Interesting car ownership trends in the city of Coimbatore

Coimbatorians seem to have a particular fondness for luxury German automobiles. It's quite common to see a high number of Merc, BMW, Audi, and Volvo vehicles on the roads.

BHPian ₹itzylove recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’ve been wanting to discuss something that’s been on my mind for a while now "Car trends in different cities". While I don’t have concrete data to back up my observations, I’ve noticed some intriguing patterns in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, that I thought would be interesting to share and discuss.

Coimbatore, often referred to as the "Manchester of South India," seems to have some unique automotive trends. Here’s what I’ve observed:

Big German Brands Are a Favorite:

Coimbatorians seem to have a particular fondness for luxury German automobiles. It's quite common to see a high number of Merc, BMW, Audi, and Volvo vehicles on the roads. In fact, the ratio (against total number of cars in the city) of these high-end brands in Coimbatore appears to be higher compared to many other cities I've visited in India.

German Love Extends to the Mainstream:

This admiration for German engineering isn't limited to luxury models. There’s also a noticeable presence of Volkswagen and Skoda vehicles, reflecting a strong preference for these brands even in the more accessible segments of the market.

Preference for Top-End Variants:

Coimbatorians seem to gravitate towards the top-end variants of cars, regardless of the brand. Whether it’s a simple Suzuki, Tata, or a high-end German model, you’ll often see the more fully-featured versions on the road. This trend highlights a willingness to invest in premium features and specifications.

Frequent Car Upgrades:

Another trend I've noticed is the rapid turnover of vehicles. For instance, when Toyota launched the Innova Crysta, it didn’t take long for the older gen Innovas to become a rare sight. The same pattern seems to be emerging with the new Hycross, where older models are quickly being replaced. This rapid updating of cars suggests a strong market for the latest models and features.

I mentioned these observations to my wife and a few friends, and they started noticing the same patterns, which reinforces my feeling that these trends are not just coincidental but might be characteristic of Coimbatore’s automotive culture.

I’d love to hear if others have noticed similar trends in their cities or if there are any other unique automotive behaviors in Coimbatore that I might have missed. Let’s see what other interesting city-specific car trends we can uncover!

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

Haven't been to Coimbatore much, but one observation I had was that of the sheer number of Skodas. It was the time when the Rapid 1.0TSi was launched especially with that bang VFM Rider variant. Thought it was because of that.

Until we visited the SGA Skoda service centre for changing brake pads. The sheer size of the facilities, the crowd. It felt like a Maruti showroom (in a good way). Would make one believe that Skoda after sales services aren't bad afterall. Compared to the dinky, pompous, almost fly by night Skoda service centres in Kerala.

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

As someone from Coimbatore, I agree. However, not everyone replaces our cars every 2-3 years, some of us tend to keep them for long period, some even have 10+ years cars but their running is usually low. Those who replace in 2-3 years will either have high running or will be running a business and will claim depreciation benefits or simply they liked a new model in the market.

As much as you see European cars within the city, there will be plenty of Marutis on the outskirts, the likes of 800 and Zen still running, although they’ll be parked and will be used on holidays or to attend a function.

Old Fiesta and Figo used to sell well, they didn’t launch the new model here for some reason. Most of the old Fiesta and Figo owners upgraded to Vento/Rapid and Polo. Likewise, you can also see more of Virtus/Slavia than their rivals. I have also noticed some people here rarely go for upgrade, they just go for the newer model in the same segment, a family friend went from Fiesta to Linea to Vento to Creta(because he wanted a diesel only).

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

As someone who spent my early childhood in Coimbatore, I agree with what you say. High end cars, especially Germans have a good market there. I can think of a few reasons:

1. From the early 50s to late 70s, it was apparently one of the cities where high end cars existed as the city had many industries and was entrepreneuial in nature. So one can see a direct conversion

2. From automotive knowledge or passion viewpoint, the city had many heroes including some of India's leading rally heroes. With people with Kari, Narian and others they have developed the culture

3. Long before FNG became mainstream, Coimbatore had significant number of Garages that did some outstanding mod and body work. Ambys with high end interiors, alloy wheels, AT conversion and engine upgrades were quite popular then, even now. If you take Contessa Classic and Standard 2000, they had some very cool mods at the time.

4. Finally the collectors, some of the most famous ones like GD had some exquisite collection of cars.

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

I am from Erode and can relate with most of the facts about Coimbatore and the cars there. Another significant fact is the presence of the top rally and track racers ,both four and two wheels, out of here.

Karivardhan,Leelakrishnan ,Narain Karthikeyan to name a few .

Narain is now building a race track here which will add to the city's heritage.

Koya"s of Coimbatore is legendary for sprucing up the car"s exteriors and interiors through the 60s to the 90"s before every street started having a paint and body shop with a mechanic.

My mother used to get our Fiat painted in dual tone colours every three years with a seat cover change as well. I remember my grandfather getting his Contessa Classic air-conditioned here and before that a fleet of Ambassadors and Fiats as well.There used to be a large number of cars from Kerala, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh parked in Koyas then.

Nice post. Sure joggled up my memories as well.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.