Before the Volkswagens and Hyundais of the world took over the streets of Delhi, they were ruled by the Marutis and Premier Padminis. A Tata Sierra or a Mitsubishi Lancer, back in those days, was the neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride. Those days might be gone, but those cars, awash in nostalgia, still live in public memory and in some numbers. Now, those cars too may have to leave Delhi’s roads.
The National Green Tribunal last week banned vehicles older than 15 years from the national capital’s roads as a step towards checking the deteriorating air quality. If the order is implemented, any vehicle bought before 1999 will not be allowed to ply or park in Delhi.
According to industry estimates, the ruling will take more than 10 lakh vehicles off the road. These include cars preserved by many in the capital for the fond memories they carry. So, here is a look at the cars that may be seen riding only into the sunset if the tribunal's ruling is enforced by the government:
1. Tata Sierra
Tata’s sports utility vehicle Sierra was one of the first in the country to be accepted as a personal sports vehicle. The three-door vehicle was introduced in 1991 and discontinued before 1999. It was succeeded by Tata Safari, which remains in production. That entry into the SUV domain also led to cars like Tata Sumo.
The car introduced adjustable steering for the first time. Also, it was among the first to come with power windows and a power steering.
2. Daewoo Matiz
Matiz was among the most popular hatchbacks in the 1990s. Its success partly owed to its features such as roof rails, driver airbags and power windows, which were a rarity in cars in India even in the early 2000s. The car’s production began in 1997 and it went on to become the best-selling Daewoo model in Europe and India for the next four years.
Soon afterwards though, the car was discontinued in its original form, and Chevrolet Spark took its place.
3. Mitsubishi Lancer
Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi has been modifying its compact hatchback-based sedan Lancer, which is also known as the Colt Lancer, since 1973. Currently in its 10th generation, the car’s sixth generation model was introduced in India as Mitsubishi Lancer. It saw some good response, but soon Honda City began catching up. The company tried to re-brand Lancer and sold it as an improved Mitsubishi Cedia. But that strategy did not work.
The production for the Indian market was formally stopped in 2012 after years of stagnant sales.
4. Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini is best known as the Fiat 1100 Delight, the name by which it was introduced in India in 1964. The car was a rival to the Hindustan Ambassador for government vehicles. After the Indian economy's liberalisation in 1991, Padmini started losing steam, faced by stiff competition from newer, cheaper and more fuel-efficient cars from international manufacturers.
The production was officially stopped in 2000. Still, these beloved cars run as taxis in Mumbai and adorn many Delhi homes as a vintage possession.
5. Maruti 1000
Suzuki’s Cultus/Swift was rebadged by Maruti for sale in the Indian market with the name Maruti 1000 as a sedan-type car in October 1990. The car saw long waiting lists as people signed up in hordes for a chance to buy it. As a result of the queues, a computer lottery was used to choose the buyers. The response was huge despite the car being sold as a luxury vehicle, out of the budget of the majority.
The car's production was formally discontinued in 2000. Maruti Suzuki repackaged it as Esteem after a face-lift and ran that for a few more years. These cars were replaced by the company with the current generation of SX4 and Suzuki Swift.
The National Green Tribunal last week banned vehicles older than 15 years from the national capital’s roads as a step towards checking the deteriorating air quality. If the order is implemented, any vehicle bought before 1999 will not be allowed to ply or park in Delhi.
According to industry estimates, the ruling will take more than 10 lakh vehicles off the road. These include cars preserved by many in the capital for the fond memories they carry. So, here is a look at the cars that may be seen riding only into the sunset if the tribunal's ruling is enforced by the government:
1. Tata Sierra
Tata’s sports utility vehicle Sierra was one of the first in the country to be accepted as a personal sports vehicle. The three-door vehicle was introduced in 1991 and discontinued before 1999. It was succeeded by Tata Safari, which remains in production. That entry into the SUV domain also led to cars like Tata Sumo.
The car introduced adjustable steering for the first time. Also, it was among the first to come with power windows and a power steering.
2. Daewoo Matiz
Matiz was among the most popular hatchbacks in the 1990s. Its success partly owed to its features such as roof rails, driver airbags and power windows, which were a rarity in cars in India even in the early 2000s. The car’s production began in 1997 and it went on to become the best-selling Daewoo model in Europe and India for the next four years.
Soon afterwards though, the car was discontinued in its original form, and Chevrolet Spark took its place.
3. Mitsubishi Lancer
Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi has been modifying its compact hatchback-based sedan Lancer, which is also known as the Colt Lancer, since 1973. Currently in its 10th generation, the car’s sixth generation model was introduced in India as Mitsubishi Lancer. It saw some good response, but soon Honda City began catching up. The company tried to re-brand Lancer and sold it as an improved Mitsubishi Cedia. But that strategy did not work.
The production for the Indian market was formally stopped in 2012 after years of stagnant sales.
4. Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini is best known as the Fiat 1100 Delight, the name by which it was introduced in India in 1964. The car was a rival to the Hindustan Ambassador for government vehicles. After the Indian economy's liberalisation in 1991, Padmini started losing steam, faced by stiff competition from newer, cheaper and more fuel-efficient cars from international manufacturers.
The production was officially stopped in 2000. Still, these beloved cars run as taxis in Mumbai and adorn many Delhi homes as a vintage possession.
5. Maruti 1000
Suzuki’s Cultus/Swift was rebadged by Maruti for sale in the Indian market with the name Maruti 1000 as a sedan-type car in October 1990. The car saw long waiting lists as people signed up in hordes for a chance to buy it. As a result of the queues, a computer lottery was used to choose the buyers. The response was huge despite the car being sold as a luxury vehicle, out of the budget of the majority.
The car's production was formally discontinued in 2000. Maruti Suzuki repackaged it as Esteem after a face-lift and ran that for a few more years. These cars were replaced by the company with the current generation of SX4 and Suzuki Swift.
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