Indian Car Weight List

In the tapestry of India’s automotive landscape, where speed meets innovation and tradition blends with modernity, one often overlooked thread bears significant importance – the weight of Indian automobiles. From the humble scooters zipping through narrow city lanes to the mighty SUVs conquering rugged terrains, the weight of these vehicles not only impacts their performance but also shapes the way we traverse this vast subcontinent. Join us as we unravel the intricate Indian Car Weight List, for within its pages lies a captivating tale of engineering prowess, fuel efficiency, and the embodiment of dreams on wheels. So fasten your seatbelts and embark on a journey that reveals the unseen significance of car weight in India’s vibrant automotive industry.

Lightweighting is one of the buzzwords in modern automotive engineering. Engineers strive to shave off the kilos and even the grams of the cars they build because the advantages of doing so are aplenty. For one, the lighter the car, the less is the load on its engine, and, resultantly, the greater the fuel efficiency. Of course, performance is the other key area of benefit with going light. However, light cars (aside from carbon-fibre bodied supercars and the like) are also, often unfairly, viewed as unsafe. While it’s best to leave the question of safety to be answered by objective crash tests, here’s our list of the 10 lightest cars currently on sale in India.

10. Maruti Suzuki Ignis (825-860kg)

The lightest car to be built on Suzuki’s Heartect platform (which underpins the Swift, the Dzire, the Baleno and the upcoming Ertiga), the Ignis is powered by Suzuki’s eponymous 1.2-litre K12 engine that makes 83hp and 113Nm of torque. The low kerb weight means that the lightest Ignis has a power-to-weight ratio of 100.6hp/tonne. Claimed fuel efficiency stands at 20.89kpl, while in our acceleration tests we achieved a 0-100kph acceleration time of just under 13sec for the manual and 13.26sec for the AMT. Notably, the Ignis is one of nine Maruti Suzuki models that meet India’s latest crash test norms.

9. Maruti Suzuki Celerio (815-850kg)

A rival to the Tata Tiago and the new Hyundai Santro, the Celerio was updated a year ago to meet India’s new crash test norms, and is now one of the nine Maruti Suzuki cars that does. Powered by a 999cc, three-cylinder K10 motor that makes 68hp and 90Nm (59hp and 78Nm of CNG), the Celerio has a power-to-weight ratio of 80-83.4hp/tonne. This helps it achieve a 0-100kph time of 14.24sec and a claimed fuel efficiency figure of 23.1kpl.

8. Datsun Go (819-846kg)

The refreshed Go hatchback is a bit more upmarket than the previous model, especially due to the added safety kit that has seen kerb weight rise by about 20kg. However, the Go is powered by the same 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol motor that makes 68hp and 104Nm of torque. Thanks to a power-to-weight ratio of 80.4-83hp/tonne, performance is peppy and fuel efficiency is quite good; Datsun claims a figure of 19.83kpl. While the previous Go had not done well when it was crash-tested by Global NCAP, the new model is compliant with India’s latest crash test norms.

7. Maruti Suzuki Omni (785-800kg)

The only MPV on the list, the Omni is also the oldest model on our list of the lightest cars. The light-weight MPV (available with five, seven or eight seats) is one of many models set to be discontinued before the new Indian crash test norms apply to all cars on sale come October 2019. The 0.8-litre, three-cylinder petrol motor makes just 35hp and 59Nm of peak torque, making it the least powerful model on this list as well. The comparatively lower power-to-weight ratio of 43.8-44.6hp/tonne sees a comparatively lower fuel-efficiency figure of 16.8kpl as well.

6. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 (740kg)

The Alto K10 is known to be a peppy car to drive, and a part of it is down to its reasonable power-to-weight ratio of 91.9hp/tonne. The K10’s 68hp, 1.0-litre engine helps this Alto do the 0-100kph dash in 15.87sec. An ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure of 24.07kpl is also among the highest in India. While the Alto K10 is a big seller, the current model does not meet the new safety norms and is likely to be replaced by an all-new model.

5. Hyundai Eon (715-795kg)

Hyundai’s Eon is available with a 0.8-litre engine making 56hp and 75Nm and a 1.0-litre petrol mill producing 69hp and 94Nm of peak torque; the power-to-weight ratios for the smaller engined model is 70.4-78.3hp/tonne while the larger engined one’s is 86.8-96.5hp/tonne. The Eon is one of the more fuel-efficient cars on sale in India with an ARAI rating of 21.1kpl and 20.3kpl for the 0.8-litre motor and 1.0-litre engine, respectively. As per our tests, the smaller motor is also capable of hitting the ton mark from standstill in a lazy 17.60sec. The Eon is one of the models likely to be phased out before the new crash test norms kick in.

4. Renault Kwid (699kg)

Recently refreshed with more kit (which makes it about 30kg heavier than the outgoing model), the 0.8-litre Kwid was claimed to be the most fuel-efficient car on sale in India, a title which has now passed to the Datsun Redigo. The 28.4kpl rating for this motor (23.01kpl for the 1.0-litre engine) is in part thanks to the low kerb weight, which also helps to achieve a power-to-weight ratio of 77.3hp/tonne for the 54hp, 799cc engine and 97.3hp/tonne for the 68hp, 1.0-litre unit. The larger engine is capable of propelling this hatchback to 100kph in 13.85sec, while the smaller motor takes 17.94sec for the same run. Global NCAP has rated the Kwid a 1-star car.

3. Tata Nano (695-765kg)

The Nano has the distinction of having the smallest engine in a mass-market vehicle currently on sale in India. The 624cc two-cylinder motor makes a measly 38hp and 51Nm of torque, though this is off-set by the relatively low kerb weight that helps to achieve a power-to-weight ratio of 49.7-54.7hp/tonne. The 4-speed manual has an ARAI certified efficiency of 23.6kpl while the 5-speed AMT is rated at 21.98kpl.Our tests showed that the AMT version was slower than the manual, with the former managing to hit 100kph in an extremely leisurely 37.86sec. Tata Motors will not update the Nano to meet new crash test regulations so the Rs 1 lakh car will be bowing out soon.

2. Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 (695kg)

The most affordable car in Maruti Suzuki’s India range, the Alto 800, is powered by a 796cc, three-cylinder petrol motor that makes 48hp and 69Nm of torque. While it may seem underpowered compared to other 0.8-litre engines, the dinky Alto 800 weighs all of 695 kilos, and has a power-to-weight ratio of 69.1hp/tonne. This results in a fuel-efficiency figure of 24.07kpl and a 0-100kph time of 16.92sec. While Global NCAP’s crash test in 2014 saw the Alto get zero stars in adult occupancy, the hatchback will likely be phased out before the new crash test norms kick in. A new model to replace the Alto 800 is in the works.

1. Datsun Redigo (670kg)

Datsun’s Redigo has two claims to fame – it is the lightest car on sale in India and has the highest ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure at 25.17kpl (specced with the same 54hp/72Nm, 0.8-litre engine). Interestingly, the 1.0-litre engine is also shared with the Kwid, but delivers a lower 22.5kpl. The power-to-weight ratio is 80.6hp/tonne for the 0.8-litre engine and 101.5hp/tonne for the 1.0-litre engine. As expected, the 0.8-litre Redigo isn’t particularly fast, with a 0-100kph time of 18.92sec. The Redigo will be updated in time for the new crash test norms that come into force in October 2019.

1. “Pioneering Performance: Unveiling India’s Weight Warriors in the Automotive Landscape”

2. “Lighter, Smarter, Faster: Discovering the Featherweights of Indian Car Models

Car Body Kerb Weight – Heavy and Light Build Cars

Car is one among the finest Art of Engineering been introduced by Karl Benz by end of 19^th Century. The Finest Mobility Option is continually been improvised with Modern Features, Styling with Impressive Performance and so far has reached a stage where almost close to 10 Crore Passenger Cars are sold every year Globally.

But – Car despite been a state of art engineering with finest Mobility Revolutions also has flip side due to people losing lives in Road Accidents

» 10 Lakh People losing Lives every year in Road Accidents around the world and in India alone 1.5 Lakh people lose lives in Road Accidents every year

» Estimates over 50 Lakh People gets Major Injuries or Life Long Disability every Year due to Road Accidents Globally

But are Light Weight Cars are Unstable or Weak in Safety

It seems that  a preconceived notion is coming to Indian market that all cars which are relative light in body weight are relatively weak in structural ability, safety strength as against Cars which are relatively heavier in body weight. Lets demystify it

Its important to know how Light Weight Cars are been designed by OEM

» By compromising on quality

Or

» By Engineering Design – High Tensile Steel, Carbon Fibre is been used

When a car Frontal Impact happens then lot of factors impact in safety including

» Speed as the most Important Aspect. Accident at speed of 100 Kmph can end up been fatal on whatever car you driving in

» Chassis Design, Crumple Zone, Airbags

» Build Quality whether made of High Tensile Steel and how rigid is the build

Here are Most Important things you should note about Light and Heavy Weight Cars

• Light Weight design without compromising Safety is what Auto Manufacturers are working up and is not a consideration in India, but even across the world.

• There is no fact that basis weight – one determines the strength of Car. Its a Plain Myth that Weight Determines the safety Strength of the vehicle. Mahindra Scorpio – When tested in 2017 got zero star safety rating despite 1900 Kg Weight and also Fiat Punto known as car with Tank like Build scored Zero in NCAP Crash test rating in 2017 December. But Toyota Etios having just 900 Kg Kerb weight scored 4 Star in NCAP Crash Test

• Its the Engineering Design with Crumple zone, Airbags and Speed is what Utmost Important. Although – Heavier Body Weight on Stand-alone basis does not signify how Safe a car is.

• A Light weight stand alone does not signify that car is unstable, its the High Tensile steel which is been used. But also importantly are the safety features, platform

• However, In this Race of Building Economical, affordable cars to have higher sales, better margins, targets of Profitability – some Manufacturers are using Economy grade material and this has came up when bodies like Global NCAP and Euro NCAP has released a report that some cars sold in India and other developing countries are so weak in body structure that even an Airbag would be of no use. Thus a car with Light Body Weight has a probability of Compromised Engineering.

The Strong Structural Ability of the car comes with More High Tensile Grade Steel which is used in the car

.

• There is also a science to it as per Newton Second Law of Motion if the same force (which is speed  in case of car) applied on two objects with different mass (means 2 cars with different weights) -the effect on small object (means car with lesser weight) will be higher.

• Owning a car with Safety Features – ABS, ESP (Stability control), Hill Hold Assist, 6 Airbags remains the best scenario and competition helps. Gone are days when all these used to be in only Luxury segment. Now Ford Ecosport is having these, Toyota Yaris, XUV300 also to have. VW Polo GT, Ameo DSG and Vento also has ESP, Hill Hold Assist – although dual Airbags  and Hyundai I20, Freestyle coming with 6 Airbags – slowly we will find international level safety features in the cars.

Overall Conclusion: Its incorrect to presume that Heavy Weight Cars are safer, but there is a higher probability of Light Weight Cars been unsafe due to compromised Engineering.

So if you want to buy Car – buy a car which comes with Proven Global NCAP Rating, Safety Features of ABS, EBD, Airbags along with advanced Steer Assist Features of ESP and Traction Control and drive within Speed Limits to have a safe drive experience.