Maruti rolls out 5 millionth vehicle

Two decades after manufacturing its first vehicle in India, Maruti Udyog Ltd today rolled out the five-millionth car from its assembly line in Gurgaon.

A red 'WagonR', bearing chassis number 319832, the milestone car for the company comes exactly a day before Japanese Prime Minister Jonichiro Koizumi begins his visit to India.

The first Maruti vehicle, a Maruti 800, rolled out on December 14, 1983. While the company's first million was reached in the first 10 years of operations (in March 1994) the second million was completed in October 1997 or in three years.

The third million was rolled out in June 2000 while the four millionth vehicle was manufactured in April 2003. As such, the last one million has been the fastest, coming in just two years.

"Maruti's five millionth vehicle is a milestone not just for Maruti, but also for India and Indian manufacturing. The original Maruti vision of providing a 'people s car', articulated over two decades ago, has helped transform the Indian Manufacturing landscape and touched the lives of millions of Indians," said Jagdish Khattar, managing director, MUL.

"This red WagonR symbolises the collective efforts and aspirations of Maruti employees, our suppliers, dealers, service workshops, marketing partners and above all, our customers," he added. The company sold 536,301 vehicle units during financial year 2004-05, the highest ever annual sale since it began operations.

Price to go up: Maruti Udyog Ltd today said prices of its cars are likely to go up from next month due to increase in input costs.

"We have been looking at this for some time and the prices may go up from May," said Maruti Udyog's,managing director, Jagdish Khattar said after the company rolled out its five millionth car from its factory in Gurgaon.

As the hike is necessitated due to increase in input costs, it is likely to be on all models, a company official added.