Of all the discontinued cars and SUVs in 2022, Hyundai has the highest 4 models to shed off its lineup
2022 was a positive year for most manufacturers across PVs, CVs and 2W segments. There has been a paradigm shift across segments where appetite for fresher and more premium products has increased. Products that were on the brink of extinction are now extinct. Let’s take a look at Cars Discontinued in 2022.
1. Renault Duster – Discontinued Feb 2022
It was Renault Duster that started the whole compact SUV segment. Duster had a winning formula in its hand and enjoyed a dominant run for a long time. It was butch in its appearance and frugal like a car at the same time. It offered a lot of boot space as well. With the launch of Hyundai Creta, things turned sour for Duster.
Creta offered everything that Duster did, sans AWD, and boasted of a far premium and richer experience on the inside. With more additions into the compact SUV segment, Duster’s appeal diminished over time. To add salt to the wound, Renault never launched the 2nd generation Duster in India.
2. Hyundai Elantra – Discontinued March 2022
At the lower-end of D1 sedans, we had Elantra from Hyundai to rival against Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. Hyundai launched the 5th generation of Elantra in India which received a facelift in 2015. After that, Hyundai brought in the 6th generation model and later was facelifted with angular headlights.
Hyundai never launched the 7th generation model in India which debuted globally in 2020. With SUV popularity rising by the day, sedans faced a downward spiral, especially with premium ones. New gen Verna is set to launch with segment first features like ADAS, and is speculated to be larger than before, hence negating a need for Elantra.
3, 4, 5. Datsun Go, Go+, RediGO – Discontinued April 2022
This happened in the first half of 2022 and was an expected move from Nissan. Operating a sub brand while Nissan themselves were on the brink of packing their operations in India, was not feasible. Even though Nissan held on to its own by launching Magnite, Datsun was not so lucky.
At the end of its lifespan, Datsun offered 3 vehicles in India. They were Go, Go+ and Redigo. Go was a hatchback that rivalled Tiago and Swift, while Go+ was a sub 4m MPV that fell into its own niche. Redigo had just received a facelift and was the smallest car in the country in terms of length, when the Datsun brand was completely axed.
6. Volkswagen Polo – Discontinued April 2022
With timeless design and solid build quality, Volkswagen Polo stood the test of time for the longest time in this list. 12 years, that’s how long Polo was on sale in India. It is surprising as to how Volkswagen got away with offering the same exterior design with minute changes for 12 years.
First launched in 2010, Polo received a mid-life facelift which saw slightly upmarket interior. It even made the transition to BS6 with a 1.0L TSI engine as well. That said, Polo’s end was evident, which happened in 2022 and stayed an enthusiast car for its lifetime.
7. Hyundai Santro – Discontinued May 2022
This was one heck of a surprise by Hyundai. Rushlane was the first to cover this story in the country and we were shocked when we learned about this development from our sources. With decent monthly sales to back up, there was no real reason to discontinue it.
In Hyundai’s grand scheme of things, freeing up assembly lines for more premium products and development of future small vehicles with crossover-ish SUV design is what axed Santro production. The new Punch rivaling small SUV by Hyundai is spotted testing in South Korea and is likely to launch in India next year.
8, 9. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Diesel, Aura Diesel – Discontinued Jul 2022
Both Nios and Aura came equipped with a diesel engine boasting incredible fuel efficiency figures of up to 25 km/l. The company axed diesel powertrains with Nios and Aura around the same time when Santro was discontinued.
Before Hyundai discontinued diesel engine option on Nios and Aura, they were the only cars in Indian market to offer petrol, diesel and CNG powertrain options at the same time. There are multiple reasons why Hyundai did this. Low demand, compatibility with upcoming RDE norms and pushing petrol powertrains with smaller vehicles might be some of them.
10. Maruti Suzuki S-Cross – Discontinued Oct 2022
Coming to Maruti Suzuki, the largest carmaker in India by volume, we saw S-Cross succumb to the bottom of sales charts consistently. S-Cross was discontinued in favour of newer and better Grand Vitara. With not-so-inspiring crossover looks, S-Cross had a confused personality. It aided rear seat comfort by giving recline function but lacked rear AC vents.
There were not enough bling and brownie points as well. With Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos taking the bar high in overall packaging while VW Taigun and Skoda Kushaq stressing active and passive safety, gimmicks and explosive performance, it was finally axed.
11. Toyota Urban Cruiser – Discontinued Nov 2022
For people who wanted a Vitara Brezza and brand appeal of Toyota, Urban Cruiser fit the bill perfectly. It was a rebadged Vitara Brezza and was still on sale even after Maruti Suzuki launched new Brezza. It is not clear as to why Toyota never launched rebranded version of facelifted Brezza.
There are speculations that indicate that Toyota branded Brezza won’t be a reality. But Toyota have recently registered Taisor name which we think could be the next Toyota branded Brezza. Our rendering artist Pratyush Rout has penned down his vision and created a stunning render of what this vehicle could look like.
12. Mahindra Alturas G4 – Discontinued Dec 2022
Rebadging the SsangYong Rexton was the easy part. Going up against segment brutes like Toyota Fortuner was a heck of a challenge for Mahindra Alturas G4. A combination of factors led to uninspiring sales figures, which resulted in Mahindra pulling the plug on it silently. At the end of its life cycle, Alturas G4 only came in one top-spec variant with 4X2.
As the year 2022 comes to an end, we take a look at the list of cars that were discontinued from the Indian ?? market this year.
Which of this car will you miss the most? pic.twitter.com/jNwCdF4eJC
— RushLane (@rushlane) December 28, 2022
