New Delhi : Former managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, and veteran of the Indian automobile industry, Jagdish Khattar passed away on Monday due to cardiac arrest. He was 78.

Khattar had joined the company as director (marketing) in July 1993 and went on to become the managing director in 1999. He was first appointed as a government nominee, and then in May 2002 as Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) nominee.

He had served Maruti Udyog for 14 years and steered the company towards remarkable growth. His last day at Maruti as MD, at age 65, was on 18 December 2007.

Prior to this he had worked as joint secretary in the ministry of steel, government of India, for about five years and held several administrative positions in the Uttar Pradesh government before that.

In 2008, Khattar launched his next venture - Carnation Auto to develop a multi-brand automobile sales and service network.