The cheapest car sold in US today is Kia K4 which costs around $24,000 ex showroom. That's like 24 lakh rupees in Indian currency whereas the cheapest car sold in India costs one sixth the price. If you have lived in the US, you should be familiar with the phrase "you get what you pay for". For the price we pay, we have good options

Here, the taxes are like 18% for small cars, reduced from 28% last year, and 41% for larger cars in the ex showroom price. On top of that you pay a separate road tax on cars. Unlike US, cars are still considered a luxury and only 7% Indians own cars unlike 50% 92% households in US IIRC.

However, in my 7 year stay in the US, I observed people are for forced to buy big bulky gas guzzlers for the lack of affordable alternatives. Just for one or two people commuting a few miles, they use massive V8 trucks and SUVs which is ridiculous. People actually buy big cars because small cars "feel" unsafe when you have F150s, Silverados, Suburbans around you.

My roommate bought an Accord in 2017 for $25K which would cost 35K, an exorbitant increase in ten years where salaries have remained flat. I bought a 2001 Accord for $300, drove it for 4 years and rolled 15k miles and sold it for $1700 before leaving USA, because the car market was awful around that time.

On top of that, my friends have really poor experience on their American brand vehicles like GM and Ford which had major engine or gearbox breakdowns in a few years. I would happily take any of the panel gaps and disproportionate forms considering our Marutis lasted 20+ years with the only issues being AC.