Ambassadors.

Every car manufacturer worth his clutch plate had said no to the governments proposal to make a small car in the joint sector (collaboration between the private and public sectors, akin to publicstranger rang the doorbell early in the private partnerships of today). But Osamu Suzuki took or me, and many others, the morning. He had driven more than 25 the challenge head-on. And how it worked! He was the Maruti 800 was the culmination kilometres just to sell me a few pins. first buyer of the India story years before Jack Welch of a long-cherished dream. My He had a metal scale, which he slid and Carlos Ghosn. first car was a second-hand Premier Osamu Suzukis contribution to Indias industrial between the front-door window and Padmini, bought from a scheming the plastic lining and the lock opened advancement is often not fully appreciated. When peomechanic. Driving it was traumatic, with a sickening click. His clips would ple thought he wont be able to sell more than 40,000 to say the least. The car would stall hold the plastic so tight that no thief cars in a year, he built a factory in Gurgaon that could without notice. Parts would fall off would be able to slip the scale and make 100,000 cars. Till then, economy of large-scale whenever they wanted. The engine open the lock. I bought his clips right production was just a textbook concept for Indians. even caught fire once. The car spent as away. This was the extent of the indus- He brought the Japanese culture of quality and effimuch time with the mechanic as with try the car had spawned: mechanics, ciency to India. Maruti Udyog (as Maruti Suzuki was me. When I went to pick up my brand vendors, clip salesmen et al. That called then) bought stakes in its key suppliers. More and new Maruti 800, the dealers advice night since this was a smaller car, I more parts were sourced locally. Vendors who met him was: Drive it yourself; otherwise, it had parked it in a narrow lane some- at the Suzuki headquarters at Hamamatsu in Japan will seem you have a driver for your BHUPESH BHANDARI body hit it from behind and broke the were pleasantly surprised to find that he knew every scooter. The message was that here supplier and dealer across the world by mudguard. I saw it was a small car I wont be ashamed of driving. The bucket seats were comfortable. The car in the morning. My Padminis mud- The Maruti 800 changed the his name. This was not something they were used to in India: big busiwas zippy, provided you switched off the air-condi- guard was made of steel. The hit way cars were bought, sold nessmen were distant and unaptioner when the traffic signal turned green. (Those from behind would have dented the and serviced in India, proachable, though all-knowing. If car with Padminis and Ambassadors lamented how the car. A week or so at the mechanics components were made, makers have come to India to make Maruti driving culture had spoilt the genteel Indian workshop was guaranteed. The and industrial enterprises traffic.) The gears fell into place smoothly, and the Maruti 800s mudguard was plastic. were organised. For the first small cars, a large part of the credit goes to Osamu Suzuki. wipers worked. With its small turning radius, the car Sure the mudguard was broken but time, the customer became It was only after the Maruti 800s negotiated mountain curves beautifully. All told, driv- there was no damage to the car. The the focus of manufacturing success that the Japanese motorcyservice centre brought out a new one ing the Maruti 800 was a divine experience. The car was the first brush with modern technolo- from the warehouse and replaced it within minutes. cle giants entered India: Honda with the Munjals, All this may sound mundane now. At that time, it Yamaha with the Nanda family of Escorts, and Suzuki gy for most Indians. When it was introduced in 1983, the Maruti 800 wasnt really an all-new model; it was based was nothing short of revolutionary. The Maruti 800 with TVS. But there was a difference. The motorcycle on the Suzuki Fronte. Because India was a closed econ- changed the way cars were bought, sold and serviced ventures were partnerships between private compaomy, even that was a luxury. A Maruti 800 in the garage in India, components were made, and industrial enter- nies. Maruti Udyog was a partnership between the showed that the person had arrived in life. One overseas prises were organised. For the first time, the customer government and a private company: one a symbol of footwear maker, when it entered India, just counted the became the focus of manufacturing. The Maruti 800 free markets and the other of a decaying socialist state. number of Maruti 800 owners and estimated that could was launched in December 1983. India at that time was Such a venture was never going to be easy to run. Still, be the potential market for its produce. It turned out to a no-go area for multinational corporations. It was a Osamu Suzuki persisted. What helped was that the first be an overestimation because the company hadnt socialist country. The licence raj was firmly in place. two leaders of the company were men from the govrealised that Indians took loans and saved all their lives For a car maker, the place held zero appeal. The roads ernment: V Krishnamurthy and R C Bhargava. They to buy the car so high was it on their list of priorities. were terrible. Purchasing power was low. If there was brought their knowledge of how the government a latent demand for modern goods, it was not easy to worked to the car maker. Eventually, the government A pair of snazzy sports shoes could wait. The day after I had got my Maruti 800, a total spot. People were content with their Padminis and exited the venture.

The 800 revolution

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