AT the beginning of the year there was tremendous euphoria about the free import of foreign cars. You had car lovers talking about their friends abroad, who were all set to send them a Porsche, Landcruiser, Rolls or Cadillac.

One had visions of the roads being choked by these exotic imports. Nothing of the sort happened ! The Indian Government was not about to cow down and allow the Indian car manufacturer to face competition on its home wicket.

The Government rules for import of vehicles are simple and stringent. Our local auto manufacturer is safe.

There is one more point to consider. The cars manufactured in India today are world class. One proof of this is that a number of diplomats in Delhi are buying made-in-India cars, and are even taking these back home after their transfer term is over. Indians, however, still have this thing about foreign goods. Foreign goods are now available in India if not actually made in India! This applies to Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, Opel, Ford and just about every major auto-maker in the world.

Our own top class car manufacturers are filling the needs of the Indian motorist. You can buy a car ranging from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

Also the Indian Government’s import rules are tough. The car to be imported should not be more than three years old and it must conform to Euro-II norms. It must be right-hand drive and it must be imported from the country where it has been manufactured i.e. a Japanese car cannot be imported from the U.K. So the cheapest source of used cars, West Asia, is out. There can be no imports from the Gulf countries, since they do no manufacture any cars.

Singapore, another source of inexpensive used cars, is also ruled out, as a place to pick up a "deal". Singapore too does not manufacture cars.

Also cars have to be imported through dealers who must arrange for the spares. So the thought of a Porsche 911 is really not very practical. No agent will be willing to take the responsibility of providing spares for such a car.

Even after you cross the obstacle of getting all papers in order for importing your dream car, there comes a final crunch. For a new car, the import customs duty is 85 per cent. This means with freight and insurance you will have to pay more than double the price of the car. On a second hand car, the import customs duty is 182 per cent ! How’s that?

The question you should ask yourself is — is this exercise worth the trouble? The answer is quite simple. Last year there were 35 distinct models of world-class cars available in India. By the end of this year, there could be over 50 models available in India. Most important, service and spares are available down the road. There is a phrase that manufacturers, dealers and owners fear — VOR — vehicle off road for want of spares or some other attention. With a made-in-India label on your car, this is hardly likely to happen. This is the biggest advantage you will have by not having an imported vehicle.

And what can you look forward to? Honda has already brought in the Accord. Hyundai has introduced the Sonata. Ford is bringing the Mondeo, one of its most successful and best-selling cars. Skoda-VW will launch the Octavia, and Daewoo, Opel and Toyota all plan to bring in new models.

With all this to choose from, why do you want to import a vehicle?

Happy motoring !