Sedans are three box vehicles that have separate areas for boot, sitting and engine. The first sedan that came to India was the Hindustan Motors (HM) Contessa, which was launched in 1983. Similarly, other vehicles introduced in the country that were discontinued later were the Maruti Esteem, Maruti Baleno, Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon and Ford Escort.
1. HM Contessa– This luxurious 4-door family sedan was originally based on the design of the 1979 Vauxhall Victor. It was originally fitted with a 1.5 litre BMC B-series engine which developed only 50 bhp of power, but it got a 1.8 litre 4ZB1 Isuzu engine in a few years and a 2.0 litre Isuzu 4FC1 diesel engine during the 90s. Its interiors were surprisingly quiet and very comfortable. This is the only Indian vehicle that is reminiscent of the American muscle cars built in the 1960s and 70s. Just like the Ambassador, this vehicle was also built like a tank. However, it did lose out to more fuel efficient cars such as those by Maruti and was phased out by 2002.
2. Maruti Esteem– The Esteem was created out of a need to produce more power from the Maruti 1000. It was an upgraded version, which had a powerful 1248cc engine and was more refined than the M1000. This also meant that fuel efficiency was hired- it delivered more than 14 kmpl in the city. Power steering made it convenient to handle the Esteem anywhere. It had adequate space for five adults, though leg room in the rear was a bit cramped. The car was discontinued to make way for the new Maruti Swift DZire.
3. Hyundai Accent– This car was Hyundai’s first family sedan for the competitive Indian auto market. It was introduced in 1999 to take on the likes of Daewoo Cielo and Maruti Esteem. It also encountered many other launches such as Tata Indigo and Ford Ikon. Sales were at its peak from 2004 to 2006 and 3,500 units of this vehicle were sold in March 2006. Its diesel edition was discontinued in 2007, which saw Hyundai taking on the C Segment with the Verna. There were limited upgrades that could be made to a 10 year old model and ots production has been ended in 2013 due to dwindling sales.