car manufacturers in India - their history

Fiat India Private Ltd: The Fiat India that belongs to the Fiat Auto Spa group of Italy gives world-class cars to the country. This group has entered the motor vehicle sector more than one hundred years ago and has earned fame not only in India, but also abroad. Besides 'Uno', which is Europe's favorite car for the last two decades, the brands like Palio, Petra and Adventure have also become famous.

Ford India Private Ltd: It was originally an American company. It entered the Indian market in the year 1988 and launched Ford Escort. The Ford Ikon launched in 2001 was a successful car in India. Other brands of Ford like Ford Fusion, Ford Fiesta, Ford Mondeo and Ford Endeavour also gained popularity in India.

General Motors India: This global leader entered the Indian market as a joint venture with the C.K. now it is a fully owned subsidiary of the Birla Group. This group has also introduced cars like Chevrolet Optra and Chevrolet Tavera (MUV) in India.

Hindustan Motors: This flagship company of the C.K. Birla Group was established by Mr. B.M. Birla. Some of the most popular brands of this car manufacturer are Ambassador, Contessa and Mitsubishi Lancer. Other remarkable brands of this company are Trekker, Porter and Pushpak.

Hyundai Motors: Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is not only the second largest car manufacturer in India, but is also the fastest growing among the car manufacturers in India. The popularity of Santro, Getz, Accent, Elantra, Sonata Embera and Tuscon is proof of its success. The company is an ISO 14001.

Maruti Udyog: This is the first automobile company in the world to have an ISO 9000:2000 certificate. It has a joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation. The popular models of this group are Alto, Baleno, Swift, Wagon-R and Zen.

Tata Motors Limited: It is India's largest automobile company, the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, the second largest passenger car manufacturer in India and the fifth largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world. The popular brands of the company are Tata Indica, Tata Indigo, Tata Sumo and Tata Safari.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd: With a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, the Kirloskar Group of India holds 89% equity of the company. The most popular brands of this group in India are Camry, Corolla, Prado and Innova.

Two wheeler manufactureres in India
Bajaj Auto: In collaboration with Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan, this company is the largest exporter of two and three wheelers in India. It was established in the year 1926 by Jamnalal Bajaj. The popular brands of this company are Pulsar and Discover DTSi. In 2005 the Discover DTS-i was chosen as Bike of the Year for its superb design by Overdrive Awards. In the same year Bajaj Avenger and Bajaj Wave launched.

Hero Honda Motors: It is the World's No.1 two-wheeler manufacturing company. The company, in collaboration with Hero Cycles of India and Honda Motor of Japan, is known for some popular brands like Achiever, CBZ, CD Dawn, Karizma, Passion, Pleasure and Splendor. Founded by Munjal Brothers, this group was established in the year 1984 (The Hero Group was established in 1956). In 2006, Hero Honda Achiever won NDTV Profit CarIndia & BikeIndia Awards for the Motorcycle of the Year and Bike up to 150 cc of the year.

Majestic Auto Ltd: The Hero Majestic range of mopeds was launched in the year 1978. By 1983, this group was India's leading manufacturer of mopeds. Hero Panther, Hero Panther 4S, Hero Gizmo, Hero Stallion 4S and Hero Ankur are the famous brands of this company. It is one of the largest producers of mopeds in India. Some of the models of mopeds manufactured by this two wheelers manufacturer are Hero Effy, Hero Panther, Super 60, Hero Power and Hero Gizmo.

Scooters India Ltd: This ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001 Company was incorporated in 1972. This integrated automobile plant not only manufactures automobiles, but also designs, develops and markets them.

Suzuki Motorcycles: This is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation in Japan. The Manufacturing plant was installed in Gurgaon (Haryana) with annual capacity of 1, 75,000 units.

TVS Motor Company: Founded by T V Sundaram Iyengar, this company was established in August 1980 (TVS Group in 1911). It is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India and ranks among the top ten among all the two wheelers manufacturers in the world.