Cars Not Made in India: Which Brands Are Built Elsewhere?

When you buy a car in India, you might assume it was made here—but that’s not always true. cars not made in India, vehicles assembled or manufactured entirely outside the country and imported for sale. Also known as fully imported vehicles, these cars come from factories in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the US, and elsewhere, often because they require advanced tech, specialized parts, or high-volume production that isn’t feasible locally. India has grown its own auto industry with brands like Maruti, Tata, and Hyundai’s local plants, but many premium, performance, and niche models still arrive fully built from abroad.

Why does this matter? Because local manufacturing, the process of building vehicles within India using domestic supply chains and labor affects pricing, taxes, and even repair costs. Cars made here benefit from lower import duties and government incentives under schemes like PLI, making them cheaper. But fully imported cars, vehicles built and shipped from another country without local assembly face higher taxes, sometimes doubling their price. That’s why you’ll see BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, Teslas, and even some Toyotas and Volvos priced far above their Indian-made cousins.

It’s not just about luxury. Even mid-range models like the Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Range Rover, and Porsche 911 are imported because they’re built on global platforms with complex engineering that doesn’t justify local production at lower volumes. Meanwhile, companies like Toyota and Honda make some models in India but import others—like the Fortuner or CR-V—because demand doesn’t yet justify setting up new lines. The gap between what’s made here and what’s imported reflects a bigger truth: global supply chains, the interconnected network of factories, parts suppliers, and logistics that move goods across borders still dominate the auto industry, even in a manufacturing hub like India.

If you’re shopping for a car, knowing whether it’s made locally or imported helps you understand why it costs what it does. It also tells you about warranty support, spare part availability, and long-term ownership costs. The list of cars not made in India keeps growing as more global brands test the market before committing to local production. What you see on the road isn’t always what’s built here—and that’s something every buyer should know before signing on the dotted line.

Below, you’ll find real examples, breakdowns of popular imported models, and insights into why India still imports so many cars despite its growing factory network.