Maruti Suzuki has sold more than 10 million cars in India, perhaps, putting this number in Indian terms will bring out the awesomeness of the number even closer. It is one crore cars! Splendid as the record is, that it has been achieved in just about 28 years is admirable. In fact, Maruti had sold 5 million cars between its inception in 1983 and 2006. The next 5 million Maruti cars were sold at a frenetic pace, in just 5 years. Incidentally, a Red Swift VXI is the 10 millionth vehicle to roll out of Maruti’s Manesar plant on February 9.

How is Maruti achieving the sales, when other manufacturers are competing fiercely all the time? There are almost 100 choices on the road and yet the buyers are willing to be patient, as you know the Swift has some waiting time.

The simple answer is “quality”. Indian car owners are basically adamant. They look for durability, reliability, and driving-ease and even more important is the safety record. When it comes to durability, it is heartening to see early Maruti 800s driving along finely even now on the roads. Look at the Omni, the rugged use to which the owners put this vehicle, perhaps was never envisaged and yet, this Maruti minivan is one of the most popular commercial vehicle across the country.

Fuel efficiency is yet another characteristic of Maruti cars. The Alto with 18.9 kmpl, Swift Dzire at 18.5 kmpl in the city and 23.4 kmpl on the highway, and even the first D-segment car, the Maruti Kizashi with city mileage of 9 kmpl are the most economical cars, around.

For Maruti, WagonR has proved to be a winner right from the launch. The 5-seater BSIV compliant, 998 cc hatchback caught the family-minded Indian car owners. You can get this comfortable vehicle, which has roomy interiors, better-than-most stability between Rs.3.17 Lakh to Rs.4.30 Lakh (depending on the model and place of purchase).

The largest service-network in the country, of course, is a major contributor to Maruti’s popularity. With every factor working in its favor, no wonder Maruti is the ‘Karodpati’ carmaker in India.