R.C. Bhargava joined Maruti Udyog Limited in 1981 after twenty-five years in the Indian Administrative Services, where he was the topper of the 1956 batch. Starting as director marketing, he became the managing director in 1985 and retired from that position in 1997. He rejoined the board in 2003 and has been the chairman of the company since 2007.

Bhargava is the author of The Maruti Story: How a Public Sector Company Put India on Wheels and Getting Competitive: A Practitioner's Guide for India. He has been conferred with numerous awards including the Padma Bhushan in 2016 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, by the Emperor of Japan in 2011.