Vocal For Local: Top 5 Indigenous 'Desi' Indian Automobile Brands

• Published On: 15 May 2020
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Here is the list of top 5 local 'Desi' Indian automobile brands that we should be vocal of.

On May 12, 2020, PM Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, emphasized on the significance of locally manufactured indigenous products and appealed to the people to use them and be vocal about them. In his very own peculiar style, PM Modi termed this exercise as 'Vocal for Local' and requested every citizen to come forward and take this initiative in these tough times of Corona Virus. However, some people assume that it was an indirect jibe at Chinese products which occupy the majority of the market in India due to being cheaper in price. But that's for another story as today we will talk about the local Indian automotive brands that we should be vocal and proud of as they are not only a force to reckon with in India but also across the globe.

List of top 5 local 'Desi' Indian automobile brands

Tata Motors

Being the biggest automobile manufacturer to emerge out of the Asian continent, Tata Motors has completed 75 years in the Indian market. The company is headquartered in Mumbai and deals in both passenger and commercial vehicles. It has six production facilities within the country in various cities like Jamshedpur, Pantnagar, Lucknow, Sanand, Dharwad, and Pune. Tata Motors also has manufacturing units in Argentina, South Africa, Britain, and Thailand. It rolled out the first fully indigenous passenger car over two decades back in 1998 in the form of Indica. Currently, its product portfolio comprises of a total of six cars and SUVs, all of which are sold with a BS6 compliant engine. They are: Tata Tiago, Tata Tigor, Tata Altroz, Tata Nexon, Tata Nano, Tata Harrier and Tata Hexa.

Maruti Suzuki

Formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, it is the biggest automobile manufacturer in India in the passenger vehicle segment with a market share over 53 percent. Being headquartered in New Delhi, Maruti Suzuki India Limited came into existence in 1981, which is nearly four decades back from now. It was a collaboration with Japanese automaker Suzuki that led to the foundation of Maruti Suzuki in India. Over the years, such has been the popularity of the company that it has already retailed over 15 million locally developed indigenous cars till date. The current product portfolio of Maruti Suzuki consists of Ciaz, Ertiga, XL6, Wagon R, Alto 800, Swift, Celerio, Dzire, Baleno, Eeco, Ignis, S-Cross, Vitara Brezza and the newly launched S-Presso. It has two production plants in Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana.

Mahindra & Mahindra

Originally established as Muhammad & Mahindra in 1945 (the same year as Tata Motors), it is the biggest company in the world to manufacture tractors. The company is fairly popular between the Indian buyers due to its contemporary range of SUVs. Mahindra has five production facilities in various parts of the country: Bangalore, Chakan, Haridwar, Nasik and Zaheerabad. The reputed Fortune India 500 magazine listed it on the 17th position in 2018, which speaks volumes about the stature of the company. Mr. Anand Mahindra is the current Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra while the product range in India includes Bolero, Scorpio, XUV500, Marazzo, XUV300, KUV100 NXT, eVerito, Alturas G4, TUV300, and Thar.

Hero MotoCorp

Earlier known as Hero Honda due to its association with Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Honda, it owns the biggest market share in the Indian market of around 46 percent. Being the biggest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world, Hero MotoCorp has five production plants in India: Dharuhera, Gurgaon, Neemrana, Haridwar and Halol. The five aforementioned units have a combined capacity of developing more than 76 Lakhs units annually. The Hero Group parted ways with Honda 2011 and started sales operations on its own in the country. It offers a mix of motorcycles and scooters in India which comprise of the likes of Xtreme 160R, XPulse 200, Passion Pro, Splendor iSmart, Glamour, Splendor+, HF Deluxe, Super Splendor, Destini 125, Maestro Edge 125, Pleasure+, Xtreme 200S and XPulse 200T.

Bajaj Auto Limited

Being the world's largest three-wheeler company, Bajaj Auto was founded nearly 75 years ago in 1945 by Jamnalal Bajaj. It is headquartered at Pune, Maharashtra while it deals in motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. The company has manufacturing units in various parts of India: Chakan, Aurangabad, Pantnagar and Akurdi. It is the second largest two-wheeler company in India as far as market share is concerned. The company was the largest Indian exporter of motorcycles in 2004. It is also widely regarded as the first two-wheeler maker in India to launch 4-stroke commuter motorcycles. The current product range of Bajaj Auto has Dominar 400, Dominar 250, Pulsar RS200 & NS200, Pulsar NS160, Pulsar 220F, Pulsar 150 & 150 Twin Disc, Pulsar Neon 125, Neon 150 & Neon 180F, Avenger Street 160 & Cruise 220, Platina 100 & 110 H Gear, CT100 & CT110 and Chetak Electric Scooter.