Report: India's "King of the Road" being retired due to stricter emissions regulations

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Suzuki, India

The Ford Model T, Volkswagen Beetle and Fiat 500 are all fondly remembered by the populations of the countries that spawned them as the vehicles that finally made the masses mobile. You can add the Maruti Suzuki 800 that that list as well. The little hatchback from India was first introduced in 1983, and it quickly became known as the "King of the Indian Road." To date, over 2.5 million Maruti 800s have been sold.

That enviable streak is reportedly set to end in very short order as India rolls out a new set of emissions standards that the old 800 is simply unable to achieve. Though it could be retrofitted to meet whatever standards are thrown its way, Maruti has said it has no plans to upgrade the car, choosing instead to slowly phase it out as newer designs take over in its place. Cars like the Tata Nano, perhaps? Time will tell.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

Report: India's "King of the Road" being retired due to stricter emissions regulations originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tata Nano tanking used car market in India

John Neff — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, India, Tata

click above to view more images of the Tata Nano

Anticipation for the Tata Nano in India is so high that the country's used car market is taking a dive ahead of the car's arrival later this year. Autocar is reporting that sales for India's current most popular and cheapest car, a used Maruti 800, have already fallen 30 percent, and sales for a brand new Maruti 800 were down 20 percent last month. The Maruti is actually a rebadged version of the older Suzuki Altos. At nearly 200,000 rupees, it's about twice as much to buy new as the $2,500 Tata Nano will be, despite being a smaller car. Indian car buyers apparently are not dumb. Why buy a new or used car today when you can wait until the end of the year and get a new Tata Nano for much less? The used car market in India could rebound a bit, however, after the Nano debuts. All those people waiting to buy one now might not end up liking the world's cheapest car after they get a chance to drive one.

[Source: Autocar via Winding Road]

Gallery: Tata Nano

Tata Nano tanking used car market in India originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments