Maruti likely to review 800 before the launch of Nano

Maruti Suzuki is discussing the fate of Maruti 800, as launch of Tata Motors' Nano draws nearer.

As reported by Business Line, according to a top official of Maruti, there are no plans to bring down the price of Maruti 800 to match that of Nano, the Rs. 1 lakh car could expect some competition from Maruti's user car business. Maruti 800 is the lowest priced small car in the domestic market now and sells at Rs. 1.92 lakh (ex-showroom).

The company believes that it might be difficult to stop the slide of Maruti 800 sales if Nano starts performing well in the market. In case, Nano fails in the market, Maruti 800 could in fact see some revival and it might end up keeping the model alive for some more time.

But with more launches in the mid-size segment lined up, the company seems to be keen on focusing on this segment in the near future. Whenever the company believed that any of its models had reached the end of the road, it did not hesitate to phase it out.

The company said that it will not be able to carry out any more changes in the Maruti 800 model, which has already seen quite a few makeovers since its launch in 1983.