New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki has said 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 Indian middle class families -- was first manufactured in 1983 and more than 2.4 million have been sold since.
“We have stopped the M-800 (Maruti 800) production completely,” CV Raman, executive director Maruti Suzuki told reporters at India's premier auto fair in the New Delhi suburb of Greater Noida that winds up on Sunday.
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 India'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, Indian drivers 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 per cent to over 50 per cent. Since the Maruti 800, India's car revolution has gathered pace, with total car sales running at close to two million units a year.
India is expected to become the world's third-largest car market by 2020, according to industry estimates.
