Tata Motors launched the Tata Estate (1992; a station wagon design based on the earlier Tata Mobile), the Tata Sumo (1994, a 5-door SUV) and the Tata Safari (1998). Tata launched the Indica in 1998, the first fully indigenous Indian passenger car. Although initially criticized by auto analysts, its excellent fuel economy, powerful engine, and an aggressive marketing strategy made it one of the best-selling cars in the history of the Indian automobile industries. A newer version of the car, named Indica V2, was a major improvement over the previous version and quickly became a mass favourite. Tata Motors also successfully exported
Gulf rupee government in 1959 as a replacement for the Indian rupee for circulation exclusively outside the country. At the time, the Indian rupee was pegged to the British pound at a rate of 13⅓ rupees = 1 pound. Two states, Kuwait and Bahrain, replaced the Gulf rupee with their own currencies (the Kuwaiti dinar and the Bahraini dinar) after gaining independence from Britain in 1961 and 1965, respectively. However, even today, in Bahrain, 100 fils (one tenth of a Bahraini dinar) are referred to in Arabic as a "rupee" or "rubiya" () in common parlance. On 6 June 1966, India devalued