Indian consumer forum orders Maruti to pay consumer Rs 1 lakh

The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum announced its decision regarding a complaint by Rajiv Sharma, who alleged that Maruti Udyog Ltd. (MUL) claimed in its print advertisement that its Zen car had a fuel efficiency of 16.7 km per liter (39.3 miles per gallon). However, the Maruti Zen LX purchased by Sharma in 2005 had a mileage of only 10.2 km per liter (24 mpg).
The consumer Forum ordered MUL to pay Sharma Rs1 lakh (US$1,870) as compensation and admonished the manufacturer for inducing customers to buy a car through advertisements that carried misleading information about the car’s fuel efficiency. It said MUL had “adopted the mileage (in the advertisement) to its advantage without corresponding clear information to consumers that this is not vouchsafed by Maruti itself”. Maruti contended that the advertisement was based on figures given by Auto Car India in 2004. In September 2007, Maruti Udyog Limited was renamed as Maruti Suzuki India Limited. (August 24, 2012)