Do you know any recent launches from Maruti Suzuki that have failed to get the masses of India embracing it?
Okay, the SX4 diesel and the A-Star are perhaps cars that have not helped the Indian operation's image and profitability greatly, but their failure is compensated by the extra-large quantity of success enjoyed by the Swift, Dzire and the Ertiga.
These products have built up scale, set higher standards and have proved as a reference manual to other car companies, who are following their footsteps designing the same type of products to stimulate their business.
Maruti's new blue-eyed boy, the Alto 800, is starting to sink in with first time car buyers. Over 44,000 bookings have been registered since its launch on the 16th of October, and half that volume is already delivered. Over 200 cars were delivered by a dealer in Kerala a few weeks ago on a single day and Maruti reported that smaller towns and cities where lower sales saturation is observed accounted for most of the numbers. The Alto 800 customers in metro cities were purchasing their second or third car.
The Alto 800 is a new body stationed over the old Alto platform. With improvements in space, fuel economy, interior fit, finish and quality and ride, the improvements have started showing results. Surely the product must evolve with more variants. The 1-liter K Series engine and a perhaps a compact diesel engine are our suggestions to Maruti Suzuki if they are planning to make the Alto brand even bigger in the coming months and years.
Maruti continues to sell the old Alto and Alto K10 alongside the new superstar.
