Maruti Udyog Ltd. (MUL) was basically formed to cater to the problem of insufficient public transport capability of the Government. During the early 80's, India was facing tremendous problems regarding public transport. And there was no possible solution. The Indian markets were yet to be opened so there were very few small car manufacturers in the country. However, the need for an alternative was becoming very necessary, when the Government of India through an Act of Parliament formed Maruti Udyog Ltd. in 1981. After this, a Joint Venture agreement was signed by the Govt. of India and SuzukiMotor Company (now SuzukiMotor Corporation of Japan) in Oct 1982.It was SuzukiMotor Company (now SuzukiMotor Corporation of Japan), who introduced modern technology and modern management practices to Maruti Udyog Ltd.
The main Objectives of Maruti at that point of time were, firstly to modernize the Indian automobile industry, secondly to enhance economic growth by producing Hugh number of vehicles and finally to manufacture fuel-efficient vehicles.
There are almost 307 showrooms across 189 cities. They are managed by almost 6000 trained personnel. MUL has always been concerned about the quality of their services and products. Accordingly, it has been seen that Maruti owners experience very minimum problems when compared to the other car manufacturers of India. Another important aspect of Maruti is that they provide all kinds of services and products under one roof. The maintenance cost of Maruti vehicles are also low when compared to the other manufacturers. This can be taken as one of their major USP's.
Even technologically, they have attained a benchmark. They have introduced the superior 16*4 Hypertech engines in almost all their models. This technology helps in increasing engine delivery. They have also introduced Electronic Power Steering in some of their models as well. MUL has three fully integrated production facilities with a range of 10 models in 50 variants. Their overall sales growth is of 15.8%. Hence, making it easier for Indians to buy cars.
In 2001, Maruti Udyog Ltd became one of the first automobile companies anywhere in the world to get an ISO 9000:2000 certification.