Affordable convertibles: Does it make sense to offer them in India?

The only “affordable” ones I can recount are the Mini Cooper Convertible ~65L and the BMW Z4 20i ~85L

BHPian QuentinTino recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Going by the news - come next month, there is going to be another convertible in the Indian market - the Mercedes-AMG E53 Cabriolet; which made me sadly realise that this is going to be another brick in the wall for most of us, as it will likely be priced between ₹1.5 - 2 crores, hence only the UHNWIs (Ultra high net worth individuals) would be able to afford it.

Hence I feel like the Indian Car scene has no affordable/non-ridiculously priced convertibles

The only “affordable” ones I can recount are the Mini Cooper Convertible ~65L and the BMW Z4 20i ~85L, the rest of the others are either gone from the market or from the 1Cr bracket!

What do my fellow TBHPians think about this dilemma?

God! How great it would be if we had options in the ₹20-40L category!

(Note: Thar is not being counted as a convertible here)

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Nice thread.

Car OEMs are in the business of catering to demand. Hence, if there was a demand for convertibles, they would gladly offer it. But our weather is too hot & too dusty, and there is also the fear of theft with a convertible.

Not just in India, but even in the USA, convertible & 2-door sales have tanked (Convertibles / Roadsters segment is dying | Sales in US & Europe down 80% since 2005).

If you want to enjoy a convertible in India, you can do so only in the evenings, night time and mornings. And it's totally worth it, I might add. Just that you'll have to be happy with a soft-top 4x4 to get your fix (Mahindras, Gypsys, Gurkhas).

Here's what BHPian RedTerrano had to say on the matter:

Convertibles!

Hell, I still haven't figured out the point of sunroofs on Indian cars. As pointed out already, heat and dust are the main pain points.

And then, there is also the other factor. People and culture. One of my friends is a vintage car restorer. This dude.

Once he took a restored vintage beauty (convertible) to visit his relatives. After he came back to the public parking, he noticed someone had tossed a banana peel inside the car.

These are the same types who spit inside brand-new trains or intentionally scratch brand-new vehicles. I do not expect to see any improvement at least in my lifetime.

Here's what BHPian harry10 had to say on the matter:

I love convertibles.

My first experience was when I was 16 years old. We were on vacation at Dalhousie with extended family and one of their family friends brought a Mercedes convertible. He was a prominent businessman from Ludhiana who owned quite a few imports. I was extremely excited and he gave me a good ride in that car. Still, remember the experience. Sadly, in our country where opening the sunroof brings dust, and pollution in a second, convertibles will always be a dream.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:

If the weather is a consideration for a convertible, you are not a convertible enthusiast. For decades the UK has been the European country with more convertibles on the road and sold than others

But again, even in the UK, they all drive top-up! If you are a true hardcore convertible enthusiast you drive top down, no matter what the weather. Blistering hot, freezing cold, sun, snow, rain, sleek, all part of of the fun of driving top down. I keep my Alfa Spider in immaculate condition. But the top has a big test in it. I can’t be bothered to fix it properly, because we drive it top-down all the time. We drove more than 8000 km this year, all over Europe, always top down!

I never understand folks that buy a convertible and the. Spend 99% of the time with the top-up waiting for the one-off perfect top-down day per year.

Here's what BHPian Maverick1977 had to say on the matter:

This was one car with one of the most horrible build qualities. While still in production my boss had managed to get one, at a great discount though. The roof would not fit properly and the rainwater would leak inside causing an unwanted swimming pool. The car was poor on power also, can vouch as he used to give it to me to take it to the company office/rep (don't recall exactly now as this was in 2006) often for repairs. He used to hate it and then it became a garage queen.

Spares were tough to get even when this thing was in production, can't imagine what the scene will be like now.

We have never adapted to global car styles - even estates never took off.

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