2 million Alto Cars sold by Maruti

11 years and 9 months after it was first introduced in India, the Maruti Alto has gone on to touch the great mark of 2 million units in terms of sales. The Maruti Suzuki Alto was introduced in two variants initially, with the three cylinder, 796cc F8D petrol engine being the main volumes puller while a 1.1 Liter, 4 cylinder petrol engine formed the more powerful premium variant in the small car’s line up. While the F8D engine continues to do duty in India’s largest selling car currently, the 1.1 Liter engine was discontinued due to the overwhelming preference of car buyers for the smaller, more fuel efficient engine.

2012 Maruti Alto F8D Small Car

The Alto’s fuel efficient engine, supreme reliability, inexpensive spare parts and a low initial purchase price have been major factors for the car’s huge success. However, the Alto took quite a while to move past the Maruti 800 to become the top seller for the brand. In fact, the demand for the 800 was so strong that Maruti had to slowly phase out the model by offering a less powerful engine and a 4 speed gearbox in order to push  the Alto’s sales. In its zenith, the Maruti 800 came with the same 45 Bhp state of tune as the Alto, mated to a 5 speed gearbox.

The Alto with the F8D engine is also available in CNG guise although an LPG variant is yet to be introduced. The Alto is also available with the recently introduced 1 Liter, 3 cylinder K-Series petrol engine. This engine is available on a restyled version of the Alto which features better interiors and revised styling on the exterior. The K-Series engined Alto is named the K10. The Alto K10, producing a peak power of 67 Bhp and 90 Nm of peak torque is a serious hoot to drive due to the light weight nature of the car and the rev happy nature of this powerful yet fuel efficient engine.

2012 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10

Coming back to the sales of the Alto, the car after becoming the best selling car in Maruti Suzuki’s portfolio also became the country;s largest selling car with monthly volumes consistently breaching the 20,000 mark with good months even generating over 30,000 units. This position of the Alto, was perceived to come under threat from the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano. However, the Nano’s threat to the Alto’s position remained just that, a threat. Landmarks apart, the Alto now faces one of the most toughest challenges in its illustrious life spanning over a decade as petrol car sales have been tapering off quite  rapidly. On how Maruti will counter these seemingly challenging times will be interesting to see. For now though, the Alto can continue to bask in its success, for it has been a truly successful product.