Manmohan Singh’s most prized ride to Sachin Tendulkar’s first car: Maruti 800 defined late Osamu Suzuki’s Indian legacy

The man responsible for setting into motion India’s automobile legacy breathed his last on Chrmas day earlier this week. Osamu Suzuki was a pioneer in his own right in Japan as he led Suzuki Motors from struggling waters to worldwide recognition. But, what he did for India effectively crafted the future of the Indian middle class dream, for years to come. The Maruti 800 was the people’s car of India — it was the humble design that set into motion India’s booming potential as an automobile market. Sanjay Gandhi, prior to his unfortunate demise, had set up the state-owned Maruti, which was scouting for partners in the early 1980s. Osamu recognised India’s market potential and beat the likes of Daihatsu, Renault, Fiat SpA, Fuji Heavy Industries and Volkswagen to foster a joint partnership in October of 1982 and in just over a year, the Maruti 800, India’s first affordable car, was brought to life. And it changed everything, for once, for the better. Manmohan Singh’s most-beloved ride to Sachin Tendulkar’s first car: Remembering Osamu Suzuki’s everlasting contribution to India’s automobile dream, the Maruti 800 How strongly the model resonated with the spirit of the common Indian man is captured well in an anecdote shared Asim Arun, a Miner of State from Uttar Pradesh and MLA from Kannauj. Formerly an IPS officer who served as the late Manmohan Singh’s bodyguard during his Prime Miner-ial tenure, Arun revealed how the SPG-selected BMW failed to capture Singh’s imagination. Speaking to Aaj Tak, a day after the former PM’s demise at 92 years of age, Arun recounted, “Dr. Sahab had only one car of his own, a Maruti 800. Whenever we passed it, he would look at it with a sense of belonging. He often told me, ‘Asim, I don’t like travelling in this car (the BMW); that one is my vehicle’. I would explain to him that the BMW wasn’t for luxury but for security reasons, as chosen the SPG. But he still identified with the Maruti, as if reminding himself, ‘I am a middle-class person, and it’s my job to care for the common man’ “. Speaking of the common man and humble beginnings, the Maruti 800 was incidentally also the God of cricket’s first-ever car. Sachin Tendulkar eventually traded it in to upgrade to his spate of speedy sports cars and sedans, but to this date, still misses it. During a YouTube channel interview, Sachin even went as far as to say, “My first car was a Maruti 800. Unfortunately it is not with me right now. I would love to have it back again with me. So people lening to me, feel free to contact and get in touch”. The Maruti 800 hatchback — an upgraded model from 1997, was Imtiaz Ali’s first car. Back in 2020 during the lockdown, the director managed to dig out an old picture of him in the driver’s seat. His photo was wholesomely captioned, “my first car, it’s first highway run – to Goa! yeah, going down memory lane during lockdown”. A special mention here goes to Harpal Singh, an Indian Airlines employee, who along with his wife was the proud owner of the first Maruti 800. The launch was such a moment in time that then-Prime Miner Indira Gandhi herself had handed over the keys of the car to Singh, which he had bought at a humble price of ₹47,500. As a matter of fact, Malayalam superstar Mammootty had even expressed interest in buying that very model from Singh’s family a few years back, for preservation purposes. Do you too have a Maruti 800 anecdote?