Why have European car makers struggled to succeed in India?
Opel Astra? It was India’s first tryst with German technology on the roads. With automatic transmission — a rarity in those days — ventilated disc brakes and a CFC-free air-conditioning system, Astra quickly became the car to dream for. It single-handedly launched the premium luxury sedan segment in India. Opel, then owned by Detroit, US-based auto major General Motors, doubled down, launching Corsa with an ad campaign that auto enthusiasts still remember—“Achtung Baby”—flaunting its German origins. The Opel cars scored high on product satisfaction, but the sheen wore off quickly, thanks to expensive maintenance and sub-par after-sales experience, all of which affected the resale value. Opel exited India in 2006, 10 years after its entry.
French manufacturer Peugeot was another early mover in the 1990s and launched the 309 —a boxy sedan with 80s design language—in India. Not even the choice of the TUD5 engine, a legendary motor, could save the Parisian car maker. You would think that after initial hiccups, things would have become different in the new millennium and the Europeans would have made the most of their early-mover advantage. But that was not to be.
Opel’s and Peugeot’s rise and fall capture the story of European car makers in India, who won hearts, but have yet to make any significant impact in one of the fastest growing passenger vehicle markets in the world.
TOUGH TERRAIN The numbers tell the larger story. Almost three decades after the “Achtung” call, European carmakers have been relegated to the
