In Pics: 12 cars that will be discontinued come April 1
The new RDE norms come into effect from April 1. While manufacturers have updated their portfolios to comply, some of their vehicles did not make the cut.
Emission standards are getting stricter from April 1, with the country all set to introduce the Real Driving Emissions or RDE norms. According to the new rules, each manufacturer will have to be able to provide real-time emissions data for their vehicles. Manufacturers have already been updating their vehicles but several of these will have to be discontinued. Come Saturday, these are the names we will not see on company rosters.
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Nissan Kicks | Ever since Nissan’s sister brand Renault discontinued the Duster in India, the Nissan Kicks was also slated to disappear. This is now finally happening with the new emissions norms coming into play, but the company already has new products lined up for us like the Nissan X-Trail. The Kicks was available in two petrol engine options, one of which was a turbocharged unit. Prices started at Rs 9.49 lakh, going up to Rs 14.90 lakh.
3/13
Tata Altroz Diesel | Next on the chopping block is the diesel variant of the Tata Altroz. This leaves the petrol variants including the turbocharged variant still on the market. The Altroz’s 1.5-litre diesel engine is capable of producing 88 hp and 200 Nm of peak torque mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. On the petrol side of things, the naturally aspirated 1.2-litre produces 88 hp of power and 115 Nm of torque while the 1.2-litre turbo produces 110 hp and 140 Nm. Prices for the Tata Altroz start at Rs 6.44 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 9.69 lakh.
4/13
Honda WR-V | Launched back in 2017, the WR-V is now being taken off the market due to the new emissions norms. The SUV came with two engine options, a 1.2-litre petrol which produced 89 hp and 90 Nm and a 1.5-litre diesel which produced 100 hp and 200 Nm. There was only a manual gearbox on offer, but a 5-speed in the diesel and a 6-speed unit in the diesel. There is no news as to whether a new variant of the WR-V will surface; however, this seems unlikely considering the fact that the WR-V wasn’t a very big driver of sales.
Honda City 4th Gen | Since Honda already has the fifth-gen City in the Indian market, it only makes sense to finally let go of the fourth-gen sedan. Launched back in 2014, the car was finally updated in 2020. However, the old-gen model remained in the company’s portfolio thanks to the strong mid-sized sedan market in India. That plus the fact that the difference in prices between the two meant that there could be more competition for its rivals like the Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. The fourth-gen City is only available in a 1.5-litre engine variant mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
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Honda Jazz | Another stablemate to the Honda City, the Jazz will also be taken off the market thanks to low sales volumes. The Jazz comes powered by a 1.2-litre petrol which produces 89 hp and 110 Nm of torque. Prices for the Jazz start at Rs 8.11 lakh and go up to Rs 10.41 lakh.
7/13
Mahindra Marazzo | The Mahindra Marazzo is also up for discontinuation with the new norms coming into effect. The Marazzo, like the next two Mahindra SUVs on the list, has been doing fairly poorly despite decent reviews. The MPV is available with seven- and eight-seater seating configurations and three trim levels. Powering the Marazzo is a 1.5-litre diesel powertrain that produces 123 hp and 300 Nm. Transmission was also limited to a 5-speed gearbox. The Marazzo started at a price of Rs 13.70 lakh for the base M2 trim going up to Rs 15.95 lakh for the M6+ trim. It is also worth noting that the Marazzo had a top-spec M8 trim that was discontinued back in 2020.
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Mahindra KUV 100 | The next SUV from the Mahindra stable is the KUV 100. The micro-SUV failed to make a mark in the Indian market despite its bold stance despite a compact size. The car was unique in the Indian market thanks to the employment of a bench seat in the front row. This allowed three people to fit in front, but the seat belt and airbag rules changed that notion. The Mahindra KUV came with a 1.2-litre petrol that produced 81 hp of maximum power and 115 Nm of peak torque. Available in four trims, its price range was Rs 6.01 lakh to Rs 7.67 lakh.
Mahindra Alturas G4 | The final Mahindra car to make it to the discontinued list is the flagship Alturas G4. The fact that the G4 has remained in the company’s portfolio for so long is astonishing by itself. After Mahindra and Mahindra sold its controlling stake in the loss-making SsangYong brand, the Alturas’ future was uncertain. The rebadged Rexton was formally discontinued back in December and the new flagship position was taken over by the Mahindra XUV700.
10/13
Skoda Octavia | Moving on to the Skoda, the Octavia is first on this list. The sedan has had a decent run in the Indian market despite its declining sales. The Skoda comes to India via the CKD (completely knocked-down) route and is assembled here. This also means that prices are slightly higher than cars that are manufactured in the country. The Octavia is powered by a 2-litre turbo petrol engine mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox.
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Skoda Superb | Like the Octavia, the Superb, too, is a CKD model and is powered by the same 2-lite petrol and 7-speed DSG gearbox combination. This sedan, too, did fairly well in the Indian market all the way to the end.
12/13
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 | Most 800cc engine powered cars are expected to be axed come April and the biggest name among them is the beloved Maruti Suzuki Alto 800. The discontinuation cannot be attributed to sales as the Alto has consistently been one of the top-selling cars month after month. However, the upgrade to the engine may have been unviable considering the cost of the upgrade.
13/13
Renault Kwid | The next small car to make the list is the Renault Kwid. Also powered by an 800cc engine, the Kwid was one of the cheapest cars in the Indian market. The petrol engine was capable of producing 53 hp of power and 73 Nm of torque and while not very powerful, served as a family friendly car. The Renault Kwid’s starting price was Rs 4.64 lakh.
Stanford Masters Journalist who writes on automobiles
