Over time, it became broad-based and more people could jump the queue. According to former MD Jagdish Khattar, “the PQ was for only a select few: major generals and higher-ups in the army, and joint secretaries and above in the government. The original 800 was based on the Suzuki Fronte SS80, and had a three-cylinder 800cc engine, hence the moniker.įew were willing to give the compact car a chance against the Ambassador and the Premier Padmini when it launched, but in the early 1990s, Maruti was forced to institute a “priority queue” or PQ because of the great demand. The factory was set up in Gurgaon and the Maruti 800 was launched in December 1983, followed by India’s first mini van – the Omni.
To begin with, Maruti had 883 employees on its roll. Suzuki acquired a 26 per cent stake in the venture, with an option to increase it to 40 per cent. Maruti Udyog Ltd was formed as a result of the Nakanishi report, following which a joint venture agreement was signed between the Hamamatsu-based small car-maker and the government of India in 1982.
Second, we had a feeling that the government was a good partner,” Nakanishi said in his last press briefing as the MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki in March 2013. Though the Japanese firm “didn’t know India at all”, after he visited India, Nakanishi said he felt confident about the prospects of the venture. Last year, Nakanishi, a close confidante of Osamu Suzuki, recounted his initial mission. Shinzo Nakanishi, the former managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, was one of the first Suzuki representatives to come to India in 1981 to evaluate its investment opportunity.
Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation was eventually chosen.
The government salvaged the Maruti project in the early 1980s and started scouting for an active foreign collaborator. However, this company went into liquidation in 1977. Sanjay had first contacted Volkswagen AG for a possible collaboration and joint production of the Indian version of the original people’s car, the Beetle.
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