[volkman10]

Bringing curtains down on the glorious saga of the Maruti 800 model, Maruti has stopped production of the iconic car brand .Though the car production has stopped, spare parts will be available for customers for the next 8-10 years as per rules.



http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/30006308.cms

[aajohn]

The 800 has finally stopped production. A car which was 'senior' to me by a few months has been stopped completely. They had stopped sales in metros earlier.

" Bringing curtains down on the glorious saga of the Maruti 800 model, Maruti Suzuki India has stopped production of the iconic car brand that had been carrier for millions of Indian middle class families, since last month, said senior official of the auto maker on Friday.

CV Raman, executive director MSIL, said though the car production has stopped, spare parts will be available for customers for the next 8-10 years as per rules.

The car, that was a breadwinner for many MSL dealers across the country and also first car for many Indian middle class families, may not be available in newer version unlike other MSIL brands.

More here: Link.

It was a "first car" for many Indians including me - I haven't sold her yet and though I hate to admit it, driving her in the city is more fun than my XUV

[vnabhi]

Sad to know this, but most of us were aware that this had to happen some day, especially after they stopped selling in Tier 1 cities.

The M800 I had from 1989 to 2001 was one of the most FTD cars I've driven till date. The strong low end grunt and involving steering caused a revolution in the decade that it was introduced. I still miss my car!

[mints21]

Indeed a sad news to bid adieu to a car that have served so many families across the country. I am not sure if any other car except an ambassador has seen such a long product life cycle.

As they say in their corporate advertisement, that India comes home in Maruti. This line holds true for Maruti 800.

A proud moment for Mr. Harpal Singh the first owner of Maruti 800 in India, and he still retains it. Very rarely you get a chance of getting associated with history and Harpal Singhji will always take pride with his name getting tagged to this car.

[rahul4321]

Sad Sad news. We never owned one but i learnt driving in it!! When your heart hurts even a little bit- you know that it was more than just a car! And for the bhpians who have owned it, I am sure it must be even more painful!

[rajeev k]

Couple of points that came to my mind are indicated below;
1. That is sad. Should have continued with the present Alto 800 engine.
Because this is the car that kick started a motoring revolution on the
Indian roads. this is the car that put India on wheels, to be precise.
2. The first Maruti 800 (SS80) was in production for only 2 years.
3. The M800 never got equipped with Power Steering. This along with point 2
above would have given it a fresh lease of life.

The pictures reproduced below, courtesy the Autocar India are worth a look in, at this context.

[aaggoswami]

We had one from 1992 to 2012. Yes, 20 years. Later on we had added CNG, but even then the car was nice to drive. In petrol mode the little car could be really quick off the line, and slotting into slots was very easy, something many powerful cars could not do.
It was actually quite fun to drive as compared to Wagon R I drove. And in rains, not to worry! The little car could invade waters where stylish hatch of modern world would not dare. Good visibility, easy to drive and even fun to drive, quite efficient and simple, almost maintenance free suspension.

Sad to know about the demise of 800. More than anything, I am yet to come across any other modern hatch having such simple engineering.

EDIT : The 800, for most part of its active life, had adjustable front head restraints. Something which recent cars are not having. And our M800 had a STEEL REAR SEATBACK like the one you find in Punto. Yes, it was real steel. We had once loaded tiles and still there was not concern with seats!

[FINTAIL]

Indeed, feels sad to know about this. The car that was responsible for mass-mobility in India, gone! sniff.....

That said, the car was becoming obselete, unable to withstand modern day competition.

As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Cheers!

[girishglg]

As a current owner of an 800, till date had a sense that one was driving a contemporary car no matter the age of the model. From today that feeling will get replaced with owning a classic car.

This car would still remain in the family even though we get a new set of wheels next year as it make sense to keep it for local errands than to sell for a paltry sum.

As said by Maruti there is no worries about spares and MASS hai na!

[ad3952n]

Hi all, I still remember that the house in which I spent my childhood had a SS model Maruti in Red color. The owner at that time felt proud and exclusive by owning it. To the best of my knowledge; I believe the SS model Maruti 800 was the strongest in terms of the build quality and if we search our forum I am sure there will be many bhpians who know the worth of owning a 1st generation Maruti 800 and have kept the car in best of shape while some of us have moved a notch higher by nicely modifying or restoring it to bring back it's glorious past to life again. However, In my family the last Maruti 800 model was owned by my aunt in Meerut till August 2005.

Thanks

AD

[Parm]

Here is the first owner of the first ever maruti.

[Sommos]

Finally the end of a great career in the Indian Motoring history.
This small pocket rocket had started a revolution on the Indian roads.
After driving my father's Ambassador for years it was such a delight to drive the M800, which was my first car.

[g.prabhudesai]

A very integral part of the Indian Car Scene. RIP. Hopefully the new breed of Alto 800s better enough to live up to the Pedigree.

I am still a proud owner of the very first one. From Japan.

Regards,
G P.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Parm

Here is the first owner of the first ever maruti.

Thanks for sharing this pic.
I remember watching on TV few years back an interview with the gentleman in the picture where he was seen driving the car.
Does anyone know if the car is still in use?

[Aroy]

M800 was the first car I bought new, way back in 1990. Till then it was second hand Fiat and Ambassador before that. Bought them twice more and had them till 2005.