuel efficient cars in India, of late. The smaller cars have always been giving good mileage. Maruti’s 800 has been leading the charge and they have constantly kept up their offerings with models like the Alto and the Wagon R. The competition also followed up with similar options. Hyundi had the Santro while Tata had the Indica. Later, other players jumped into the fray with Chevrolet offering the Spark, Nissan the Micra while the more newer brands came out with a slew of newer names like the Go from Datsun. Not to be left behind, Maruti continued to pump in new fuel efficient models like the Celerio and Hyundai brought in the i10.
Meanwhile, the diesel segment was the one that really changed the landscape. Nearly all companies offered great diesel variants like the Fiat Punto, the Maruti Swift, the Hyundai Getz, the Ford Figo while the mid segment also came up with excellent sedans. The Linea, the Etios Liva, the Hyundai Verna and even Honda came up with a diesel variant of its successful model, the City.
An important factor that the Indian buyer has to take into consideration is the fuel-efficiency. In a country where fuel costs as much as gold, cars that score well in the fuel-efficiency have been considered one of the most economical cars on the road. And India now has a slew of fine options.
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