10 Models Intended For India But Cancelled At The Last Minute

Diesel Tata Nano

About 5 years ago, the diesel version of the Tata Nano was reported to be on test on the Indian roads. The vehicle was believed to get the power from a 0.8L two-cylinder diesel motor which could produce 40 bhp at 4,000 rpm of maximum power. Nevertheless, in March 2014, Tata Motors confirmed that it had no plan to launch the oil burner-powered version of the lowest-positioned car in its portfolio. The reason was that to offer a diesel motor option on an entry-level car would be unfeasible.

Tata Nano had no intention to introduce the diesel version of the Tata Nano to the Indian auto market

Tata Indica XL

Many new models have been spawned by the Tata Indica, such as the Marina, the Indigo, the Indigo XL and the Indigo CS. Around 2011, a long-wheelbase version of the Indica with a three-seat row layout was spotted testing in India roads. This model was rumoured to be called the Indica XL and powered by a 1.4L CR4 diesel motor. Disappointingly, this model was cancelled in India due to its exorbitant price which would make the Indian auto buyers, who have been well-known for being price-conscious hesitate to go for one.

The Tata Indica XL was shelved in India due to its high price

Foton Tunland

Foton made its debut in India in 2011 and announced a Rs 1,700 crore investment in five years to establish a plant for commercial vehicles. In 2013, the Foton Tunland pickup truck was spotted testing on the Indian roads several times. Nevertheless, to Indian auto buyers’ disappointment, the Chinese auto manufacturer has decided to cancel its production due to the absence of the diesel motor in the engine options and the stagnant growth of the commercial vehicle segment. The Indian facility of the company was then reported to be used for manufacturing Borgward SUVs for the export market.

Foton cancelled the production of the Tunland pick up truck in India

Viano-based Force Motors MPV

In 2012, Force was expected to make the entry into the Indian luxury MPV segment by launching the Mercedes-Benz Viano-based Force MPV. If launched, this vehicle would have positioned near the Tata Aria and the Toyota Innova and helped the American automaker further penetrate into the high-end passenger car niche market after the already launched Force One. After many delays, the MPV was cancelled after an amount of Rs 400 crores had been invested to repurpose its flagship MPV.

After many delays, Force decided to shelve the Viano-based MPV in India

7-seat vehicle based on the Ford B-Max

In 2012, a 7-seater Ford B-Max MPV was reported to be introduced to India. Expected to be named as the Grand B-Max, had the new 7-seater larger-wheelbase MPV been launched in the country, it would have taken on the likes with the Honda Mobilio and the Maruti Ertiga. Eventually, the model was shelved due to the company’s decision to change its focus to the more teeming and potential SUV segment.

Fors's change of focus to the SUV segment put an end to the production of the Grand B-Max

HM Ambassador Compact Sedan

Back in 2013, the Ambassador compact sedan was being developed by Hindustan Motors. The vehicle was spied testing on several occasions, which led people to believe that the compact sedan would be introduced to the Indian auto market soon. Being a sub-4-metre version, the sedan would have benefited a lot from the taxation on this type of vehicle. The Ambassador would have received the power from the 1.5L diesel motor which was good for 48.6 hp at 4,000 rpm against 112.5 Nm at 2,00 rpm. Disappointingly, in May 2014, Hindustan Motors made a decision to step out of the Indian auto market as a consequence of accumulating losses, insufficient funds, declining productivity and increasing indiscipline and left the plan to launch the Ambassador unfinished.

Due to a wide range of problems, Hindustan Motors decided to exit the Indian auto market

Toyota Hiace

Debuted at the Auto Expo 2014, the old-gen Toyota Hiace was slated for Indian launch at the beginning of the latter half of 2015. Nevertheless, the luxury van, which has been on sale in over 140 nations, has been cancelled for India, as a consequence of the ban on 2,000+ cc diesel passenger vehicles in Delhi-NCR. This month, the sixth generation of the Toyota Hiace was also globally debuted in the Philippines. The Japanese automaker is expected to introduce the Hiace to India as a CBU (Completely Built-Up unit).

After being cancelled, the Toyota Hiace pickup truck is expected to be brought to India again through the CBU route

New-gen Nissan X-Trail

The third-gen Nissan X-Trail was showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 and then even debuted at the tenth-anniversary celebrations of Nissan India. Although the hybrid vehicle was projected to be launched in India, it then was cancelled due to some reasons. The first one was that Nissan engineers were not sure whether the hybrid motor would perform well in the Indian harsh climate conditions. An additional reason was that the government did not provide sufficient subsidy for the customers of hybrid vehicles.

After making its debut in India, eventually, the third-gen Nissan X-Trail was cancelled in the country

Tamo Racemo

The Tamo Racemo was debuted at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show and locally showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. Nevertheless, due to the high expenses in the production of the vehicle, the 2-door mid-engined sports car was, finally, cancelled. To produce this vehicle, the company would have been required to invest Rs 250 crore. This investment is reported to have been used to revive its commercial vehicle portfolio.

Due to the high production cost, the Tamo Racemo was shelved in India

7-seater Maruti Wagon R

In August 2018, although it had been reported that the MPV version of the Wagon R with seven seats will be introduced along with the facelifted model, the new vehicle has been offered with only a 5-seat two-row version. Maruti has also confirmed that it is not going to launch the MPV version of the tallboy hatchback in India as the company will be giving more priority to the Maruti Ertiga and the Eeco which has recorded increasing demand for the past time and MPVs are also not popular vehicles with the Indian customers.

Despite the earlier reports, Maruti Suzuki confirmed that it is not going to produce the 7-seater Wagon R because of other higher priorities

Above is a list of 10 cars which had been slated for the Indian car marker, but for some reasons have been cancelled. Which car cancellation made you the most disappointed? Share with us in the comment section below.

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