Maruti Alto 800 Discontinued In India, Production Halted

Maruti Alto debuted in India in September 2000 and instantly took the market by storm. Soon, it became one of the best-selling cars in India. In 2006, it had finally taken over the first place in the sales chart. Last year, Alto registered the 3.5 million sales market, 18 years after its launch. The Alto has ruled the entry-level segment for a good twelve years and just left the throne last year after being beaten by the Dzire. That’s said, Maruti Suzuki Alto remains to be one of the most popular vehicles in India and it shows no sign of fading away.

Maruti Alto 800 will be discontinued while the Alto K10 will be reborn 

The success of the Alto seemed to be never-ending until the breaking-in of a range of new regulations and norms. Notably, in October 2019, new safety norms that require higher pedestrian protections and stronger structure, along with the BSVI emission norms coming into effect in April 2020, has led to the discontinuation of the bare-basic model. These new regulations require comprehensive mechanical updates across all models in the market in terms of engines and safety. However, it will also put an end to several models regardless of how big it is in the market. Take the Alto 800 for example. Maruti will halt the production of the Alto 800 due to the stop of the 800cc engine. On the other hand, its sibling, the Alto K10 will be reborn, based on the Future Concept S.

Also read - All-new Maruti Alto Might Not Offer Diesel Engine, Come With 1.0-litre Petrol Only

The new Alto is expected to arrive in June or early July. It will receive power from the K10B engine that is shared between the Wagon R and Celerio as well. While the sales of the doomed Maruti Alto 800 will continue until the stocks are cleared.

The outgoing Maruti Alto 800 receives power from the 0.8-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that makes 48 bhp and 69 Nm. Besides the petrol engine, the Alto 800 is available with a factory-fitted CNG variant that churns out 40 bhp and 60Nm. The petrol and CNG engine options come paired with a five-speed manual transmission and return fuel mileage of 24.7 kmpl and 33.44 km/kg, respectively.

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