[carjack3090]

Cars that changed the Game- 2025 Edition

I was going through old Team BHP Posts and one of them revolved around Cars that changed the Game at a particular price point

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-changers.html (The 20 lakh rupee Game-Changers!)

I thought that this post needs an update. The car market has completely changed in the past decade and a half.

20 lakh is the new normal, GST has been introduced, EVs are considered normal, American companies have become history

Though some of the ethos have still remained the same. Here is my take for list of Cars that changed the game

(Note: Will not be considering cars that stand discontinued as of now so even though Ecosport and Duster changed the game in their segment but they won't be included in this list)

1)Affordable Cars with Premium/Luxury levels of quality

Kia Seltos (1st Generation)


Hyundai's sister brand Kia decided to enter Indian market in the year 2019 and their first offering Kia Seltos took the Indian market by a storm. Kia's entry broke many myths in Indian market and made the Toyota's and Fords take notice on how things are done here

What made it special

What made Kia Seltos special was the attractive pricing it came with, along with the interiors that were available in cars 3X its price and a feature list that wasn't common for any mass market vehicle back then. It had its flaws with the driving terrain, suspension and service but what it didn't have any flaw was with its design and amazing quality of cabin that it provided.

MG Hector



After GM decided to call quits in India, SAIC decided to take complete control of the Indian market and decided to launch their British Brand MG in India. Their first offering MG Hector was another car that took everyone by storme

What made it special

Hector looked upmarket from the get go, it seemed like a Cadillac look alike (Cadillac was owned by GM, who are a minority stakeholder in SAIC). Everything about Hector spelled luxury to the buyers, whether it was interior, seats, cabin quality and the pricing for the car was phenomenal (starting at 12.5 Lakhs). What was not phenomenal was the powertrain which had an abysmal petrol engine and a Diesel without Automatic

Jeep Compass



It maybe breathing on ventilator today but back in its launch in 2017, Compass was the "it" car that made every enthusiast stand up and clap.

What made it special

Launched at approx 15 lakhs, it had wow factor of a typical American SUV. Ride was smooth, its capabilities were crazy good, it could be taken anywhere and used anyhow. Jeep made performance capabilities accessible

2) LUXURY EVs and their Phenomenal Performance

Kia EV6


Up until Kia's ambitious launch of EV6, Cars above 50 lakhs were considered the territory for Germans or the British Marquee JLR. Enter Kia with its phenomenal looking Ev6 with electrifying EV Performance

What made it special

It maybe over priced today (discounts upto 30 lakhs were available to clear stock) but back in 2022 when it was launched, no one was providing such crisp performance. The Long Crossover styling won hearts of customers and Kia who thought it would only sell 250 of the car ended up selling more than 1000. What worked in its favor was the EV architecture and sports car level performance with AWD setup. What also worked was its premium Ness and freshly looks. BMW i4 launched at same time went into oblivion. Kia was also able to defeat its sister brands very able Ioniq 5 (despite Ioniq 5 being a CKD in India)

BYD and its EVs


Attachment 2736811

BYD is no stranger to the EV world and to India, having entered in India in 2007. BYD's first major Indian launch was Atto 3 at an attractive price of 34 lakhs (which has since been dropped to 24 lakhs). They have also launched the e9 (now called m9) and their two jaw dropping premium cars- Seal and Sealion 7.

What makes them special

BYD's Seal is the fastest luxury car under 1 Crore with a mammoth 500 plus HP, but with the price tag under 55 lakhs. Similarly Atto 3 at its inception provided luxury car premium at price that was 10 lakhs lower than competitors. BYD is pioneer of handsome EV styling, amazing tech and finesse interiors, also their power figures have left Germans in dumps. BYD despite CBU operations outpriced its German competitors on EVs. They have since revolutionized Supercar level performance to normal levels

3)Affordable Performance

Hyundai's N-Line range


Hyundai took the big bet of introducing n-line cars with sportier suspension, looks, bumpers and exhaust

What makes them Special

Indian market is not known to be kind to sporty cars at affordable levels, but yet Hyundai took the bet of trying things out differently for a niche audience. Result has been encouraging, they have offered their n-line range in 3 of their cars and have seen decent sales. The cars offer the feeling (if not complete performance) of sportiness something that caters to those who love cars

Tata Punch and XUV 400



EVs have given an opportunity to car makers like Tata and Mahindra to come up with affordable offering that give spirited performance. Both Punch EV (in its Long range version) and 400 took the performance level to next level (available under 15 lakhs)

What makes them special

The sheer joy of riding a small car with spirited performance cannot be explained, and thanks to its EV nature there was no compromise with the returns as well. Both Punch EV and 400 provided lively performance to a segment of consumers who couldn't spend above 30 lakhs for similar levels of performance. Although both EVs were incomplete but it was heartening to see the attempt

Skoda Kylaq


What makes it special

The sheer joy of riding a German at such an affordable level. The entry level price for that amazing 1 liter engine gives enough impetus to call this a possible game changer, though the jury is still out on the car, it is to hope that things work out for the best.

4) The Range of Cars from Mahindra

It is no brainer that Indian car manufacturers have pulled up their shocks in the past few years. Mahindra especially has wowed everybody with their wide array of cars at mouth watering price and amazing abilities

What makes them special

Mahindra cars offer the aspiration factor to a common day buyer, whether it is their design, their sound insulation, suspension, ride quality or the engine. They have in fact pulled their socks up to offer world class levels of utilities in their car but at a price which makes it accessible to the masses. Be it 4x4 abilities that outmatch Wrangler and its likes, The Built and drive quality of Scorpio N that defeats its rivals like the Fortuner, or the 700 that outperforms its German rivals (whose prices are 3X that of 700).

They have even taken things next level by offering L2 ADAS in 3XO, added to the most spirited and powerful TGDI engine in its class.

It is a no brainer how Mahindra has climbed the ladder to number 2 in February 2025

This was my list of cars that changed the game.

[GTO]

Great thread .

The biggest game-changers we have seen in recent times are the Mahindra BE 6 & XEV 9E. People won't buy the Mahindra twins because they are EVs; rather, they will be bought despite being EVs. EVs haven't exactly taken off like everyone expected, and customers still love their ICE cars. But the BE 6 & XEV 9E offer an irresistible package of tech, looks, space, performance & the "wow" factor. No ICE car comes close for 25-30 lakhs.

The Kia Syros & MG Windsor too bring something extremely unique to their respective segments, the Windsor at a great value-for-money price (Kia went overboard with pricing the higher Syros variants). The Syros is so spacious, has such a long equipment list and is an all-rounder.

In the premium segment, IMHO, the iX1 LWB has set the cat amongst the pigeons. Luxury car sales have slowed down since a while, and BMW has ensured no one will overprice their 50+ lakh cars for a while. Even the LWB 5-Series was well-priced to begin with.

On the other hand, everyone expected the Thar Roxx to be a gamechanger. I love the SUV, but I do NOT think it's a gamechanger at all. In fact, after spending a week with it (link to my review), I'm convinced it's not for everyone...and that the Scorpio-N & XUV700 are superior in many ways.

[carjack3090]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great thread .

The biggest game-changers we have seen in recent times are the Mahindra BE 6 & XEV 9E. People won't buy the Mahindra twins because they are EVs; rather, they will be bought despite being EVs. EVs haven't exactly taken off like everyone expected, and customers still love their ICE cars. But the BE 6 & XEV 9E offer a compelling package of tech, looks, space, performance & the "wow" factor. No ICE car comes close.


On the other hand, everyone expected the Thar Roxx to be a gamechanger. I love the SUV, but I do NOT think it's a gamechanger at all. In fact, after spending a week with it (link to my review), I'm convinced it's not for everyone...and the Scorpio-N & XUV700 are superior in many ways.

True I forgot to add Windsor, am yet to Experience Syros but am hearing amazing feedback about the backseat experience

Edit: Also didn't realize it was your 15 year old thread, it feels nice to be able to carry forward the legacy

[sharmanova]

Game changers according to me from the last 5 years:

2020 : Mahindra Thar
Who would have thought that a 3-door Mahindra would set the sales chart on fire, especially during COVID-19 when family cars should have been in high demand!

The new Thar's imposing road presence, powerful Turbo petrol and Diesel engines paired with the MT and smooth AT gearbox and a more family-friendly interior compared to the barebones 1st gen Thar made it a game changer for the year 2020.

2021 : Mahindra XUV700
I need not explain why I consider this car a game changer! Launched in September 2021, this car repeated the XUV500 moment of 2011. This is a truly VFM car which got all the bells and whistles which you would expect in a Fortuner/Endeavour and powerful engines with great handling at just ₹20-25L which I think made this car a game changer for 2021.

RESULT?
The first 25K units of this car were booked in just one hour, which made Mahindra close it's bookings on the second day when it crossed 50K bookings and was sold out for the next 10 months. The waiting periods of the XUV700 stretched to as long as 2 years!

2022 : Tata Tiago EV
Were you expecting Scorpio-N here?

Okay back to the Tiago EV, launched at ₹8.5L this was a proper family EV under ₹10L. Remember what R.C. Bhargava, former CEO of MSIL said building affordable EVs would be tough! Yes, initially this car had some QC issues, but considering it's price, its hard to complain!

2023 : Hyundai Ioniq 5
This year didn't have a hatke car launch, but still we can consider the Ioniq 5 as a game-changer?

2024 : BYD Seal
0-100 in 3.8s, 523 BHP of power and 670 NM of torque in a family car, fully-loaded comfort and safety features with 5-star NCAP rating at just ₹53L! Complete package a enthusiast would want right?

Seal had only 2 negatives, it's low GC (Sealion has solved that now) and Brand (BYD is expanding slowly).

Q1 2025 : Manindra BE 6 and XEV 9E
Just like the XUV700 no words. These cars especially the BE 6 seem like they've come straight from the future! Also ~5K units of these have already been dispatched to the dealerships, so a really good number for ₹25-30L EVs

[Cresterk]

I don't think any of the watered down Hyundai N-lines ever had a significant effect on the market.

The real game changer when launched was the Polo GT which made hot hatches a thing. Abarth was another one even though it didn't sell much. The N-lines are just a pale imitation.

The Duster and Ford Ecosport was another game changer that carved out its own niche in the form of compact SUVs.

[mrnorcal]

One opportunity available for the manufacturers to be a game changer in the mini van segment. Similar to mid-size SUV segment success and picking up good numbers in sales, the mini-van segment when priced right can be a game changer in the upcoming years. The Innova is the only offering from Toyota in this segment but it falls short because of no competition from other manufacturers. Kia Carnival is positioned in high premium segment and hence it could not make numbers for families who can afford in the 30 lakh range.

[Carma2017]

I am sorry to be a contrarian but none of the Cars listed in the root thread are game changers. Game Changers by definition would be segment creaters and trend setters.

By that definition, the 1st gen Creta was the true 4.3m SUV/pseudo SUV segment creater (if we discount Duster) and not the Seltos. Similarly, India was introduced to performance cars by VW and it's TSIs and GTs etc. The Abarth and N Lines were no match to the VWs (I hate the company but must doff my hat where its true). Before Hyundai went crazy with the i20 pricing, it was the true creator of the premium Hatch segment, to which the Baleno and the Altroz were late joiners.

In today's world, in my opinion, the only true game changers is the Windsor from MG. Backed by Chinese Government subsidies and MGs technical prowess, this Chinese EV has redefined what EVs can give at that price point. I will stick out my neck and say that if Windsor does not have significant technical issues and can supply requisite volumes timely, it will wipe out the competition in below 20L segment EVs. Of course, the Chinese EV prowess deniers would buy non MG but that would be a minority.

On a very different note, TATA deserves a mention for their EVs. They made EVs mainstream when no one talked about them in India yet in a mass scale yet. The only reason, I do not put them up as game changers is because they are buggy as hell and have set some very wrong expectations about how an EV should charge etc. Of course, that is not to say, that they were not game changers in their own right. But, somehow owing to my engineer's bias, I cannot just give them this recognition due to the sometimes shocking quality snafus.

The other contenders

I thought about the Japanese Hybrids for long but the Tech is too pricy and hasn't really attracted the masses. And there aren't many cars from other makers with Hybrid powertrains yet, so these hybrids haven't really been trend setters.

The KIA Syros does not bring anything unique to the table, nor does it create a segment. By stretching my imagination, I can say that the Syros creates a premium 4m pseudo mini SUV segment which has price overlap with the 4.3m Compact SUVs. But that's about it. Sorry KIA, the Syros is just outright ugly on the outside. I don't know how a company that made the superb looking Seltos can design the Syros!

The Mahindra twins are original, fresh, eye catchingly styled and packed with Tech to the teeth. But again, they don't create the segment and neither are their pricing epoch breaking. Also, the Sedan-SUV hybrid looking cars were already introduced in India by Citroen and TATA. But will the Mahindra Twins sell well? Very well, initially for sure. But the ergonomic compromises with the basic shape are too much for my taste to be a trail blazer for the ages. But then again what do I know? The Final customers would have the Final say. Need to watch this one over a longer period to understand it's impact. I feel this may go the Fluidic 2nd gen Verna way - Rave reviews about looks to start with but sales fell as technical issues surfaced.

[ajmat]

In my opinion

The Kia Seltos is the VW Golf for India - totally classless, you could be an aspiring first car owner or a well to do yuppy, the Seltos image fits both

The MG ZS made electric cars more acceptable

The Merc E Class made the limousine experience relatively affordable

The MG Hector made gimmickry mainstream (gets sales!)

The BMW i7 has made electric cars acceptable in the high end segment

BMW 3 Gran Limo - Introduced the E Class concept to a lower segment. The no of middle aged people buying these for chauffeur use is amazing. Totally anti 3 philosophy!

BYD have the potential but the China origins need to navigate the current political headwinds before they can impact at a large scale

Innova Crysta HyCross - Introduced the masses to the hybrid

[gauravanekar]

Ford Ecosport
This car has been a game changer. This is one product which created the formula of perfect balance between the practicality of a compact SUV, Ride and handling of a premium hatch and affordable total cost of ownership. In addition to class leading design and premium feel.

Toyota Innova
In simple words
Desirable MUV, Safe purchase.

MS Wagon R
Pure utilitarianism

[100Kmphormore]

In 2025, the BYD Sealion 7 in cars and the 2025 390 ADV in bikes. These 2 promise to be a game changer in their segments