VehiIN

Vehicles in India

Vehicles in India

"In 1951 the number of motorised vehicle on India's roads totaled 300,000. The figure had climbed to 5.4 million by 1981 and shot to 26.5 million in 1996. India's metropolitan vehicle population has tripled since 1990 with dire results for the environment." (Lonely Planet) Luckily, many of these are Vespa scooters.

High import duties make it prohibitive for Indians to buy foreign cars. Except for a few CD or UN registered cars, most vehicles on Indian roads have been made or assembled in India. This started with the Morris Oxford in the 1950s that later became the ubiquitous and sturdy Hindustan Ambassador (above left). The Enfield Bullet bike (above right) and Vespa scooters have a similar story : both are also still assembled under license in India.

Joint Ventures

"The big story however is the Maruti, a locally assembled Japanese Suzuki mini-car, minivan and 4WD, put together in the Sanjay Gandhi 'people's car' factory near Delhi. They've swept the country and you now see them everywhere in surprisingly large numbers" (LP) With engines of 800 cc these little beasts often go around driven by maniacs.

4WD