Maruti Suzuki has introduced its 15 millionth production car in the form of a Dzire VDi from its Manesar plant. The company also becomes the first carmaker in the country to cross the 15- million vehicle mark in the domestic market. Maruti achieved this landmark in 31 years and

5 months, since the day the first Maruti 800 rolled out of the production line at the company’s Gurgaon plant, way back in 1983.

The leading contributor in achieving this milestone was the Alto which sold around 3.1 million units since it entered production. Second in the list was the 800 — the car that introduced the company to the market — which sold 2.9 million units in its entire lifetime. Other major contributors included the Omni, the Wagon R, the Maruti Swift and the Dzire.

Maruti’s current medium term goal is to sell 2 million units on an annual basis by the year 2020. The company is currently expanding its product line-up as well as entering new segments and improving its current sales and service network. The company has already planned its major launches for 2015 with the recently launched Celerio ZXI AMT to be followed by the Celerio DDiS125 diesel hatchback, and the Suzuki S-Cross rebadged as the Maruti Across later this year. An all-new premium hatchback, the YRA, and compact SUV, the YBA, are expected next year.

Read our special feature on 30 years of Maruti