ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Best Economical Car - Goodbye Maruti 800

Updated on March 12, 2011

Maruti Suzuki says goodbye to Maruti 800 after Nano's launch. What would be the possible reasons for that and what do you think will be the effect of that? Do you agree that it is production life cycle and every production definitely comes to its end stage?

I have heard in the news that Maruti is saying goodbye to 800, the first most economical Indian car and I agree to this as it makes sense for Maruti to phase out a product as old as 800 and replace it with another product from its own stables (such as Alto and A-Star) before it loses ground with consumers. Every Brand needs to offer something new to its consumers over the years, especially in a segment as competitive as small cars, as the replacement of the 800 with Alto is a well thought out decision by Maruti.

But what about the market share? Maruti gets maximum sales from 800 only. Also Maruti has been redefined 3 times and when the high time came for re-modification, it is going to get a farewell.

I know Tata Nano is a tough competition and Maruti does not have any answer to that but how about an idea that Maruti being introduced with 600 cc engine and similar features with associated trust and belief added to it. May be that can be a better solution to compete with Nano and also Maruti 800 is the highest in demand car still in spite of the stagnant growth.

Also, Maruti Alto with 800 cc is pretty much Maruti 800, but with a newer design and a vastly different image. Maruti 800 has an "image problem" that does not make it appeal to the young car buyer; it is synonymous with the first car bought by the conservative family man who does not have much money to spend. Buying a first car today is all about enhancing one's social image and is a status symbol. Alto has replaced the 800 because it does not carry the burden of its image and is pretty much in the same price bracket.

I know that Maruti 800 is a not only a car, but it is a brand which holds considerable market share. Tata Nano is a new segment, which definitely caters attraction from low﷓end consumers.

Tata Nano and Maruti 800

Tata Nano and maruti 800 both are for different segments. Maruti will never be able to produce a car of 1 lakh cost because Tata's have cost advantage, which is their core competency because they have their own steel plant and it has joined customers and vendors together.

Tata Nano is basically a product to make people shift from two-wheelers or three-wheelers towards cars or in fact for those people who only own two-wheelers and want to purchase cars, which they can easily afford just like Tata Nano. Tata Nano has come up to cater middle class and even lower middle class.

A few days back, I visited Maruti Suzuki Plants at Gurgaon and Manesar and I had a chat with the HR manager of Maruti. He said that Maruti is concerned about the issue of Nano and is recently planning to launch improved version of 800, but they are not planning to cut the price and instead they are planning to add some additional features.

If we talk about Nano, the mere idea of developing Nano or a low cost car crept in Mr. Ratan Tata's mind was when he saw a family (four members) sitting on a two-wheeler. The first model of Nano is the basic model, i.e., rupees 1 lakh, which we can say, is a move to upgrade people using two-wheelers, but the other models of Nano, i.e., the Deluxe Version which is still awaited in the market would be catering to a totally different segment in terms of price (Rupees 1.75 lakhs approximately) and comfort. This particular version, which will most probably be launched next year or so and could eat up the market share of Maruti 800.

Now if the news are true that Maruti will phase out 800 now and will take time to launch a new car of same segment. In that case, they will lose out big market share and they need to see the opportunity cost as well.

Saying bye bye tata to Maruti 800 the Family car
Saying bye bye tata to Maruti 800 the Family car
The white colored Maruti 800 was the best seller among other colors.
The white colored Maruti 800 was the best seller among other colors.
Maruti Alto - Another economical Indian car after Maruti 800. Alto gives good average and AC is better than 800
Maruti Alto - Another economical Indian car after Maruti 800. Alto gives good average and AC is better than 800
Maruti Uniq
Maruti Uniq
Tata Nano - 1 lakh rupee car
Tata Nano - 1 lakh rupee car
What makes Nano so cheap?
What makes Nano so cheap?
Nano in the news
Nano in the news

Tata Nano driven by Autocar.co.uk Launch: ONE Lakh Rupee reviewed

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)