Maruti Suzuki Maruti 800 History
History
The Maruti 800 was the first vehicle to roll off Maruti's Gurugram production line on 14 December 1983, based on the 1979 Suzuki Alto with an 800cc F8B engine. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handed over the symbolic first key to a lucky-draw winner — a moment that marked the start of India's affordable-car era.
A restyled second-generation body arrived in 1986 and carried the model through to a long series of incremental updates — fuel injection in 2000, Euro III compliance in 2005 — before the final car left the line on 18 January 2014. Rather than upgrade the platform again to meet Euro IV (BS IV) norms, Maruti retired the nameplate. Approximately 2.87 million were produced over 31 years, making it the second-longest-produced car in India after the Hindustan Ambassador.
The 800 defined entry-level motoring in India for two decades, held over 80 percent of the domestic passenger-car market in its early years, and remains an enduring cultural touchstone.
Generations
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First generation · SS80
Original 796cc hatchback based on the 1979 Suzuki Alto; launched 14 December 1983.
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Second generation · SS80 (revised body)
Photo: “Maruti 800” by Shafipta / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Modernised aerodynamic body; evolved through fuel injection (2000) and Euro III compliance (2005) to the end of production in 2014.
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1987 Photo: “A Feb 1987 Facelift Model of Maruti Suzuki 800 in India” by Simrandeep CHAMAK / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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1997 Photo: “1997 Maruti Suzuki 800” by Rutger van der Maar / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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Body styles
- Hatchback
- Sedan
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