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A curation of hot hatchbacks ideal for Indian roads

- ABHINAV SURI

For decades, India has been perceived as a market for cheap cars, a reputation largely built by the dominance of small, economical hatchbacks. The car that put the country on four wheels and got the ball rolling for this compact car revolution was the Maruti 800, a micro, Japanese hatch sourced from Suzuki launched in 1983.

This dominance of small hatchbacks continued for over three decades, and until 10 years ago, hatchbacks accounted for nearly half the cars sold in India. In recent times, however, SUVs have stolen away the relevance small hatchbacks enjoyed for so long. If one looks at the sales statistics from last month, compact hatches only held a quarter of the total sales pie, with SUVs accounting for nearly twice the share. The decline in hatchbacks is not merely due to buyers wanting to drive cars that sit higher up, it is predominantly because buyers want more capable vehicles.

With rising incomes buyers are looking for cars that offer better performance, top-tier safety, and modern technology, areas where today's SUVs shine. The market has off-late seen a flood of powerful turbo-petrol SUVs with fast dual-clutch gearboxes on offer, along with features such as ADAS, paddle shifters, traction and stability control gaining more prominence.

The current crop of hatchbacks sold in India has lost their lustre and fails to excite, by neither delivering value nor performance. While hatchback prices have continued to balloon with inflation, their engines remain from an era where fuel economy was king. To recapture the popularity that hatchbacks enjoyed in the yesteryears, it might be time to change the game a little. India needs more capable hatchbacks.