Alto bags best-selling car title for the 16th consecutive year
Maruti Suzuki's Alto has once again proved to be a champion in the passenger vehicle's segment, bagging the title of the best-selling car for the 16th consecutive year. The affordable hatchback has dominated the sales chart with over 39 lakh units sold so far since its launch in 2000. Here are more details.
A look at Alto's journey
The Alto emerged as India's best-selling car for the first time in 2004 and has retained the coveted spot ever since. By 2008, 10 lakh units were sold, which doubled to 20 lakh units in 2012 and went up to 30 lakh units in 2016. And, in November 2019, the Alto became the only car in India to have sold over 38 lakh units.
Meanwhile, here's recalling the Alto
The Alto got a facelift in 2019 and now features a new front bumper consisting of larger air dams with a plastic mesh honeycomb pattern. Furthermore, the front grille is newly designed, sporting a black surround. The ORVMs have also received minor tweaks while the headlamps, body panels, doors, boot lid, and the rear bumper are the same as the previous-generation model.
Power and performance
The Alto 800 comes with a BS6-compliant 796cc F8D petrol engine that churns out a maximum power of 48hp and peak torque of 69Nm. The transmission duties on the hatchback are handled by a five-speed manual gearbox.
A peek inside the cabin
The Alto features a dual-tone black and beige dashboard with a power steering wheel, adjustable seats, and dual-tone fabric for seats and door pads. The 5-seater cabin also gets front-power windows along with a central locking system, keyless entry, and a Bluetooth-enabled audio player on the high-spec trims. For safety, the hatchback gets driver-side airbag, reverse parking sensor, and high-speed alert system.
Finally, what about the pricing?
The Alto 800 comes at a starting price of Rs. 2.94 lakh and goes up to Rs. 4.36 lakh for the top-end variant. At this price-point, the closest competitor to the Alto is the Renault KWID.
