India, Dec. 18 -- Maruti Suzuki WagonR has become only the third car to cross the production milestone of 35 lakh units, joining the likes of the Alto and Swift in a rarefied club.

Born as a Kei car in Japan in 1993 and launched in India in December 1999, the WagonR was an answer to the Hyundai Santro-the "tall boy" hatchback that was emerging as a worthy rival to the Maruti 800 due to its spacious interiors. While the Santro is no longer in production, the WagonR has soldiered on, so much so that it was India's best-selling car for the past four financial years.

"The WagonR kept evolving with introduction of new technology and features over time, while retaining its original DNA," Hisashi Takeuchi, chief executive at Maruti Suzuki Indi...