Maruti Suzuki 40 Years Celebration: A look at the company’s journey

Maruti Suzuki India Limited recently completed its 40 years of collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. On the occasion, the car manufacturer released a special report titled Annual Integrated Report as ‘40 years – Joy of Mobility’. The report reflected on the company’s 40 years of journey and also gives a glimpse of its future roadmap as it moves ahead with optimism and confidence. Here we take a look back at the company’s 40-years of operations

The beginning

The joint venture between Maruti Udyog and Suzuki started on February 24, 1981. The company started its production in 1983 with the Maruti 800. The car soon became a household name that dominated the vehicle market for four decades.

What is noteworthy is this was the first time when a homegrown auto maker moved from design to production in just 13 months.

Market leader for four-decades

Maruti Suzuki cars account for more than 80 per cent of total cars on India roads till 1997. The auto car maker expanded its portfolio with Omni, Esteem, Zen, and 1000. The production matched the high demand for Maruti cars at that time.

Shift from affordable to premium offering

Maruti Suzuki, in its initial days, was known as the ‘affordable carmaker’. Later on, the auto car manufacturer shifted towards the luxury segment. It introduced models like Kizashi and Grand Vitara. This was also the time when Maruti Suzuki came up with a new platform for its premium offerings, Maruti Nexa. The launch of Baleno was a peak in the company’s journey that emerged as best-seller in the premium hatchback category.

Low-maintenance, high resale value

Maruti Suzuki cars were synonymous with affordability. Another USP of these cars was the high resale value. The cars easily offered a 40-50 percent return value even after 3-4 years from the date of purchase.

The dawn of 21st century

Suzuki Motor Company was renamed Maruti Suzuki India in 2007 with a share rise of 56.37 percent in 2020. The company established multiple plants and manufacturing facilities across the country. It also launched services like True Value, Maruti Finance and Maruti Insurance. The auto car maker introduced its first CNG model during this period - Maruti Suzuki 2010 Wagon R CNG.

Shift to automated manual transmission

The homegrown car maker introduced the Celerio, its first offering with the automated technology and the intelligently priced AMTs. The technology was eventually expanded to other product ranges from Wagon- R, Alto to Dzire.

First electric vehicle coming in 2025

Maruti Suzuki India will bring its first electric vehicle (EV) by 2025, Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said recently. The company has been testing 50 electric Wagon R units in India.