[vinya_jag]

Voted No.

US market is already one, if not 2 generations ahead, for a lot of car makers. The Civic, the Toyota's, Lexus, that we have are decently old.

Our engines and build/ride don't match their road requirements. I can't imagine driving our alto, on those highways with such slow acceleration numbers.

They will never let our less expensive cars there without taxing heavily. That would work against their used car market.

Logistical issues also will be a big reason. Brazil is very close. Thailand, Indonesia are half way compared to India. Shipping will be difficult.

[mmxylorider]

I believe it's about recognizing the market. Indian manufacturers (Tata/M&M) have capable products that being exported overseas. But that's just a very specific segment either armed forces or law enforcement. Mainstream audience requires something completely different. I am surprised why the I20 is not available in the US market.

[TorqMaster]

If the manufacturers from India can define themselves clearly on what spot they want to occupy in US based on the product positioning, how much it would cost to achieve this and is it worth spending the money going through the financial and political processes then I think we would have a winner.
Take for example - US has a lot of used cars. If you are looking for a 6 adult seater minivan , it's hard to find a decent example for less than $15k. However, if maruti or tatas were to bring in a minivan with $12k to $20k price point and with the crash worthiness to fill this gap then we would be seeing some decent numbers for these models.
I don't mean to say these companies make cheap cars. Indian car makers are very capable to make world class cars for a lot less money than US giants.

[arunrajk81]

Voted - Can't say

In my view, this can be split into more specific questions

- Made in India car build for export Market – Yes
- Made in India car build for Indian market – No

Even though I am not a Royal Enfield fan, I feel very happy to see those bikes once a while in US. Saw one in Yosemite accompanied by two Harleys (I guess it was classic 500 green color) and several other around where I am staying.

I really want Indian car manufacturers to enter developed markets rather than considering only markets similar to India. I heard Tata and Mahindra were in the bid for the replacement of USPS van (Grumman LLV). Don’t know what happened to that.

Mahindra Roxor as a model, I am not considering since it’s a side-by-side and is not road worthy as per US laws. But for Mahindra as a manufacturer, I am seeing it as getting one step closer towards reaching mainstream automobile market in US.

[Guru_GPS]

I vote - Cant say / Not Sure.

Made in India cars might sell, but Made for India do not and will not. We are very clearly aware about some manufacturers skimping on features in India-specific models and especially on safety front. These will not be accepted as road legal by any means even in a country like Brazil [iirc it was Swift which had scored poor in crash tests for Brazilian market] which has strict laws which are strictly enforced. Add to that the lawsuits that follow which will drain away all profits earned over decades [IF a company manages to sell for so much duration] and then some more. Toyota's unintended acceleration lawsuit will remain a good lesson, with their chief apologizing with folded hands and teary eyes.

[theMAG]

Practically - NO.

The two markets cannot be more starkly different, while not even accounting for left/right-hand drive. The US is for large vehicles (by India standards) that are capable of high-speed daily drive and for a developed economy with a higher purchasing power, while India requires smaller sized vehicles - both physically and motor displacement, optimized for crawl-traffic and narrow roads, while being value-driven, than specification-driven.

While I am admittedly out-of-touch with the Indian car scene, the one possible exception to my views above could be Mahindra's XUV 5OO - which could theoretically be sold as a VFM compact cross-over in the US.

[Arbind Ray]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

With due respect I have simply not understood what you are trying to communicate. My IQ doesn't get that far.

Hi V.Narayan, you referenced India's technical prowess as an indicator for increased scope of market entry into nations whose barometer of success lies in its ability to proliferate a narrative that even had Indian diaspora believing we're a country of snake charmers and tandoori chicken. Another analogy would be akin to a village dweller in India donning jeans stamped with the Levi brand...it would take a giant leap of social engineering to equate like-minded wavelength with a labourer from Texas or Minneapolis clad in genuine Levi apparel.

Most automotive brands mentioned on this forum are owned by conglomerates whose cross platform institutional funding keeps motor companies solvent where conventional after-sales profit centres fail. Political will alone would struggle to keep homegrown brands afloat in the present climate let alone convincing the populous to make America Great Again by buying Indian... somehow I can't see that happening anytime soon

[Bibendum90949]

Voted Yes. Made in India for overseas market is already taking place as many have pointed out. For example, Kia is exporting Made in India Seltos to around 40 countries including US. India is the core manufacturing hub for Kia Sonet and it's currently produced only in India for the world markets. The trend holds good for Suzuki Jimny Sierra too.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...exports-414485

https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto...906952814.html

A bit . I feel the export models should be made available for Indian buyers too. Those who don't mind spending for the top notch build and specs of export versions would surely lap it up. Car makers need not market their sticker price as it can have an adverse impact on their domestic sales and their price positioning. But it should be available in a made to order form. There are many who likes to stand out and flaunt their cars and I guess there would be many takers for such cars. There should provisions be made in the law for its sales.

How about driving an Australian spec Seltos on our Indian roads or a 3 door Jimny for that matter

[mvadg]

Voted yes.
I have a different viewpoint. It will not depend on India, Indians, our current state of affairs, our technological prowess, etc.

Once the people who really run the world decide that India will supply cars to the USA, they can turn the world upside down to make that happen.

I still can't believe that we are a software superpower, but that we seem to be; and I'm guessing it happened without any of the prerequisites in place or with any of the logic presented in the numerous posts above. If you look at the history of Korean cars, you will find out that they were junk when they started selling them in the USA. Same for the Japanese. The biggest proof in support of my theory: China! Wasn't China another basket case? What did they have when they started exporting their goods around the world?
So, in due course we will see, I don't know, MVADG branded cars, electronics, chips, AI, spaceships... Sorry, I digress.

[smooth indian]

If I get the question right, will an Indian brand be able to sell a car design and manufactured by an Indian firm?
It is certainly possible to sell an Indian branded car in the US. The Japanese and koreans came from behind to get hold of a sizeable share of the market. So it is possible that an Indian brand like Tata or Mahindra can corner a piece of the american car market. However, it is not that easy since brand recognition plays a big part in car buying. If an Indian company does manage to create a small but dedicated customer base, then it can build upon that.
If a famous car model like the Tata Nano was to introduced for younger and urbane customers, then some success could be found. With the right engineering and features it could be sold as an inexpensive, urban runabout for student, yuppies and even pretty party going girls of the Caucasian/Asian variety. A economic but sturdy and reliable SUV could appeal to middle or blue collar class who are looking for some not heavy on the pocket.
Maybe in the future small/medium size electric cars from Indian brands might find favor since the electric car market is still not settled. An Indian car with the right performance/features and marketing/after sales strategy could become popular.

[hserus]

Skoda has now exported their 5 lakh'th car made in India for the export market.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le32907205.ece

[sridharj77]

On a related, but different angle to this topic. Has any serious American driver/reviewer posted a detailed review of modern Indian cars (India-spec versions of non-Indian OEMs included)? How does the XUV 500/Hexa feel when compared to a US equivalent? How does an i20 compare?

[hserus]

Originally Posted by sridharj77

On a related, but different angle to this topic. Has any serious American driver/reviewer posted a detailed review of modern Indian cars (India-spec versions of non-Indian OEMs included)? How does the XUV 500/Hexa feel when compared to a US equivalent? How does an i20 compare?

The Kwid for example https://jalopnik.com/renault-kwid-th...car-1845291522

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by sridharj77

On a related, but different angle to this topic. Has any serious American driver/reviewer posted a detailed review of modern Indian cars (India-spec versions of non-Indian OEMs included)? How does the XUV 500/Hexa feel when compared to a US equivalent? How does an i20 compare?

Since XUV 500 & Scorpio are (were?) sold in South Africa and Australia/NZ, there are many reviews on Youtube. Just type "XUV 500 Australia review" in Youtube search.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfLejGpmehQ

[sridharj77]

Originally Posted by hserus

The Kwid for example https://jalopnik.com/renault-kwid-th...car-1845291522

I saw this and was wondering if the writer was looking for an offbeat article.

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Since XUV 500 & Scorpio are (were?) sold in South Africa and Australia/NZ, there are many reviews on Youtube. Just type "XUV 500 Australia review" in Youtube search.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=VfLejGpmehQ

Interesting! This does show that Indian cars, while VFM, cannot fully compete on the execution front yet - just a little bit more attention and we will be there!

However, the Jeep Compass, while considered competent and reliable in India (perception), is rated by Consumer Reports as an unreliable vehicle (https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/jeep/compass, https://www.motorbiscuit.com/consume...rst-2020-suvs/)