Maruti 800 is a small city car that was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India from 1983 to 2014. The first generation was based on the 1979 Suzuki Alto and had an 800 cc F8B engine, hence the moniker. Widely regarded as the most influential automobile in India, about 2.87 million 800s were produced during its course of which 2.66 million were sold in India itself.
The last Maruti 800 was rolled off the production lines on 18 January 2013. After a full model change in 1986, the 800 has undergone some minor facelifts but overall it remains the same as it was in the introduction. The car has reported slipping sales in recent times, mainly due to the introduction of the Alto at a comparable price.
After successes there, and despite Suzuki’s objections, Maruti tackled more competitive markets and entered France in 1989, the Netherlands in 1990, followed by England, Malta, and Italy. The initial productivity at Maruti was planned at 25 cars per employee per year. Just to get a comparative perspective, Hindustan Motors, the manufacturers of the Ambassador car produced two cars per employee per year.
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