Most of us have had a Maruti Suzuki 800 in the family, or extended family, while growing up. In fact, I learnt how to drive in one. The car is not just a vehicle for us but an emotion.
So, the fact that today marks 37 years of the iconic Maruti 800, is extra special for all of us.?
This little car changed the face of the Indian automotive industry. So, well, congratulations to Maruti Suzuki and all of India as well.?
Former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, inaugurated the first Maruti Suzuki factory in India on December 14, 1983.?
Along with the inauguration, Mrs Gandhi also handed over the keys of the first Maruti 800 in India, to its owner, Harpal Singh.
14 December, 1983, thus marked the launch of the Maruti 800. The car was for only ?47,500 at the time. Doesn't seem like much in the modern context, but that's a whole lot of money for 1983.
The car retained the tag of being the best-selling car in India till 2004. After that, another Maruti Suzuki car took over the mantle of being the country's best-selling car - Alto.?
This was an indication of things to come, including a dip in the demand for the Maruti 800. A decade later, i.e. in 2014 - Maruti Suzuki rolled off the last unit of the iconic car from its manufacturing facility in Gurgaon, on 18 January.?
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In its lifetime - since the car was launched in India in 1983 - the company sold more than 2.7 million units of the Maruti 800.?