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-   -   Maruti Omni production to end due to upcoming safety norms (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/203137-maruti-omni-production-end-due-upcoming-safety-norms-2.html)

Times change. Priorities change. Vehicles change. Even if it takes some vehicles decades to do so!

The Omni's success and longevity goes to show its ultimate utility value - both rurally and in urban areas. I'm not sure if Maruti had foreseen the myriad roles that the Omni would fulfil, but in the end, we Indians used it in a variety of creative (and sometimes unsafe) ways.

I'd just say thanks to the Omni for all that it has been for those generations of Indians who stepped forward into the era of modern vehicles, with the 800 and Omni.

And I just can't help but be struck by the one question - what if the BNVSAP had come in 5 years earlier? Or a decade? How much more benefit and safety would have been brought about by an earlier introduction of safety norms. And that question isn't just with the Omni in mind, but with every car that struggles or fails in the GNCAP.

Thank you, dear Omni, but your time is past.

I understand all the sentiment the Onmi has. And yes, in terms of sales because of its utility and versatility- it has largely gone unchallenged in a few decades.

This shows how slowly our auto industry progresses. The same car was sold in Europe and Japan- but was phased out as regulations became more stringent. No point bashing MSIL, they're not an unethical company, but their commitment to safety is questionable.

agree: It is sometimes easy to forget just how poor we really are as a country, with a GDP per capita (nominal) of just USD 1700 per annum, and how so many people made a conscious decision to buy an Omni.

At the same time, I count the new safety norms as steady progress, in line with the fact that we have indeed become richer (materially) over the last 30 years.

Very sad news, indeed. Omni is being The Best vehicle on road for small businessman people who can carry lot of stuff in it. Also it was blessing as a Ambulance in all cities in India where traffic is bad and roads are tiny enough to restrict reaching big ambulance like Tempo Traveler. Also its a best suited as a school van for small kids. I really don't think its unsafe for city use as such as possibility of having major, fatal accident is very very rare compared to all two wheeler's. I am not saying that it's safe, but it's certainly safer than all three wheeler's and two wheeler's on road. The amount of value it gives is unmatched and unbeatable by any other car in India, may be in the world. I am sure lots of people will be unhappy when Omni production will be stopped.

A kidnappers favorite car, thanks to the sliding doors on both the sideslol:, jokes apart will surely miss the icon. No doubt on the zero safety it offered (but much safer than the 3 wheeler), nevertheless, it was one of the cars that I learnt driving.
Rest in Peace Omni, you have done your duty faithfully.

The end of an icon. The Omni actually had a longer run than even the more iconic Maruti 800! Back in the 80s, individual owners lapped up the Omni just because the waiting period for the "other Maruti" (i.e. the 800) ran a couple of years long. I remember travelling to Mahabaleshwar as a kid in my uncle's white Omni. I think we were like 10 of us crammed into that box of a cabin.

In terms of sq ft for the money, nothing beat it. That's why commercial operators kept its cash registers ringing. As KiloAlpha said, this is going to hit Maruti's bottom line noticeably.

And do you think those school children are magically going to be transferred to an Innova Crysta with 7 airbags after the Omni's demise? NO. It's a matter of budget and when you are strapped for cash, safety is relative to your other options. Example = an Omni is safer than a rickshaw which is in turn safer than a scooter.

Let's stop seeing the world through our rose-tinted glasses.

Mate if someone wants to be transported from one to another in an unsafe vehicle that is not certified to carry that more than a certain number, sure that's their wish. I am just saying it is unsafe to do so and should be avoided. Never have I advocated for ban on any thing or in fact on any practice because this is democracy.

Shame on us? Really? What is there to be ashamed to say that Omni is unsafe and should have been phased out long back? Sir do you know what is shameful? Cheap Maruti still putting innocent people's lives on risk to earn their profits, that is downright shameful.

I, for one, will never be disrespectful to my elders and forefathers for anything in life. Let alone being not tech savvy. They have given me life and education and I am always grateful for that. Heck, I do not consider myself as tech savvy.

Sir please tell me which car has been in production for the past 30 years without any significant changes to its structure or safety equipment and yet being sold to innocent people to earn profits for the organization?

Sir I was not talking about the time period when M800 was being sold. I understand it was very early and such tests were absent. How about now? What stops Maruti from providing a safe Swift or Alto or Dzire or Ertiga? It is not as if they are cheap as junk.


Car is actually considered a status enhancer in our Indian society and is seen as the second most significant investment being made by a normal middle class Indian after years of savings, yours truly is one of them. Is it a crime to expect the car to have safety structure after paying the premium? Is it not possible for Maruti to develop a 3* or 4* safety car in the current Swift's price range?Agreed we have the option to buy or not to buy and I have opted for the later. But that will not stop me from questioning Maruti's rationale of compromising on safety for profit.

Credit to them for introducing private vehicle ownership. Kudos. Now how about improving the safety as the increase in number of vehicles is putting such innocent owners lives at risk?

I am surprised by this comment. Isn't a car with minimum level safety equipment and a stable structure a fundamental right to a car buyer, more so at the entry level? If it is not possible, why manufacture such unsafe car and sell it to innocent first time buyers putting their lives at risk? Isn't withholding information that Swift, Alto, Celerio and may be even Dzire have low crash rating and unstable structure unethical? So why make false claims and noise about the new heartect platform enhancing the safety and stability of the car? All it does is improve mileage. Nothing else to enhance safety.

I firmly believe that Maruti does not give a crap about Indian lives. All they are interested is to sell any car, no matter how unsafe it is, to see profit. This I believe is highly unethical and this is what makes me anti-Maruti.

The omni is from an era where people barely knew what seatbelts were, let alone use them. Plus the RWD meant it was easier to convert it for cargo operations.
I guess most of the Omni sales in the current years were to commercial operators who used it as a small delivery platform.
Caterers / courier / food truck / pop up shop - all of them use omni.
2 sliding doors + hatch meant there were multiple options for loading / unloading & was fast as well.
Does BNVSAP apply to vehicles which operate as commercial non passenger use?
If not, the omni can live on with it's cargo only avatar.

I've had the pleasure of driving an Omni over a small distance of around just 5 kms about 20 years back. And I must tell you that it was one of the most horrifying drives I've ever had. Used to driving an 800, I just couldn't figure out how to stop it with drum brakes all around! It's been an iconic car but needs to be phased out.

:OT It was favorite car for kidnapping/crime industry with its sliding rear gates. :Frustrati

I am sure having driven (and owned?) M800 you would know that the Omni also came with Disc Brakes for the front?

Talking about Omni, one thing that I was long ago told by the ASC is that the timing belt of these Omni's keeps failing/snapping quite regularly and that is one of the most common breakdowns. I am not sure how far this is true.

For anyone who thinks the Omni is poorly built; here, just compare :uncontrol



https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post4162523

PS: Don't believe the pictures. The Omni is truly unsafe.

That's the point people are trying to make. It's not 'their wish', but their only choice very often. What does a lower-income group schoolchild or parent do if that's the only means of transport to school? Walk? Stop going to school?

As several people have said, this is where the government comes in to regulate the production of such vehicles. Thereby forcing manufacturers to come up with safer vehicles at reasonable costs to capture that market.

I still remember my drive with friends on a rented Omni to visit our previous class teacher in 2005. It was almost 100 kms drive one side and while coming back I was caught by police for driving car with out licence and I had to use all my negotiating skills to bring the fine from Rs.1000 to Rs.100. I am not mentioning it as my achievement, but we all know we are used to such incidents at that time. Had lot of drives on my friend's Omni and had lot of fun times in it. My father-in-law still has an Omni which I had driven once through Cochin city and I was literally sweating after the drive. Living with electric power steering, better powered engines, better gear boxes all these years have transformed me to someone who cannot even handle an Omni.

Omni!, Good bye and thank you for having been there for me in my good old teenage times. Even though you gave us jerky rides, you helped us travel together and hence let us have more fun and more 'family wali feeling'.

O yes, Omni does come with front disc brakes now just like M800 but that was started with the facelift somewhere around 2005-2007. The round headlamp Omni's (which I drove) had drum brakes all around. I got the same feeling when I drove a Nano. I searched for this particular information but could find only this reference in our own forum.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post2319485

Omni`s absence will be filled by less well engineered alternatives I fear, it is true that there are safer alternatives for Omni but none at its price point that can carry upto 8 passengers and is as good a passenger vehicle (relatively) as it is a commercial vehicle (relatively).

@BoneCollector - The Omni Mk1 is the best driving Omni of them all, yes the brakes were poor, but for its time, good enough. The later models somehow felt a lot cheaper, had lot more vibrations and drive line noise.

OT : Nano GenX model has much better brakes although its drum all around. It comes with brake booster and traction A rated tires as well.