People from across the country have mourned the demise of the former Prime Minister and remembered his contribution to the nation. Asim Arun, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Social Welfare, Scheduled Castes and Tribal Welfare in the Government of Uttar Pradesh, who has worked as the former Prime Minister’s bodyguard for three years since 2004, shared a post from his ex (Twitter) Is. In this post he has shared an anecdote related to the simplicity of Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Former PM’s fondness for Maruti Suzuki 800
This anecdote shared by Aseem Arun shows the simplicity of Dr. Singh and how much affection he had for his humble Maruti Suzuki 800. Advanced high-security vehicles, including BMWs, were deployed for his official visits, but Dr Singh has often expressed his preference for a modest car.
How was Manmohan Singh’s Maruti 800 car?
According to media reports, Dr. Manmohan Singh had a 1996 model Maruti Suzuki 800. He has also mentioned this car in his property. Between 1986 and 1997, the top variant of Maruti 800 was STD. At that time its ex-showroom price used to be around Rs 1.66 lakh to Rs 1.88 lakh.
This car came with a 796cc petrol engine, along with the option of LPG support was also available. Maruti 800 came with manual transmission. Its mileage ranged between 14kmpl to 16.1kmpl depending on different variants. Talking about its dimensions, this 5 seater car was 3335mm long, 1440mm wide and its wheelbase was History of Maruti Suzuki 800
Maruti 800 meaning status symbol
Maruti 800 was ahead of its competitors in terms of technology. It was a small and light car, it was also easy to maintain and drive. Apart from this, its mileage was also strong. It was first launched in India in 1983. Since its launch, it was not just for the rich or the poor. Maruti 800 became the favorite car of every person, from industrialists to executives, such a time came that owning a Maruti 800 became a status symbol.
Maruti 800 craze
When Maruti started taking bookings for this car on April 9, 1983, it impressed the Indian customers a lot. During the pre-launch phase, around 120,000 customers showed eagerness to buy it and made an advance payment of Rs 10,000 as token amount. You will be surprised to know that at that time its waiting period was 3 years. By June 8, just two months after the booking window opened, the company had received orders for more than 1.35 lakh units.
first price of maruti 800
At the time of launch, the price of Maruti 800 in Delhi was Rs 52,500. Its delivery started from December 14, 1983. The first 10 customers selected through a transparent draw were given the keys from the hands of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself. The first car was handed over to Indian Airlines employee Harpal Singh, who sold his Fiat car to buy a Maruti 800. Singh became a part of Indian automobile history, and his photo with the Prime Minister is still popular today.
Maruti 800 milestone of 25 lakh units
Within no time, Maruti 800 achieved the production figure of 1 lakh units in 1986-87 and was able to cross the milestone of production of 5 lakh units in 1992-93. By 1996-97, this figure doubled to 10 lakh units. It also crossed the figure of 15 lakh units in 1999-2000. This small car of Maruti continuously gained a place in the hearts of Indians and crossed the figure of 20 lakh units in 2002-03 and 25 lakh units in 2005-06.
Maruti 800’s departure from Indian market
Despite later attempts to challenge other cars like Tata Nano, it continued to rule as the number-1 car among Indians. The Maruti 800 finally bid farewell to the Indian market in 2014 after selling over 27 lakh units across India. The introduction of strict BS4 emission norms made it impractical to continue production, and it was replaced by an entry-level car. Maruti Alto took its form. However, Maruti is still alive in the hearts of 800 people in the form of tales and stories.
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