In an intriguing statistic, over 25% of cars sold in India have a sunroof. This is insane since most entry-level volume-churning vehicles don’t even have the option of a sunroof. Therefore, a more staggering fact is that around 55% of cars sold in India have sunroof if we take into consideration the models which actually come with this feature anywhere across its range. That is a clear indication of how Indians love to have this feature in their vehicles. We shall try to have a look at the possible reasons for this weird attraction.
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1 in 4 Cars Sold in India Has Sunroof
These numbers arrive from the latest news reports from the sales data. This number was just 7% five years ago. That is a testament to the immense popularity of this feature in recent years. To be more specific, the latest new Hyundai Creta has received around 70% of its bookings for the sunroof variants. That is simply massive. Note that just for this feature alone, people are willing to spend upwards of Rs 50,000 on the ex-showroom prices. That is a huge deal in a price-sensitive market like India. People really have to love this feature so much that they are willing to pay the premium.
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Why This Obsession?
Well, one can’t put a finger on any particular reason as such. However, we know that people have always associated sunroofs with luxury cars. In essence, having sunroofs means having a premium car which, in turn, signifies a status symbol. That is why people think so highly of cars with sunroofs. Apart from that, one reason could be the feeling of spaciousness that one gets when he/she is able to get a clear view of the sky. Many people suffer from claustrophobia. They feel hemmed in while in a closed car. The sense of airiness that one gets due to a panoramic sunroof is understandable.
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Impractical Feature
While the aforementioned arguments are valid, there are tons of counter-arguments for having sunroofs in cars in a hot country like India as well. Most parts of the country witness extreme hot conditions for most part of the year. On the contrary, the mountain areas have extremely cold conditions for many months in a year. In both these conditions, having a sunroof is impractical and has no usage at all. For all the other areas with relatively moderate climate, there are many cities which reel under the effect of air and noise pollution. Even in this setting, you can’t open the sunroof. Finally, standing out of the sunroofs of moving cars is illegal and perilous to your health and safety and the safety of others. Therefore, there are only a handful of occasions when you could actually open the sunroof in a car. We would take care of all these factors before deciding to purchase our next car.
