FORMER MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA MD JAGDISH KHATTAR DIES
NEW DELHI: Former managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, Jagdish Khattar, died Monday following a cardiac arrest, according to people close to him.
Khattar (79), a former bureaucrat, was considered as one of the most high profile leaders of the Indian automotive industry, laying the foundation for Maruti’s future growth after the government began its disinvestment in 2002 and gradually exited from its joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corp. (SMC).
He had joined the then Maruti Udyog Ltd in July 1993 as director (marketing) and went on to become executive director (marketing) in the next six years. He was promoted as joint managing director in 1999.
Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava, who persuaded Khattar to leave IAS and join Maruti, termed him as a “first class person” and his demise as a “big loss” both personally as well as for the automotive industry.
In 2007, Khattar had retired from the top post in Maruti Suzuki, having ensured that the firm commanded 50% of the passenger vehicles market in India.