End of an era: Family car Maruti Suzuki 800’s production ends

Yes, Maruti Suzuki India has stopped production of the 800. The last Maruti 800 has rolled off the production line from the carmaker’s Gurgaon-based manufacturing facility. It will reach the proud owner of the iconic car, in Shillong, soon.

The Maruti 800 was being sold in our country till the BS III norms were in place. With the BS IV norms coming into existence in April 2010, the sale of the car was stopped in 13 cities in India. These included metropolitan cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The car complied with all the emission standards until recently when it could not adhere to the amendments.

Even though the Maruti 800 will not be produced any more, the company claims that the spare parts of the car will be made available for the next eight to ten years.

The Maruti 800 has been a car that many people have been emotionally attached to. From a middle-aged man buying this car for his dad or his wife, to ferrying the family in and around the city, to going shopping and buying household items, to a teenager taking out his crush for a small drive, all of these memories will be etched in everyone’s mind forever. After all, it was the first ever iconic hatchback in our country that has been available to the masses at an affordable price.

Ever since the first Maruti 800 was delivered back in 1983, more than 2.5 million units of the car have been sold in its lifecycle. No other vehicle from any manufacturer could emulate the 800 in terms of sales, not even the Tata Nano that was aimed at taking the torch further of bringing a revolution into  the Indian small car market.