Types of Cars in India

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The car market and the opportunities for new manufacturers are abundant in India and probably the reason why India is a global market for car manufacturers. Buying a car is one of the important milestones for Indians. It is sense of achievement and social recognition which is difficult to explain. But anyone can consider buying a car with easy financial options available today. The concept of dream car differs from person to person, few may afford a Mercedes others may afford a Honda city and so on. But you should always know that buying a car for which you are able to maintain and repay the loan amount within your capacity is important.

For a global market opportunity, the car manufacturers offers a variety of models and variants in each segment. And it is not surprising at all if you are spoilt for choices. Based on their size, shape and cost cars are divided into various segments as follows:

Hatchback: A hatchback typically has a 2 box configuration with doors opening outwards. It is usually a 5 seater car with 4 doors. But few of the luxury cars also offer 2 seater hatchbacks as well. Hatchbacks are easy to afford and usually available within 5 lakhs. Some of the popular models in this segment are Maruti Alto, Hyundai Grand i10 and Renault Kwid, Mini Cooper, Volkswagen polo and Fiat.

Sedans: Sedan is a three box configuration where each box is categorized as cargo, passenger and engine. There are sub categories in sedans as well namely notchback, fastback, sub-compact and compact. Sedans are referred to as Saloon in the United Kingdoms. The famous sedans are Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Sunny.

MUVs: A multi Utility Vehicle or Multi-Purpose Vehicle are essentially known as people’s carriers with spacious legroom usually with 2 or three row seating. The third row in this segment can be customized as a foldable seat to fit more language also known as boot space. The famous models in this segment are Maruti Suzuki Eeco, Omni and Datsun Go+.

SUVs: One of the most preferred segments by families, Sports Utility Vehicle is one large car that has body framed chassis, off-road facility and has higher ground clearance. With changing times, the SUV offerings also have varied set of models which offer soft roaders, off roads, terrain vehicles, etc. which provides an improved and thrilling driving experience. The famous models in this segment are, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Mahindra Thar, Scorpio, Innova Cresta, Bolero, Duster, Brezza, Honda, CR-V and Mahindra XUV.

Coupe: It is a two-door car with a fixed roof body that is shorter than sedans. It is usually referred to as sport cars which has only 2 seats. This segment vehicle has a lower ground clearance and usually expensive range of vehicles. The famous car in this segment are Ford Mustang, Audi R8, Benz GLE, BMW M4, Lexus RC F, Lamborghini Aventador C and Ferrari 488 Spider.

Convertible: Convertibles are usually cars with both open and closed roof options. The roof is not fixed to the body of the car as such and with a press of a button, you can drive open air facility. They are also known as Roadster r cabriolet. The roof is retractable from the back which is offered both in soft and hard foldings. These cars are very expensive and cost anywhere above Rs.50 lakhs. The famous model in this segment are Audi A3, Ferrari California, Mercedes AMG SLC 43 and Aston Martin.

Crossover: As the name suggests, a crossover is a vehicle is in between a SUV and a Hatchback. This segment vehicles are ideal for sift road driving with unibody construction. The famous models in this segment are Honda Jazz, Volvo S60, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross and Hyundai i20 Active.

It is important to pay equal attention to the kind of insurance requirement for the model you have purchased. It is true that most of us spend weeks and months in researching which is the best car to buy within my reach. But often we forget that insurance is the document that will protect your car in many situations if it faces any mishaps or mechanical breakdowns. But with digitization in almost every other segment, buying a car insurance is also not that bigger tedious task. You can compare various insurances on a neutral third-party website and compare quotes and benefits from various insurers which will help you make the best decision. You also get attractive online discounts from insurers which is otherwise difficult through offline purchase.