From Datsun, Harley to Ford, these eight major auto companies exited India in the last five years

Apr 22, 2022

By: Rounak Jain

India a tough route for global automakers

Several major automakers, including the likes of Ford, GM, Fiat and Harley, among others, have found it difficult to sustain their operations in India.

Credit: Unsplash

Datsun

Nissan sub-brand Datsun is the latest, exiting India in April 2022. Lacklustre sales performance led to the company bowing out. It ceased the manufacturing of the redi-Go car in its Chennai plant. Its other cars include the Datsun Go and Go Plus.

Credit: Datsun

Ford

Ford exited India in September 2021, discontinuing the sales of all its models and ceasing manufacturing at its Gujarat and Tamil Nadu plants. It had racked up losses to the tune of $2 billion in India.

Credit: Ford

Harley Davidson

The legendary bike maker Harley Davidson is another American automaker bowing out of the Indian market in September 2020 due to dismal sales.

Credit: Harley-Davidson

United Motors

UM, another American bike maker left India in October 2019 citing poor sales and demand for its bikes in the country. It received backlash for using cheap Chinese parts in its motorcycles.

Credit: United-Motors

Fiat

The Italian carmaker bowed out of the Indian market in March 2019, seven years after it commenced its Indian operations. Stricter ABS and emission norms were the reasons behind its exit.

Credit: Fiat

Cleveland Motorcycles

It joined its American counterparts in exiting the Indian market, but its journey was rather short-lived – it bowed out within a year in 2019, after announcing its entry at the 2018 Auto Expo.

Credit: Cleveland-Motorcycles

SsangYong Motor Company

The South Korean automaker pulled the plug on its operations in India in 2018, after launching just one car in the country.

Credit: SsangYong

General Motors

General Motors had one of the longest journeys in India in this list. It exited the country in 2017, after over two decades of operations since its debut in 1996. Mounting losses and failed experiments with Chevrolet and Opel forced GM’s exit from India.

Credit: General-Motors

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