Standard 2000

The Standard 2000 was a luxury saloon launched in 1985 by Standard Motor Products of India, built under licence from Austin Rover on the body of the Rover SD1. It appeared when imported cars such as the Honda Accord and the Toyota Corolla were gaining popularity in India and the government wanted a luxury car made at home; Standard's managing director C V Karthik Narayanan agreed a deal with Austin Rover in 1984 for 12,000 sets of SD1 body panels. The Rover V8 gave way to a 1991 cc four-cylinder petrol engine with a four-speed manual gearbox, and the car was priced at 2,12,000 rupees against 85,000 for the HM Contessa. It was unusually well equipped, with air conditioning, power windows, power steering, central locking and a tachometer, but claimed fuel economy proved far from reality and quality complaints followed, which contributed to the closure of the company.