Belagavi has quietly made its mark on India’s automotive innovation map, with city-based entrepreneur Anand Kute, co-founder of TRUEAssist Technology, playing a key role in a breakthrough now adopted by Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
Maruti Suzuki on December 17 announced the launch of the WagonR with an optional swivel seat, a first-of-its-kind accessibility feature in the mass-market segment aimed at senior citizens and persons with disabilities. The swivel seat technology has been developed by TRUEAssist Technology Private Limited, a startup that Anand Kute has been working on for several years, refining the idea from concept to a production-ready solution
The innovation is the result of sustained effort by the TRUEAssist team, which focused on creating an assistive seat that allows easy ingress and egress, without altering the original vehicle structure. The system enables the seat to rotate outward, making it significantly easier for elderly passengers and those with mobility challenges to enter and exit the car—while retaining OEM safety standards and comfort.
The project has now moved from experimentation to real-world deployment, with Maruti Suzuki introducing the swivel seat as a retrofit option for the WagonR, one of India’s highest-selling cars. The pilot has been rolled out across over 200 Arena dealerships in 11 cities, with plans to scale up based on customer response
Speaking on the collaboration, Naina Padaki, Founder of TRUEAssist Technology and originally from Hubballi, highlighted the significance of working with India’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer.
“We are truly pleased to collaborate with Maruti Suzuki to bring our assistive mobility solution to a wider audience. By integrating our innovation into a model loved by the masses, we can ensure that inclusive mobility becomes a mainstream reality,” she said
For Anand Kute, the milestone represents the culmination of years of groundwork, testing, and persistence. From ideation to safety validation, the swivel seat kit has undergone rigorous testing at ARAI and comes with a three-year warranty, reinforcing its readiness for large-scale adoption.
Maruti Suzuki officials noted that the initiative aligns with the company’s philosophy of “Joy of Mobility” and the broader goal of making mobility solutions more human-centric and inclusive. By choosing the WagonR—a car synonymous with practicality and reach—the company has ensured that accessibility is no longer a niche offering but part of the mainstream conversation.
With a Belagavi founder at its core and a Hubballi-based co-founder steering collaboration, TRUEAssist’s journey underscores how grassroots innovation from North Karnataka is now influencing national automotive design—quietly, steadily, and with impact.
A 2017 interview with Anand Kutre