Photos | Maruti and Gurugram: The people’s car sparking a city’s industrial boom

By HT Correspondent

Updated On Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Gurugram, the thriving manufacturing and retail hub has witnessed two decades of massive growth. Since the turn of the millennium its name has been counted among the hottest locations to watch out for, both for industry and as a residential space. The story of Gurugram’s rise however and its deep ties to industry can be traced back to the 1970s and the aspirations for a ‘people’s car’ in the form of the Maruti automobile company. A look at parallels between their journeys from the HT Archive.

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Sanjay Gandhi seen on the Maruti factory floor as assembly line workers operate machines in Gurugram on September 01, 1973. Gurugram as a city in its own right has charted its course as a hub of industry, commerce and hot residential spaces in a span of two decades. Its association with the former however, stretches far back into the 1970s with the establishment of the Maruti factory unit. (Babu Ram / HT Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Sanjay Gandhi seen on the Maruti factory floor as assembly line workers operate machines in Gurugram on September 01, 1973. Gurugram as a city in its own right has charted its course as a hub of industry, commerce and hot residential spaces in a span of two decades. Its association with the former however, stretches far back into the 1970s with the establishment of the Maruti factory unit. (Babu Ram / HT Archive)

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Maruti’s 300 acre manufacturing unit in what was then land under rural villages in proximity with the national capital laid the seeds of industry. Soon allied part makers also began setting units in Maruti’s vicinity and an industrial city began to take shape. (Babu Ram / HT Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Maruti’s 300 acre manufacturing unit in what was then land under rural villages in proximity with the national capital laid the seeds of industry. Soon allied part makers also began setting units in Maruti’s vicinity and an industrial city began to take shape. (Babu Ram / HT Archive)

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Sanjay Gandhi drives a test model of the first ever car designed by Maruti. The car is said to have been designed by Gandhi himself at a small workshop in Delhi and used a motorcycle engine for power. Three such cars were made before the company shifted to Gurgugram. (HT Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Sanjay Gandhi drives a test model of the first ever car designed by Maruti. The car is said to have been designed by Gandhi himself at a small workshop in Delhi and used a motorcycle engine for power. Three such cars were made before the company shifted to Gurgugram. (HT Archive)

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A sea of Maruti Suzuki vehicles seen lined up at the company’s IMT Manesar plant in Haryana. From those initial days, Maruti has grown exponentially into an automobile behemoth just as its birthplace Gurugram has as a metropolis. The monolithic Maruti Suzuki factory today is one of countless manufacturing and economic entities that make up Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar / HT Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

A sea of Maruti Suzuki vehicles seen lined up at the company’s IMT Manesar plant in Haryana. From those initial days, Maruti has grown exponentially into an automobile behemoth just as its birthplace Gurugram has as a metropolis. The monolithic Maruti Suzuki factory today is one of countless manufacturing and economic entities that make up Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar / HT Archive)

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Parallels between Maruti and Gurugram extend into the challenges building a presence comes with. An air conducive to industry drew businesses to Gurugram, while India’s rising middle class fuelled Maruti’s demand. But where Maruti has been marred by its internal labour relations record and changing ownership pattern, Gurugram has hobbled in keeping infrastructure and amenities matching the pace of growth. (Parveen Kumar / HT Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Parallels between Maruti and Gurugram extend into the challenges building a presence comes with. An air conducive to industry drew businesses to Gurugram, while India’s rising middle class fuelled Maruti’s demand. But where Maruti has been marred by its internal labour relations record and changing ownership pattern, Gurugram has hobbled in keeping infrastructure and amenities matching the pace of growth. (Parveen Kumar / HT Archive)

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Maruti Suzuki Swift is assembled at the welding floor in 2011. Manufacturing and back-end support services have come to define the rise of Gurugram as the Millenium City. The ample office space Gurugram had to offer multinationals in the mid 1990s shaped its image in the minds of people. Glitzy malls and gated residences are also on offer now, but the BPO remains synonymous with the city. (Ramesh Pathania / Mint Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

Maruti Suzuki Swift is assembled at the welding floor in 2011. Manufacturing and back-end support services have come to define the rise of Gurugram as the Millenium City. The ample office space Gurugram had to offer multinationals in the mid 1990s shaped its image in the minds of people. Glitzy malls and gated residences are also on offer now, but the BPO remains synonymous with the city. (Ramesh Pathania / Mint Archive)

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A finished car rolls off the assembly line after a complete check at the Maruti Suzuki Plant. From its garage built prototypes to annual productions of around 1.5 million vehicles, Maruti has for a generation defined the automobile in India. Similarly, Gurugram despite its stumbles is the country’s answer to building a modern hub of global manufacturing, industry and retail. (Ramesh Pathania / Mint Archive)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 12:47 pm IST

A finished car rolls off the assembly line after a complete check at the Maruti Suzuki Plant. From its garage built prototypes to annual productions of around 1.5 million vehicles, Maruti has for a generation defined the automobile in India. Similarly, Gurugram despite its stumbles is the country’s answer to building a modern hub of global manufacturing, industry and retail. (Ramesh Pathania / Mint Archive)

Home / Photos / News / Photos | Maruti and Gurugram: The people’s car sparking a city’s industrial boom

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