[volkman10]

1 in 4 cars sold in India today has a sunroof.

Sunroof’s penetration in India has jumped five-fold in five years, forcing companies that supply these sleek glass panels to carmakers to invest in new plants to meet demand.

Nearly 85% of SUVs (including compact ones) in the market feature a sunroof

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[SedateGuy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

1 in 4 cars sold in India today has a sunroof.


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IMHO if it were made optional a LOT LESS cars would have sunroofs.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

1 in 4 cars sold in India today has a sunroof.

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I believe it would be more like one out of four car models sold have sunroof as an option/ in their higher variant.

No way, one in four cars sold in India has a sunroof.

[Bhodrolok]

I wonder what the percentage of cars is sold that have a good crash rating! Shows how skewed up our priorities are...

[Omkar]

25% of all cars sold in India have a sunroof - Posts moved to a new thread

[Sen]

Definitely on the anti-sunroof bandwagon personally. If there was an option to opt-out, I would do it.

I personally hate introducing another point of failure in the car, despite the feel-good factor (important, yes, I admit), but India is hot enough without letting in more sunlight into the cabin. Beige interiors + well-managed glass windows can do the job perfectly fine to let 'airiness' into the cabin.

[sanstorm]

I thought it to be a useless feature in our hot and dusty climate, but guess we are a minority. The sunroof does help in the feeling of space in otherwise catastrophic car spaces, however lop side becomes showtime as "son"roof, wherein kids and youngsters peaking out. Unsafe and dangerous!

The reels and social media influence make it wannabe for riches and younger.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Sen

I personally hate introducing another point of failure into the car's structure

From engineering point of view, the structure around sunroof is well designed to ensure no structural failures. Even in full metal roof, there are only 3~4 cross beams that provide structural strength. Rest is just thin sheet panel usually less than 1mm thickness. Infact, in US, vehicles pass IIHS Roof Strength Test even with panoramic sunroof.

In case of regular sunroof, the cross beams are re-positioned. And incase of panoramic sunroof, one central cross beam (can also be part of sunroof assembly) takes over the role. Side body structure is accordingly stiffened.

That said, in case of any crash, there could be additional glass pieces to tackle.

Typical body structure without sunroof :



Sunroof assembly structure (small) :



Sunroof assembly structure (panoramic) :

[Sen]

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

From engineering point of view, the structure around sunroof is well designed to ensure no structural failures.

Thank you for the detailed input! That is some excellent information to know when it comes to the engineering that goes into our cars, which we tend to spend close to 4.5 years of our lifespan on average.

Actually, I was referring to the mechanism that drives the sunroof, as well as acting as an egress/ingress point, since our country is harsher than most in that department too! Love keeping whatever car I get/will get for 10+ years in tip-top condition, which is what the perspective for my comment was.

[NomadSK]

Personally, I have no inclination toward the Sunroof, unless I want to monitor law enforcement choppers pursuing me

But when I was in the market to buy a car for my better half (Yr. 2018), Her and Kid’s only condition was the car should have a Sunroof. Eventually got one with a normal sunroof (not panoramic) and till now she hasn't operated it even once. Only opens the flap at times, that too when weather permits.

At times, When I drive her car, I don’t even know it has got Sunroof.

I guess that’s the reason car companies smartly sell them as "optional package" to attract kids who will influence in buying decision.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Sen

Actually, I was referring to the mechanism that drives the sunroof

Understood your concern. I went on different track due to 'car structure'. Your concern regarding the long term performance of mechanism valid. I hope that manufacturers have tested their offerings sufficiently for Indian conditions.

Again, markets of Middle-East, Australia, Indonesia come to mind for harsh conditions (hot, humid); sunroofs have been offered in there for many years.

Africa & Middle East Automotive Sunroof Market Size and Share Analysis

as well as acting as an egress/ingress point

If I am correctly understanding, you are referring to some people sticking their heads/ bodies out of sun-roofs.

Now, I have learned Poka-Yoke (fool-proofing) as basic philosophy from my early days in the industry. Yet, not all designs can handle all fools.

Originally Posted by NomadSK

But when I was in the market to buy a car for my better half (Yr. 2018), Her and Kid’s only condition was the car should have a Sunroof.

I am also facing similar pressure. Have somehow circumvented on my earlier purchase. But now, almost all top variants of 10L+ vehicle have sunroof.

[mathlesh]

I'm not entirely certain about the significance of sunroofs in and around Delhi. Currently, we are opting for a sunroof solely because it seems to be a standard feature in top-end car models, and unfortunately, there is no choice to get a top-end model without a sunroof.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by volkman10

1 in 4 cars sold in India today has a sunroof.

Originally Posted by Sen

Definitely on the anti-sunroof bandwagon personally. If there was an option to opt-out, I would do it.

The only reason I bought a car with a sunroof was because the variant I wanted only came with a sunroof. If the car was available with all the other features I wanted except the sunroof, I would have bought it.

Originally Posted by sanstorm

I thought it to be a useless feature in our hot and dusty climate, but guess we are a minority.

Add me to that minority group. We may not be a minority after everyone reads this thread.

wherein kids and youngsters peaking out. Unsafe and dangerous!

100% agree with this.

[Nav-i-gator]

Sheet metal bends, while glass shatters.
I have no problem with sunroofs provided we have an option to opt out. It is another cause for concern when car is parked outside, where there are monkeys, or if there is a hailstorm, among other scenarios. Our car at hometown have multiple small depressions on the roof because monkeys often just jump over it. Had it been a sunroof, I dread what would have happened. Plus, given how dusty our country is, I don’t even open the windows. What use of sunroof?

What pains me more is when car companies like Hyundai and Kia do not offer a rear wiper in their mid variants but have a “mandatory” sunroof.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by DicKy

I believe it would be more like one out of four car models sold have sunroof as an option/ in their higher variant. No way, one in four cars sold in India has a sunroof.

Thanks. Title of the thread has been changed now.