After Omni, Maruti 800 may not be phased out

The car that revolutionised the personal mode of transport about a couple of decades ago -- Maruti 800 -- may well get a new lease of life as engineers at Maruti Suzuki seem to have found a way to keep the car on the road even beyond the official deadline set by the company to phase it out.

Engineers at Maruti Suzuki India can upgrade the engine that powers the car to comply with the Bharat Stage IV emission norms set to kick in by April next year.

Little more than a month ago, MSIL had issued a statement declaring that the M800 would be phased out from 11 cities by 2010 and the entire country by 2015-16 due to its inability to upgrade the engine owing to cost factors.

I V Rao, managing executive officer (engineering), MSIL, said: "We can do some after-treatment on the engine of the M800 which will help it take on the BS IV norm."

"The decision of phasing out the car completely lies with our marketing team. If they find it unviable, we will have to stop its (M800's) production," he added.

Additionally, another MSIL dark horse -- the Omni -- was also set to be phased out around the same time. However, the recent spurt is demand for the vehicle, which is classified as a multi-purpose vehicle, has prompted the company to roll back its decision.

Both the Omni and M800 share the same 796cc, petrol-fired, 3-cylinder MPFI engine, with two valves per cylinder. However, the M800 is calibrated for extra power at 37 bhp, while the Omni delivers peak power of 35 bhp.

According to company officials, the Omni will continue to remain under production even as its engine is getting fine-tuned to adhere to the new emission regulations.

It is noted here that a large chunk of M800 sales come from the rural and semi-rural markets, where the car figures as the 'first buy' in many families.

The cost of ownership of the M800 and Omni are the lowest in India and around the world. Due to its low cost of running and the easy availability of spare parts at cheaper prices, both cars continue to give Maruti respectable numbers every month, although there has been a huge decline recently.

The M800 sells about 2,500-3,000 units every month, while the Omni sells about 5,000 units.

Launched in 1983, the M800 has sold over 2.7 million units and was the highest selling car for MSIL until recently when the Alto took the lead.