[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

After 10 years Maruti may launch a "New 800" like the "New Beetle" and sell it at a high price.

Seconded! A legend like this should be revived a few years after the phase out.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by intoxicangel

Finally, something old is on its way out to make way for the new (here i mean new generations of the same car!! lol)

yes, a brilliant car in its prime..

My grandfather had the good old SS80DX for over 20 odd years before he moved onto a Wagon R.. My uncle had a red SS80DX in Mumbai for over 20 odd years as well before he moved onto bigger stuff.. and the common thread for them was the awesomeness of the small car and its engine!!

But, it has lost its charm amongst all the new cars out there and on the pricing front was the cheapest till the Nano came in.

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

its about time! No doubt 800 was an iconic car. Most middle class in 90s owned one. A great car of its times.

But then it was getting too long in the tooth and the car should have been pulled by the market a long time back. Anyway, better late than never.

Originally Posted by getsurya

Well, I am sure lots of Indians are going to be nostalgic like me about M800!! Sure it was a status symbol in the family to own the very first red ones and it was an extremely faithful animal!

My first 4 wheeler(purchased with my own money!) in India was also an M800-a milky white one!! I have done lots of outside city and highway driving in the White Angel. Great vehicle for India, turned the automobile revolution on! Time to rest in all the pride!

guys! It is indeed about time! Definitely a brilliant car....but as intoxicangel says, IN ITS PRIME! Which means only initially when it was first introduced as a 'premium' car, and I would narrow it down to just the very first model, the SS80, of which I too am a proud owner! The overall quality and appealing factor of the SS80 was never matched by any of the subsequent models (post '86) of the 800- remember in case of the SB308, how easily their dashboards and bumpers would fade black to grey and finally white?! And the latest "new shape" ones have really taken the cake for their less than acceptable build quality. That they came with better braking systems, overdrive, Euro I/II/III engines is a different issue.
To be frank, it comes as no surprise to me that the 800 will be phased out soon. The overall build quality of the current gen 800 should've been obvious tell-tale signs that M-S had been having plans to phase out this model eventually, the quality steadily deteriorating to project the image of a "base" or "economy" model. The present gen. hatchback segment, including other cars from M-S itself, viz. Alto, Wagon R, Swift etc. are of comparitively better quality than the current 800, which, as you rightly say, has lost it's charm in front of these. It's also obvious that M-S is now taking more interest in their other models they launch at present, hence makes sens to them to sideline (and eventually shelf) their once flagship 800.

@getsurya: Excuse my curiosity, was your first 800 an SS80?

[Jaizcrzy]

An icon getting ready for farewell. Loved this car. Learn't driving on this, also helped my Brother, Dad and my wife in learing car driving on M800. I appretiate the engineers for this wheelz.

[samsag12]

Sooner or later every car has to fade away in the sunset. The time has arrived for Maruti 800 to bid goodbye to the automobile world. It played a major role in the drastic change of automotive sector in India.
BTW I see some common points in Fiat and Maruti Suzuki. Fiat 1100 flagship model of Fiat, Italy and Maruti 800 Flagship model of Maruti (Suzuki), Japan(in Indian context). Both bread and Butter models for their manufacturing company. Both ruled Indian roads for decades. Both of them were Indianised after few years. Spares easily available and affordable.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by sameer551

When VW, Fiat can make something great then why can not our M800 be turned out like that. It has always been a practical car.

They already tried that with the ZEN by launching ZEN CLASSIC,
but it bombed.

Even i would like too see a M800 CLASSIC, but maybe all that will work only in developed countries.

[ariendj]

i guess with the alto around ,the M800 wouldnt stand a chance but then why cant they downgrade it by stripping off any unwanted stuff and making it at range of 1.5L!!
its not impossible and as a matter of fact,it was suggested by editor of ACI years back!!

[AyAn!]

Originally Posted by ariendj

i guess with the alto around ,the M800 wouldnt stand a chance but then why cant they downgrade it by stripping off any unwanted stuff and making it at range of 1.5L!!
its not impossible and as a matter of fact,it was suggested by editor of ACI years back!!

How much more do you want the 800 to strip pal? Its already bares bones to the very core.Anyways the 800 is at the end of its tether,no point in keeping a car in production,that's decades old,and most importantly doesn't meet any safety norms.

[mustang89]

well i remember (actually dont remember) but my parents said that our first car,was bought just days before i was born and it was a blue ss80.we have had all the gen 800s till now,but later moved on to zen and so on.
i kinda feel sad that 800 never achieved cult status like those of beetle.i wish they surely re launch it some time afterwards and it gets the status it deserves.

[thainogkok]

Maruti Suzuki M800 won’t get new engine and dua to phase out from 13 cities


Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. will stop selling its lowest-priced model, the Maruti 800, in 13 of India’s biggest cities from April 1, when the federal government implements new, more stringent emission standards, its chairman said Friday.
“We have no plans to upgrade the Maruti 800 to meet Bharat Stage IV emission norms,” R.C. Bhargava told reporters Friday on the sidelines of an industry conference.
India will adopt Bharat Stage IV emission standards that are equivalent to the Euro-IV standards in 13 of India’s biggest cities by April 1. Auto makers are required to invest in upgrading their vehicles to comply with the rules.
For the little wonder, when launched, was the first “people’s car.” Those that had aspired to own two-wheelers only, could buy a Maruti 800 at Rs 52,000. Today, 26 years later, you could get one for Rs 1,85,715.
But back then, it was not just a middle class revolution. It took no time for the snazzy 796cc car to become a status symbol and the ultimate ride was one in a bright red Maruti 800.
Over 25 lakh Maruti 800s have been sold, with an average 100,000 cars being produced every year. Till the Maruti Alto was launched, the 800 was the best-selling car in India. It is also second only to the sturdy Ambassador in the number of years it has been in production.
India would implement these emission norms countrywide by 2015-16. Maruti 800 could be sold in the rest of the country till that time in its current form.


Alto is replacement,the New Suzuki Cervo will follow
Asked if the company would replace the 800 with a new model, Mr Bhargava said that after its production is stopped, the entry-level car from Maruti’s stable would be the Alto.
“There’s no plan of replacing the M800 with any other new model. We’re not bringing any new model to replace the car. If the 800 goes out totally, the Alto will be the cheapest car which we will offer,” he said. The 800 has not been doing too well in terms of sales either.


source: Maruti Suzuki M800 won’t get new engine and dua to phase out from 13 cities | SUZUKI FAN

[sanagg1]

MARUTI-800 Resurrection plan

A. Build up flesh by adding more bells 'n' whistle and a new engine.
Result :- Maruti stable is already clattered in this segment. They badly need sorting
B. Strip down further from bare bone
Result :- Dangerously low margin/high volume teritorry. Maruti is not exactly a low margin player its a different ball game. (Despite high volume in 90's)

Conclusion :- Every product is having a life cycle M-800 is nearing end of it. So is true for even human beings as a buddhist saying goes
" Death is a sign of begining of new life"

Cheers

[IamSaran]

As many have said before me, its about time.

I was criticizing Maruti for not bringing an suitable end to one of the most important cars in the previous couple (or was it triple?) decades.. Ever since I remember, this car has been THE entry level car in India. People near my native place still buy this car to learn driving and to know what a car is like. This undoubtedly has been the car that most car manufacturers had trouble matching until the nano rolled out from TATA.

This car was the first car that I traveled in (I still remember sitting on the front seat and my uncle switching on the AC for the first time in my life!).

Good bye Ms.800. It was about time that you receive a proper exit!

[zaks]

It's a nostalgic car and the first truly Indian car which inspired the whole small car market. I still remember the day I saw the first M800 on the road, it was in the eighties and I was in high school and we friends thought the name Maruti for a car as really outlandish, but boy what a ride it had. Even now thats the car which comes to mind when we speak of Mauti-Suzuki.

But as many have pointed out it is time to put it to rest and move on, and maybe keep one in the museum as a part of Indian automobile history.

We will miss you Maruti-800, RIP.

[Daewood]

Read an news article today.
It says the sales-share of entry level cars in the Indian market today is only 25% compared to 80% five years back.

Which means the entry level A segment has shrunk by a huge percentage.
No wonder why Maruti or any other manufacturer is not targeting the Nano market. The action seems to be in the B segment and that is today's volume segment.
Even in the B segment there are hardly anytakers for the base versions of i10 or Alto.

Guess it has got to do with the higher purchasing power of Indians.

[vinesataris]

I thought Maruti-Splash is going to replace M-800!?

[harishnair]

Originally Posted by vinesataris

I thought Maruti-Splash is going to replace M-800!?

The Splash was launched in India as the Suzuki Ritz.

IMHO, its high time that Suzuki pulled the plug on the M800.The car's been on sale for more than 25yrs and needs a graceful death.