Have you ever heard the 'Tatkal' variant of Maruti 800? 'Hurricane' came in India's market

Last updated:March 13, 2025, 16:51 IST

Maruti Suzuki introduced an immediate variant in 1989–1990 to fulfill the Maruti 800 bumper demand. Immediately variants used to give customers an immediate delivery option on premium payment.

New Delhi. Maruti Suzuki is India's largest car company and Maruti 800 (Maruti 800) is the most iconic car in the company. There are many car owners in India whose first car is Maruti 800. In the old times, the demand of this car was such that the demand for the train ticket in the present time. Just as a 'Tatkal' ticket is given to fulfill the demand for a train ticket, similarly Maruti had to bring a 'immediate' variant to fulfill the demand of this car.

The Tatkal variant of Maruti Suzuki 800 (SB-308) was a unique option offered by Maruti Suzuki during 1989–1990. It was introduced in the Indian market to fulfill the bumper demand of the iconic Maruti 800 and reduce the long waiting period of customers. Know here everything about immediate variants.

The immediate variant was introduced as a quick or immediate delivery option for customers, who wanted to buy Maruti Suzuki 800 without a long waiting period, which was sometimes drawn for several months or years. The name “Tatra” (which in Hindi means “immediate”) showed the promise of quick delivery.

High Price: The first and most important thing was that customers had to pay “premium” to get a TK variant as it was delivered immediately. At that time this amount was around 50,000 rupees, which was a large amount for that time.

Limited availability: This variant was not always available and was introduced from time to time on the basis of production capacity.

Specifications: Mechanically, the immediate variant was the same as the standard Maruti 800. The immediate plan was first introduced for the standard (STD) model and later extended to the Deluxe (DX) variant, which also contained AC. The DX and STD variants had fabric seats, doors trims, divided back seats and a laminated windshield. There was a “TK” sticker on the boot lid to identify the vehicles immediately.

Engine and power
The car had a 796cc F8b engine that used to generate torque of 59Nm at 39.5bhp@5,500rpm and 2,500rpm. It had only 4-speed manual gearbox.

High demand: Maruti Suzuki 800 was India's first cheap mass-procurement car and became extremely popular. Its demand was much more than supply, which led to long waiting period.

Black Marketing: The long waiting list made a 'black market' for Maruti 800 booking, where people used to sell their booking slots at premium. Immediately variants were an attempt to stop this system, so that customers could get a valid method of early delivery.