Intuition. Perception. Perfection.

     In the 20 th century, the Indian automobile industry was a different place. The market was barely nascent then and a handful of companies co-existed and fought over the low volumes of car sales that each passing year witnessed. Fiat and Hindustan Motors ruled the roads for several decades and in 1983, Maruti muscled its way into the market. However, prior to the Maruti Suzuki era, Fiat reigned supreme over the Indian roads, not entirely unlike the way in which the Mafia ruled Italy. The Italian company, which had forayed into India through a joint venture with Premier Automobiles (PAL), first made its mark in the Mumbai taxi market. And then there was no looking in the rear view mirror. The fact that Fiat was an Italian brand soon ensured that the Premier Padmini became the car of choice and it went head-to-head with the Ambassador, from the stables of Hindustan Motors. Fiat was a force to reckon with and it even gave Maruti a drive for its money in the 1980s. In early 1991, in