| The country's biggest carmaker, Maruti Udyog, turns 21 | | | | At the time of its entry, 1983-84, Maruti Udyog and the |
| today. It has been 21 years of a rollercoaster ride, only | | | | ubiquitous M800 model were faced with a tough |
| in this case the rollercoaster has gone more up than | | | | opposition in the Indian market - a Morris Oxford |
| down. The company today holds a 55-percent share | | | | wannabe and a relic of the Fiat 1100, both tracing their |
| of the market, not a monopoly, but overwhelmingly | | | | origin to more than three decades back, hardly |
| dominant nevertheless. | | | | something to bother a modern Japanese automobile. |
| Maruti Udyog started in 1983, with the notion of making | | | | As expected, the M800 made quick work out of them. |
| cars for the masses. As a thumb rule, the word | | | | The next competitor for Maruti would come only in the |
| 'Udyog' (Udyog is the Hindi equivalent of Industry) in any | | | | late 90s, giving the default market leader a |
| Indian company indicates that the company has some | | | | decade-and-a-half to consolidate, build up its volumes, |
| government involvement, is generally a co-operative | | | | amortize costs and make a brand name which today |
| and is meant to produce goods aimed at the general | | | | stands head and shoulders above all the other |
| population, with a humane attitude about it all, a far cry | | | | automotive brands in the country. |
| from the hard-nosed corporate snobbishness that | | | | To its credit, Maruti today is as good, if not better, than |
| usually is the trait of multinational corporations. | | | | the other players in the country in any competitive |
| The government's idea of making the car a means of | | | | area, from capacity utilization to efficiency. The cars |
| transport for the masses did not meet with complete | | | | now sell on their merits rather than government |
| success, as the passenger car density (8 cars per 1, | | | | support and the company is a well defined |
| 000 individuals) of the country will tell. | | | | professional outfit. |