Why the Maruti Suzuki WagonR endures

How does a car, originally launched in 1999 as a rebuttal to the growing popularity of the Hyundai Santro, continue to be the national bestseller, year-after-year?

Having crossed the 3 million sales mark, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR now joins the Maruti 800 to complete the trio of India’s most reliable four-wheeled workhorses. Unlike the now discontinued 800 and the popular Alto, the WagonR is still the country’s best-selling model, two years in a row.

How does a car, originally launched in 1999 as a rebuttal to the growing popularity of the Hyundai Santro, continue to be the national bestseller, year-after-year? How does an unassuming, and unapologetically vanilla hatchback, steam roll over the many competitors that have attempted to usurp it in the past two-and-a-half decades?

Tall order

The WagonR entered the market huffing and puffing behind what was the new poster-child for the family car. The Hyundai Santro. The Santro was, in many ways, the antidote to the ubiquitousness of the 800. It was an unusual and innovative offering from a new Korean brand. It was unconventional, stylish and, dare I say, even exciting for a liberalised market that still had only the 800 and the Zen to look toward, in its search for affordable four-wheeled mobility.

With Hyundai having signed on reigning superstar Shahrukh Khan as brand ambassador, the Santro had nowhere to go but up, breaking the monopoly that Maruti Suzuki had over the small car market, and shaking the brand out of its complacency.

The WagonR, launched in 1999, had much the same to offer as the Santro. It was tall, with lots of headroom, yet it was compact, frugal and affordable. It brought with it similar novelties like a power steering and two powertrains that had a bit more grunt than the aluminium block found on the Zen.

The 1061cc engine was thus far, something found only in more exclusive Maruti Esteem, and although 65hp wasn’t significant even by 1999’s standards, it did add a spring in the WagonR’s step, despite the Santro having taken a considerable lead in the market.

It wasn’t meant to last. For starters, Maruti Suzuki wasted no time in introducing a CNG-powered variant by 2006, something the Santro couldn’t boast of. A decade later, the Santro’s popularity having waned considerably, Hyundai decided to pull the plug on the car. An attempt was made to revive it in 2018, but with its identity diluted through the presence of the i10 and the Grand i10 Nios, the Santro was discontinued last year.

The Tata Indica, which could never quite match the popularity of these two models, also went out of production owing to the fact that it wasn’t able to face competition as well as the WagonR.

Obliterating the competition

The small hatchback market has certainly been eclipsed by the affordable compact SUV market – a growing preference for many customers. But it has, up until recently, remained the most competitive segment. In 2022, the list of cars trailing behind the WagonR for bestseller status was telling. Despite new models like the Tata Punch, which is priced in a similar bracket, and, unlike the WagonR, comes with solid safety credentials, hasn’t been able to surpass the WagonR. This can largely be attributed to the fact that despite having lost a bit of lustre through staid designs, Maruti Suzuki is still unbeatable when it comes to its country-wide sales and service network.

The WagonR’s availability of spares, its ability to turn customers into repeat buyers –24% according to Maruti Suzuki – and the appeal of a frugal CNG engine have all contributed to making it a national bestseller. Cars like the Indica, Santro, Alto 800 have all faded away into oblivion, and others like the Alto K10, the Renault Kwid, the Grand i10 Nios and even the Celerio don’t have a hope of catching-up.

Adapting to the times

Unlike many of its competitors, the WagonR adapted to the times well. In its third-gen form, it was noticeably more plush and more spacious. Unlike the Santro, it never lost its identity, despite the threat of cannibalisation from offerings like the Celerio. It also adapted to the times fairly well. Shortly after a CNG option was introduced in 2006 (along with a facelift), the WagonR went on to cross the 1 million sales mark in 2008. It also remained single-minded in its form-follows-function design. The message was always clear. This wasn’t a car meant for thrills. This wasn’t a budget hatchback appearing sporty with busy design cues and other gimmicks.

This was a family hatchback, designed for space, practicality and comfort – in many ways it remains the ideal Maruti Suzuki specimen. It represents frugality, practicality and affordability in a way no other affordable hatch does. A 1.2-litre petrol was also added to the mix in its third-gen upgrade. And although it’s far from production-ready, Maruti Suzuki is already future-proofing the WagonR having displayed a flex-fuel prototype at the 2023 New Delhi Auto Expo.

The WagonR’s resounding success can be attributed to a vast variety of reasons. It is ultimately a car that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Unlike the 800, the Alto and the ill-fated Tata Nano, the WagonR never seemed like the lowest-common denominator of cars. It is instead, the consecrated essence of what a customer, particularly in the semi-urban and rural belt of the country needs. Its ease of ingress and egress means that elderly members of the family can get in and out of it without any strain. Its large greenhouse, tall roofline and otherwise compact proportions mean that it is easy to manoeuvre through the tightest of spots, while still offering crossover/compact-SUV levels of cabin space.

Unlike the 800, which, in retrospect, addressed an urgent need for mass mobilisation, the WagonR was a more considered, well-researched response to the needs of a liberalised market, with very little car ownership. And in a country where only 8% of households own a car to this day, the WagonR’s continued success is proof that those needs haven’t changed.