Indian automotive industry lost one of its eminent leaders as Jagdish Khattar, the former Managing Director of Maruti Udyog (Maruti Suzuki India Ltd) passed away aged 79 on Monday. He has been instrumental in steering Maruti out of many challenging situations and laying its future growth.
A bureaucrat-turned-automotive industry stalwart, Mr Khattar, who was an IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, joined Maruti in 1992 as an Officer on Special Duty and was promoted to the role of Director of Marketing in 1993 and Executive Director (Marketing) later on. In 1999, he was appointed as the Joint Managing Director of the company when the company was passing through several internal and external challenges.
The disagreements between the government and Suzuki Motor Corporation became rife over issues, including ownership and technology transfer, and at the same time, the company’s Gurgaon plant faced a strike by the employees for an indefinite time in 2000 over wage hikes, incentives and pensions, among others.
Jagdish Khattar was a man full of ideas, energy & positivity. He leaves behind a tremendous track record both in Govt & Public sector. His contribution to Maruti has been immense. Extremely sorry to hear about his sad demise. RIP. pic.twitter.com/PreGItRGEP
— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) April 26, 2021
Mr Khattar played a key role in highlighting the necessary steps for the automotive industry such as changes in regulations and taxation structure before the government. In 2002, SMC decided to appoint Mr Khattar as the Managing Director, a position he successfully held until his retirement in 2007.
Other than handling the crisis, he is also credited with taking many steps for the future growth of the company. It was under his aegis that Maruti started its insurance, used car and accessories business ventures which opened new revenue sources for the company. In 2007 post his retirement, Mr Khattar put his years of experience in his entrepreneurship venture Carnation Auto, a multi-brand automobile services platform.