Maruti Udyog Limited was created in February 1981 by an Act of Parliament. Suzuki Motor Company of Japan was chosen to partner MUL.

The Government of India and Suzuki signed a licence and joint venture agreement in October 1982.

Maruti started life in the mid-1970s as a brainchild of Sanjay Gandhi. But the project hit a roadblock when the Janata Party government came to power in 1977.

On December 14, 1983, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi released the first vehicle for sale by handing over the keys of a Maruti 800 to Harpal Singh, a resident of Delhi.

Since then, MUL has routinely exceeded volume targets. In March 1994, MUL became the first Indian company to manufacture more than a million vehicles, a landmark yet to be achieved by any other car company in India.

On November 27, Maruti launched the new-look Zen. Three versions of the car -- LX, LXi and VXi -- will sport introductory price tags of Rs 330,000, Rs 350,000, and Rs 390,000, respectively.