Source:TNN, Apr 1, 2010, 01.06am IST
NEW DELHI: The small car that changed the way Indians drove and helped put the Indian automobile market into the global big league will stop rolling out of showrooms in major cities from today. It has been driven off the roads by stringent emission laws that the original people's car is unable to comply with any more.
Powered by a Suzuki collaboration and steered by Sanjay Gandhi's political ambitions, the Maruti 800 rolled out onto Indian roads 27 years ago. The last of the 27 lakh units were driven out of showrooms in 13 cities on Wednesday, the company having decided that it was not worth pushing for a large investment to upgrade the engine to meet the stricter Bharat Stage IV norms that become mandatory from April 1.
BS-IV emission standards come into play in major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat and even Agra.
The Ford Ikon (1.3 petrol), Fiat Palio, Skoda Fabia (1.2 petrol) and Octavia (1.9 TDI engine) and Chevrolet Tavera (2.5DI) too will no longer be sold in the 13 cities, which together account for almost half the total car sales in India.
"We were contemplating if we could upgrade the 800 to comply with new emission norms, and have taken a decision to stop selling the car in cities where new norms will be implemented from April 1," Maruti chairman R C Bhargava had said.
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