The people's car that changed the motoring landscape in India and also marked the birth of what has today global recognition, was launched in December 1983. The humble 800 hatchback started off the Maruti Suzuki (MSIL) innings, and the company has now reached a symbolic 40-year milestone of successful operations, manufacturing, sales and R&D in the country, as well as nurturing the Indo-Japanese relationship, which has only grown stronger over the years.
Commemorating this milestone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for new twin facilities-a Suzuki-owned EV battery manufacturing plant in Hansalpur, Gujarat, and a Maruti Suzuki vehicle manufacturing unit in Haryana's Kharkhoda district - at a large-scale public event held in Gujarat on August 28. The Prime Minister said that the states of Haryana and Gujarat are contributing towards the 'Make in India' initiative and Maruti Suzuki's success is an emblem of the great relations enjoyed between India and Japan.
From catering to the mobility needs of a nation which had just stepped into a dynamic phase of economic growth and liberalisation in the early 1990s, the Maruti Suzuki success saga today continues well into the next decade, with the carmaker consciously sticking to its ethos of providing affordable and efficient cars for mobilising a predominant chunk of the Indian population on one hand, to graduating into offering a range of high-on-technology products that fulfil the needs of the evolving Indian car buyer on the other.
While it is set to launch its first strong-hybrid model - the new Grand Vitara- in the coming weeks, Maruti Suzuki has already announced its first all-electric vehicle, slated for launch in 2025.
This story is from the 15th September 2022 edition of Autocar Professional.
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This story is from the 15th September 2022 edition of Autocar Professional.
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