10 popular taxi cars in India
India’s taxi segment has seen sea changes through the years. There was a time when taxis painted in black and yellow were seen running on roads which have now vamoosed from the roads. With so many new cars coming to India, entry level hatchbacks and sedans have slowly changed the scenario of India’s taxi segment. Taxi segment has become fanciers with various new cars being a part of it. Let us have a look at these cars and why they are reigning the taxi segment.
Tata Motors’ Indica embraced success ever since its launch in India. The hatchback can mostly be seen with a yellow name plate at the back which indicates that it is a taxi instead of a private car. Seeing at the immense demand for Tata Indica in the Taxi segment, Tata Motors launched a new variant of the hatchback christened ‘Tata Indicab’. The company probably did not want to the car to be known as a taxi and hence launched a dedicated model for that purpose. Now you must be wondering what made this hatchback popular in the taxi segment, Tata cars are known for returning good fuel economy and at the same time they come with an affordable price tag. Tata Indica Vista is available at a price of Rs 4.10 lakh for the base petrol version while the high end model of the petolr version comes with a price tag of Rs 6.43 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).On the other hand the diesel model which comparatively has a higher demand carries a price tag of Rs 4.58 for the basic version while the top end version is priced at Rs 6.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The hatchback can seat five people comfortably, equipped with a 4 cylinder common rail SDE diesel engine and a 4 cylinder MPFi petrol engine the hatchback can deliver a staggering fuel economy of 22.3 kmpl and 22.9 kmpl respectively.
Yet another vehicle from Tata’s stable, Tata Indigo eCS has also gained huge success in the taxi segment. The demand for the XL variant of the sedan is more than other variants. Offered in petrol and diesel engine options, the sedan delivers a mind boggling mileage of 25 kmpl. Diesel version is proffered in two engine options; one is the CR4 BS4 diesel motor while the second one is the TDi BS3 diesel mill. Petrol trim is armed with a MPFi BS4 powerplant available at a starting price of Rs 5.61 lakhs for the LS version affixed with the CR4 BS IV diesel engine, however the high end version LX is available at Rs 5.84 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). The base version of the petrol variant is being offered at Rs 4.77 lakh while the top end version is available at Rs 5.29 lakh. Indigo eCS has a roomier cabin that can seat five adults easily, the boot space is enough to store luggage of three to four passengers.
Known as the utility vehicle maker in India, Mahindra has only one sedan in its fleet of cars and success for this vehicle also came a little late. Earlier launched as Mahindra Renault Logan, the sedan failed to impress the Indian customers. However, the new name, badge and a tad makeover made it successful in the entry level sedan segment. Mahindra Verito is a low cost entry level sedan rendered in petrol as well as diesel trims. The Mahindra Verito BS4 1.4 G2 model is available at a price of 5.19 lakh while the Mahindra Verito BS4 1.4 G4 trim is priced at Rs 5.39 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). This was about the petro models, the base version of the Verito BS4 1.5 D2 is tagged at Rs 6.18 lakh and the high end version of the diesel model, Mahindra Verito BS4 1.5 D6 is offered at Rs 6.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Fuel economy offered by Verito is also decent and hence it has been doing pretty well in the taxi segment. The 1.5 DCiCRDi diesel engine and the 1. 4 MPFI petrol engine return an impressive mileage of 21.03 kmpl as per ARAI.
Toyota Motors maintained the reputation for offering premium and expensive cars. The image which the company had built for itself was broken when it launched the Etios sedan made explicitly for the Asian markets. The sedan is made keeping in mind the needs and requirements of the Indian consumers. Etios again comes with a meagre price tag and returns decent fuel economy making it a feasible option for those who want to upgrade to a sedan. The saloon gained popularity in the taxi segment too, boosting the vehicle’s sales also. With the inclusion of such cars in the taxi segment, it has given a new definition to the cab division which much fancier and modish. Toyota Etios is also offered in both petrol and diesel engine options; the base variant of petrol version Etios J is priced at Rs 5.14 lakh and the high end model Etios VX is tagged at Rs 7.18 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The starting price of the diesel version is Rs 6.76 lakh for the D-4D GD trim and the top end version D-4D VXD is available at Rs 8.33 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The diesel variant of the sedan is powered with a 1ND-TV, diesel 4 cylinder 8V SOHC, D-$D engine while the petrol version is armed with a 2NR-FE, Gasoline, 4 cylinder 16V, DOHC engine. The sedan offers ample space to seat five passengers comfortably and it also has a spacious boot. The diesel version runs 23.59 kmpl while the petrol version offers a fuel economy of 17.6 kmpl.
The old Maruti Dzire is being sold with a new name ‘Maruti Swift Dzire Tour’ and is specifically available for the taxi segment. The sedan did extremely well when it was on sale in the passenger segment and even when it has been available as a taxi, it still is doing pretty well. Available at a low price of Rs 4.88 lakh for the base model of petrol variant the affordable sedan is definitely going to a favourite choice in the taxi division. The top end version of the petrol model is available at Rs 6.60 lakh, on the other hand the diesel variant is priced between Rs 5.91 lakh to Rs 7.51 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The most conventional sedan present in India for ages can still be seen, though very seldom, but mostly with a yellow name plate at the back. Ambassador is up for a much needed makeover and speculations suggest that it will be endowed with concurrent looks to fight out with the new gen sedan cars in India. The cabin of the sedan is capacious enough to seat five people, powered with a 4 cylinder OHV diesel engine, the vehicle runs around 16 kms a litre.
The new Chevrolet Tavera Neo 3 is also a part of the taxi segment, it offers great space and can seat seven to ten people inside the car (depending on the variant one chooses) which is one big reason it is being used as cab in most of the call centres. Price wise too Tavera Neo 3 is affordable, the Tavera Neo 3-10-BS4 trim is available for Rs 7.50 lakh while the Tavera Neo 3-LS-10-BS4 is being offered at Rs 9.15 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The BS4 version comes with a 4 cylinder TCDI diesel motor offers a mileage of 12.2kmpl as per ARAI.
Toyota Innova is a popular vehicle in the taxi segment; Innova has been ruling the MPV segment since long. It offers great space to seat seven to eight people comfortably (depending on the variant one picks) and also offers ample space to store luggage too. Toyota Innova is available in both diesel and petrol engine, the diesel variant is equipped with a 4 Inline cylinder,16-valve DOHC, common-rail diesel engine. The petrol engine is equipped with a 4 inline cylinder,16-valve DOHC,VVT-i EFI petrol engine. The Toyota Innova diesel price begins at Rs 9.23 lakh and the top end version is priced at Rs 13.67 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The petrol version is available at a price of Rs 9.66 lakh for the base version and the high end petrol model is priced at Rs 12.98 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
Maruti SX4 sedan too has found its way in the taxi segment; the sedan has roomier cabin and a capacious boot too. Under the hood is a 16-valve,DOHC, VVT engine in the petrol version, however the diesel version is powered with a 90 PS, 200 Nm motor with VGT technology. The diesel engine offers a mileage of a whopping 21.5 kmpl while the petrol engine returns a fuel efficiency of 15.5kmpl. The petrol version is offered at Rs 7.11 lakh while the diesel engine is proffered at Rs 8.15 lakh. The top end version of SX4 diesel is priced at Rs 9.4 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
Tata Sumo Gold is yet another utility vehicle from Tata Motors that can be seen with a yellow nameplate at the back of the vehicle. The BS-IV variant of Sumo Gold is armed with a 2956cc, 3.0 CR4 engine with 60-62 Kw of maximum power and a pitch torque of 250 Nm. The vehicle offers enough space to the passengers and at the same time has ample space to store luggage also. Tata Sumo CX-BS4 is proffered at Rs 5.76 lakh while the high end version of the Sumo Gold is up for grabs at Rs 6.12 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
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