Agencies/New Delhi
Maruti Suzuki said yesterday it had halted production of its iconic first small car, the Maruti 800, which revolutionised road transport for millions of Indians.
The boxy, four-seater hatchback - the first car ever owned by many middle class families - was first manufactured in 1983 and more than 2.4mn have been sold since.
“We have stopped the M800 (Maruti 800) production completely,” C V Raman, executive director Maruti Suzuki, told reporters at India’s premier auto fair in the New Delhi suburb of Greater Noida that winds up today.
The decision to phase out the Maruti 800, hailed as a triumph of small-car engineering at the time, was taken in 2010 to meet new auto emission standards aimed at cutting pollution on the country’s increasingly congested roads.
The no-frills car has been eclipsed by newer, fancier models.
But even as the car drives into history, spare parts will be available for customers for eight to 10 years, a company spokesman said.
The car, costing Rs50,000 ($803) when launched, is now priced at Rs235,000, according to a company website.
In 1981, when Maruti Udyog was formed as a state-run company, Indians had just two options if they wanted to buy locally made cars - and often a five-year wait to get the keys.
Premier Automobiles produced cars with help from Italy’s Fiat, while Hindustan Motors made the bulky Ambassador. Both were private companies.
Prime minister Indira Gandhi gave Japan’s Suzuki the green light to pick up a stake in Maruti Udyog - an unprecedented move at a time when India’s economy was largely closed.
Suzuki’s stake has since grown from 26% to over 50%.
Since the Maruti 800, India’s car revolution has gathered pace, with total car sales running at close to 2mn units a year.
India is expected to become the world’s third-largest car market by 2020, according to industry estimates.
Maruti now produces a range of cars from hatchbacks to sedans.
Liberalisation policies since the early 1990s spawned a rising middle class with higher incomes who also have become targets of foreign car companies which have driven into the country to propel global sales.
But Maruti still maintains its dominance of the Indian market, accounting for nearly one out of two new cars sold in India.
The company launched one of its most awaited hatchbacks, the all-new Celerio starting at Rs390,000 at the auto show.
Meanwhile, Raman, when asked about the Global NCAP report on crash test, said the test done by the UK-based organisation was at 64 kmph, which was much higher than even the speed regulation in Europe.
“In India, we have a certain regulation today. All the vehicles that sell in India meet the Indian norms,” he said.
Some of the most popular small cars sold in India, including Maruti Alto 800, Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo, failed the crash test putting occupants at a high risk of life-threatening injuries in road accidents, according to the Global NCAP.
In this photograph taken on December 12, 2008, Maruti 800 cars are parked at the sales and dispatch area at the factory of Maruti Udhyog Limited (MUL)
