[sramanat]

In no particular order:

Subaru, especially Outback and Forester might be really good alternatives to the current SUVs out there. The Outback may even revive station wagon/combi type cars. We saw Opel and old Baleno in this form factor.

Toyota and Honda should offer proper hybrids across their entire range.

Chrysler and Dodge sedans under Dodge badge to complement Jeep SUVs.

Couple of small Lincoln (essentially rebadged Ford) SUVs - one to cover the huge gap between Ecosport and Endeavour and another above Endeavour. What was it? MKT? MKZ?

[Rajjay]

When I was working in the UAE, I owned an Infiniti FX35 which was an absolute pleasure to drive with some amazing features and 11 speaker Bose Premier Audio System. Its 3.5 l V6 engine was a perfect match to the butter smooth 6 lane roads of the UAE. I wish Nissan should bring them to the Indian market with some changes.

[ninjax]

Originally Posted by Gaur

For record sake we once had a Subaru sold in India, albeit under the guise of a Chevrolet.

Remember the Forester, behind the Chevy logo it was a full bred Subaru with a Flat-4 boxer engine and a AWD.

Knew a person who owned it and he swore by this beauty.

I have had the knack of having oddball cars, we had the Forrester , it was exceptional except for the mileage and a sub par dealer which back then killed it for us. We were one of the three people in Chennai to own a Forrester.

[igemini]

I really wish if Mazda and Daihatsu were in India. I was the owner of a silver colour Daihatsu Mira 660cc turbo when I was abroad. It was exceptionally cheap to buy and was a lot of fun.

As far as I understand, they are a sub brand of Toyota. Toyota may consider those cars as a competition for Hyundai and Maruti if they really want.

Mazda do have some interesting cars in their lineup as well.

But in reality, I don't even think both these will ever come to India. It will be hard for them to set up their things here. Tax structure shall also to be blamed apart from a stiff competition from established players like Maruti, Hyundai and likes.

[sameerg]

I don't have a wish for a particular brand, I wish for a solid build, performance sedan in sub 23-25 lakhs range OTR in blr.

Must-haves
300 NM torque, turbo petrol, full safety kit (6+ airbags, traction control/ESC, etc), solid build, great handling, Reverse parking camera


Don't need likes of
360-degree cameras
Park assist
tpms
auto heated seats
sun roof

[Storme5257]

I think those brands should come to india which will bring us the latest technologies and generations of cars.
I just hate how Toyota and VW treats the Indian consumer while they have so much to offer from their portfolio.

Gone are the days where you could flog a model for decades without improvements.
Sure, our market might be a hard shell to crack and is price sensitive, but it is also one of the largest automobile
Markets in the world.

Given the rise of demand in EVs in future, this could be an opportunity for the car brands to enter india

I might be sounding too optimistic , but hey! I can hope for the best

[VT-RNS]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

Ford - Where are the Escape and the Fusion although now I do believe they are all EV. Ford seems to be stuck in a loop of makeovers. Literally beating the horse (still not a dead one)

Agree on Ford Escape & Fusion.
I enjoyed Escape (called Kuga in UK) quite a bit, and thought it would be a good fit as a CSUV in India.

I love driving Ecosport, but its just too small, even for a nuclear family (boot size and back seat comfort). Would have loved Kuga/Escape

[Karthik.thm]

Interesting topic.

I can only think of 2 brands, especially 2 cars that can make quite some noise and sell in considerable numbers.

1. Mazda.

Mazda as a brand can enter in India with just 1 model and create new segment, LIFESTYLE. If they able to locally produce MX5 and price it below 25lacs on road, they will create new segment called LIFESTYLE. 2 seater roadster small sports car under 25lacs, who the heck will say no. If Mazda markets this as LIFESTYLE vehicle and target late 20s and early 30s age group they will have decent winner and it can sell around 500 to 800 units per month. If they succeed they can bring their other affordable cars here.

2. Alfa Romeo.

Just like Mazda, bring full blown Giulia Quadrifoglio and market it as hell. I'm sure Giulia has many takers here and it will build a good brand value for Alfa in India. Also, we get to see one of the beautiful cars of our time. Subsequently they can bring other niche cars once the brand made its name.

[GeeTee TSI]

Some French flair would help - Renault (the real one, not Dacia) and Peugeot with their practical hatches (some vans would be fun!). I have my hopes on Citroen beyond C5 as well

At the luxury end it should be fairly easy for global brands to make their entry. Lincoln, Cadillac are conspicuous by their absence in a market where McLaren (!) has recently entered

[Livnletcarsliv]

I will split it up into 3 sections.

Mass Market Brands
1. Mazda
2. Subaru
3. Mitsubishi
4. Opel
5. Fiat
6. Chevy

Other brands like Peugeot, Citroen, Tesla are already in the pipeline in India. So giving them a no-mention.

Niche Brands/Models
1. Bugatti
2. Pagani
3. Koenigsegg
4. Lotus
5. Cadillac
6. Chevy Camaro
7. Dodge
8. Corvette

Models from Existing Brands (This list is long. So just given a few names)
1. Skoda - Fabia
2. VW - Golf
3. Ford - Focus, F150, Bronco, Explorer, Fusion
4. Toyota - Corolla, Highlander
6. Honda - Civic, HRV, Accord
7. Nissan - Pathfinder, Qashqai, Altima, GTR, 400Z
8. Renault - Megane, Kadjar, Clio

I am completely against Chinese brands for obvious reasons. In fact, I don't see any USP or anything specific/special that demands a Chinese brand.

[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by Marauder

Mazda don't have turbocharged engines and their SKYACTIV-X engines may be too expensive for India.

This is not true, they have 2.5L turbo charged engines in the current lineup and those are pretty good as well. You are right about pricing, this will easily match Skoda stable in pricing for sure. Nothing below 25L.

Originally Posted by officer416

Being an owner of a Mazda I don't think they will be able to expand in India lets say how Kia has been able to. They are not able to fetch volumes in US and Canada, they launched Diesel variant of CX-5 and that was a big failure. They project themselves as a premium Japanese manufacturer which with the quality they offer I agree, but majority of the market don't buy that theory.
They are not an aggressive company like Hyundai or Kia, the way they react to market demands is in super slo-mo mode. The naturally aspirated 2.0 motor and 2.5 Turbo motor aren't that efficient. Only way Mazda can capture market in India is if they bring the MX-30 EV and start building the brand around it.

Same is the state in Germany as well, I don't see many Mazdas and diesel ones are unicorns honestly. When I bought my 2021 Mazda3 hatchback, there was not much effort from the dealer side and they never pushed me to buy the car. I went in to see CX-5/CX-30 and walked out with a Mazda3 hatch on my own
Even at the delivery, I was given the documents, keys at the table and was told where the car was parked. Not much enthusiasm and I totally agree they are not at all aggressive to push the products which are really really good for the price.

Originally Posted by Karthik.thm

Mazda as a brand can enter in India with just 1 model and create new segment, LIFESTYLE. If they able to locally produce MX5 and price it below 25lacs on road

I think CX-30 and CX-5 are the only cars that will sell in our CSUV- crazy nation. But even then the chances are pretty slim and they will have to undercut VW/Skoda which will be a tough task now. MX-5 will be good as the halo product ( same as Mustang but half price), but I don't see it as the mass-market car. Heck even in europe, they are not able to sell much!

[klassics45]

I wish the brand - "Geely" comes to India. They have some nice models in their portfolio.

[Amrik Singh]

Most of the views refer to luxury Cars. In cheap Off road vehicles, while everyone is eyeing the arrival of Suzuki Jimney, Vaz (Lada Niva) with added safety features would be a force to reckon with. Even if it is imported as CKD or fully built, it would be cheaper than most other in the category. Of course the 15 years age set by Government would be too less for it.

[₹itzylove]

Great thread!

I just look for two brands:

1. Peugeot



2. Mazda



These guys make beautiful cars which are great to drive too!

[maxratul]

The question is not which brands should arrive in India, but which input taxes should be reduced so that automakers can give us better value.

Else regardless of brand we will end up with overpriced and/or underengineered products.