Introduced in 2006, the sub-4m car segment aimed to promote smaller, fuel-efficient cars. These cars benefit from lower GST cess, making them more affordable than larger vehicles.
Cars like the Volkswagen Golf, new-gen Volkswagen Polo, Honda Jazz etc that measure slightly more than 4 metres in length are not viable for the Indian market, owing to the heavy tax imposition from the government. We share our top 5 picks that we think should have come to India.
With the Polo no longer on sale, we would love to see the new Polo but like other cars in this list, it measures over 4 metres in length. Measuring 4,074mm in length, it is non-complaint to the sub-4m rule.
In its third generation, the Fabia has grown bigger, spanning over 4 metres in length, thereby making it irrelevant for India. Think of the new Fabia as the Slavia sedan with the extended boot, it’s that similar.
It would be interesting to see the Renault Clio in the Indian market as it carries a unique advantage over all of its rivals—a strong-hybrid powertrain. Since that would be too expensive, it also comes with a turbo petrol engine, keeping the fun alive.
Measuring more than 4 metres in length but considerably smaller than the C-segment SUVs, the Renegade was found in a weird spot and incapable to fall into either of the categories. Jeep was actively considering the Renegade but it was never launched here.
The new Jazz measures just under 4.1 metres, so re-engineering the car to make it fall under 4m wouldn’t be a task. However, only that wouldn’t suffice as the new Jazz comes with a 1.5-litre strong hybrid powertrain, thereby making it non-complaint to the rules