Dec 31, 2010 06:00 PM
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Maruti Suzuki is planning a phase out of Maruti 800 beginning in April 2010. Maruti Suzuki does not have plans to upgrade it to Euro IV or BS IV emission norms. Starting April 2010, Maruti will stop selling the car in 13 major cities – the four metros and 9 other cities including Kanpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Agra and Surat, where the law made it mandatory for the vehicles sold to be Euro IV compliant. Maruti 800 will be sold in other cities until 2015–16.
Maruti Suzuki has announced the launch of the Maruti M800 Uniq – a special edition of the Maruti 800, the car that put India behind the wheel in the 80s.
Limited Edition or not, the M800 Uniq is the last gasp from the car that many thought would never survive so many years, and so many newer models. Maruti Suzuki’s own Alto overtook the M800 in sales a couple of years back.
So what is the M800 Uniq all about?
Here are the new ‘features’– new body graphics, beige upholstery, door trims with fabric patch, smart(smart?) lower console box, rear package tray, and dome decals here and there. No non-AC cars, all Uniq 800s will be air-conditioned.
The Maruti M800 Uniq will come at an extra cost of Rs 5, 200 over the regular Maruti 800 AC, which is Rs 2, 11, 176(ex-showroom Delhi).
Mind you, the Maruti 800 after all these years, is still a practical little car in the small towns and villages. It is extremely reliable, service and repairs are dirt-cheap, and if all you need is point-to-point transportation, it really is a practical choice.
We don’t think anyone who had decided to buy an Alto would step back now and buy an 800 Uniq. That is not what Maruti Suzuki is looking for either. A few people for whom the Alto looked a bit too expensive, and would have gone for the 800 anyway, would be tempted to buy the M800 Uniq. A little push in sales, perhaps.
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