New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, has no plans to upgrade its lowest- priced Maruti 800 model to meet Euro IV emissions standards, Chairman RC Bhargava said on Friday.
Bhargava said sales of the model would be discontinued in 13 cities from April. Maruti is 54.2 percent owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp.
The company had earlier in January denied reports that the company is mulling over plans to phase out Maruti 800 model, which has literally dominated the Indian car market for almost last two decades.
The Maruti 800 model comprises only 5 per cent market share of the total Maruti Suzuki sales. Only 3,000 Maruti 800 models are sold monthly compared to 20,000 Alto sales in a month. Yet, seeing the demand Maruti has no plans to phase out 800 model in the near future.
Car sales in India, world's second-most populous country, are set to jump about 16 per cent this year to 1.4 million vehicles, buoyed by robust economic growth and government incentives, in contrast to a slump in many developed markets.
Bureau Report with inputs from ANI
First Published: Friday, February 12, 2010, 15:30