Home / News / India News / Article / Want to own the first Maruti 800?

Want to own the first Maruti 800?

Owners of India's first people's car say they might sell it, even as the 800 goes off the roads due to new emission norms

Listen to this article :

Owners of India's first people's car say they might sell it, even as the 800 goes off the roads due to new emission norms

Way before the much-touted Tata Nano, a small wonder hit the Indian markets in 1982 and made millions of people realise their dream of buying a car.

The Maruti 800 which was a symbol for the Indian middle class for decades is ready to roll into the sunset. But you have a chance to drive some history into your garage. Harpal Singh and Gulshanbeer Kaur - proud owners of the country's first Maruti 800 - might put the vehicle up for sale.


Harpal Singhu00a0and his wife at their Green Park residence in New Delhi.
PICS/RAJEEV TYAGI


Since Bharat IV emission norms come into force from today, the car will go off the roads across the country, news that has saddened the Singhs. Harpal Singh, a resident of Green Park, received the keys to his car from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself.

"I am the proud owner of the first Maruti 800. It disappoints me that the company has decided to shelve it. If they do, procuring spare parts for the car will become difficult and its maintenance cost will go up." Singh told MiD DAY.

His wife though struck a more positive note. "I am not sure how much we will get if we sell it. If we get a good price then we may think of selling the car," said Gulshanbeer Kaur.

Legend has it

From today onwards, 13 cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad will switch over to BS-IV emission norms, while rest of the country will adopt BS-III norms from October.
In its first year of commercial operations (December-March 1983), Maruti had produced 840 cars. Of late, M800 had lost ground to more modern cars and on an average about 2,500-3,000 cars were sold per month.
Along with M800, a few other vehicles such as 'Ford Ikon' and 'Fiat Palio', will also be driving into the sunset in the 13 cities.

How do you like the new new mid-day.com experience? Share your feedback and help us improve.

Read Next Story
Right to education or expulsion?

Trending Stories

Latest Photoscta-pos

Latest VideosView All

Latest Web StoriesView All

Mid-Day FastView All

Advertisement