1. Which car manufacturer had launched renamed versions of the Daewoo Lacetti, the Izuzu Panther and the Daewoo Kalos in India before finally stopping sales of cars in this market in the fag end of 2017?

2. Which 1993 action comedy, the highest budget Indian film ever released at that time, also merchandised dolls in the likeness of its stars — Anil Kapoor and Sridevi? The film was a huge flop.

3. Which berry flavoured drink was introduced by Pepsi in India during the 2003 World Cup with a lot of fanfare, but failed to make an impression in the market?

4. In the 1980s, Tata Oil Mills launched an extensive campaign to promote its own product against Unilever’s Lifebuoy soap. The campaign got a lot of visibility but failed to dislodge Lifebuoy. What was the name of the Tata soap?

5. What was the name of the social networking, microblogging and messaging tool that Google released with great fanfare in 2010 and discontinued less than two years later?

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6. The 1970s saw a war in home video formats between two products — VHS and a proprietary Sony product. VHS conquered the home video market and the Sony product, while vastly superior, was only used by a tiny core of professionals. Name the Sony video tape format.

7. What was the name of the personal digital assistant released by Apple in 1992 which was a flop because of its high price and handwriting recognition issues?

8. Which FMCG company actually branched into frozen TV dinners with a beef lasagna offering in the mid-eighties, which was a colossal flop?

9. The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, produced in 2019, is about which American company founded in 2003 by a 19-year old entrepreneur?

10. The Fire Phone, launched in 2014 with a huge advertising campaign, was developed by which giant corporation? The product was a flop, and production ceased the next year.

Answers

1. Chevrolet; these cars were launched as the Chevrolet Optra, Tavera and Aveo, respectively

2. Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja

3. Pepsi Blue

4. Tata OK

5. Google Buzz; it was superseded by Google Plus, which was also a failure

6. Betamax

7. The Apple Newton, discontinued in 1998

8. Colgate

9. Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes, which claimed to have devised rapid and accurate blood tests that required very small quantities of blood

10. Amazon

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