Maruti Udyog Limited, the largest automotive manufacturer of India was established in February 1981 though the production started only in 1983. The company started as a 50-50 JV between Suzuki of Japan and Maruti. The government of India held 18.28% stake untill recently. This holding stake was sold off to the financial institutions in May, 2007. Suzuki has gradually increased its holding percentage to 54.2. The first offering from Maruti, the 800, was the bestseller for a long time till its sibling, the Alto, took over. Selling over 5,00,000 cars annually in the domestic market, Maruti exports close to 30,000 units to several countries. Of late, the Indian giant was facing stiff competition from various manufacturers and Maruti did well by launching the Swift which is a modern and exudes a lifestyle image. The trend continued with the SX4. The large portfoilio takes care of the options available to the customer.