Where's the Alto?

[SLK]

I just visited the maruti site, and there is no Alto 1.1.... everything is Alto Lx the 800cc.

Maruti discontinued it? Really?... no way.

the 800cc car is.. just good enough for going from point A to B and nothing else.

Anyone has any idea?

[RJK]

yes i do believe they have stopped production of Alto Vxi which had 1.1 liter engine. This is due to very negligible sales of the car.

[khaadu75]

.. I agree that it was not a bad car but I wonder why it didnt get a gud response ? Personaqlly I feel it is a better buy than the zen .. The zen is ok as long as it is on a straight stretch but come the climb and it just dies under you.

But then one can never understand maruti ..

[v12]

The Alto VXi was discontinued cos it was eating into the sales of the Zen [partly] and thats the last thing that MUL wud want.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (khaadu75 @ June 21 2004,02:36)] *.. I agree that it was not a bad car but I wonder why it didnt get a gud response ? Personaqlly I feel it is a better buy than the zen .. The zen is ok as long as it is on a straight stretch but come the climb and it just dies under you.

But then one can never understand maruti ..

dear friend,
just sit in an alto then u will understand why inspite of being a more modern car ,it used to sell only a fraction of wat the zen sells.
its very cramped inside when u go inside staright after driving a zen
and regharding the zen being good on straights and not on climbs,just drive the mpfi zen and u will understand.
the engine of the alto may be more powerful,but still its the zen.the alto looks like a one night stand between the zen and the 800.
seems like u dunno much abt the zen ,and if thats the case u have no right to criticise it.
dont misguide others.
aslo the alto 800 is selling because the prices weer reduced,there is no ac in the 800 available,and the also the 5 speed 800 with 12 valves was discontinued to help the alto sales.

[SLK]

Speedsatya you don't have to get agitated... its everywhere... on papers, on road test reviews... that Alto is faster and Handles better than the zen (MPFI). So there is no denying to the fact.

Yes there is less usable space inside compared to the zen, that b'coz of the bigger boot and bigger dash.

Zen is certainly good for revving hard... but Alto has much more real lower-end torque.

And yeah the stiff feel of the body... is no-where in the zen.

Well Maruti's move is not understood by me.

The only reason can be, zen's cost of productions was less than alto's.

y? b'coz Alto is a new model and Suzuki charges good amount of royalty from maruti (GTO, I know Suzuki owns maruti but, it doesn't change accounting) ............... but then y would it want to sell it at 800s price? well maybe.. b'coz Suzuki alto is the 1061cc car so its more affected by royalty!! . (maybe!!)

[aadix]

the last time, i went to the maruti dealer, he said , it is available on ordering.....
would prefer the old(or...sigh!..the new one) zen rather than an alto 1.1
wouldnt want to pay extra and then mingle with the alto lxi's,( whats the point paying extra then???)

arent alto's and zen's engine the same?
or they are different? doesnt make sense to make two diff engines of similar cubic capacity

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (SLK @ June 21 2004,22:02)]Speedsatya you don't have to get agitated... its everywhere... on papers, on road test reviews... that Alto is faster and Handles better than the zen (MPFI). So there is no denying to the fact.

hehe :
but the sales speak for the truth.
so .

the zen rocks.

zensatya

[SLK]

ya if the sales speak then the Santro and indica rock more than the zen... lol

rest a lot depends on personal liking... if u revv over 3500 very often u'd preffer zen, otherwise Alto.

Well we have 2 discontinued cars now... 800Dx 5 gear, and Alto Vxi... lol .. though both are not ideal family cars.. thats y never clicked to the buyer.

I can imagine... if Maruti is selling Alto lx for 2.3L.. why will one buy the same small Alto for 3.9L. After the Lx price crash, I think the Vxi would be selling in single digits like the Palio GTX!!

[SLK]

for Addix
AltoVxi has a 1.1lt 62bhp engine.. same as wagonR

Zen has a 993cc 60bhp engine .. same as new zen....lol

[lamborghini]

hey slk
i agree with u there
but why dont maruti introduce another version of the alto 800 cc which has the goodies of the vxi.
it will help sales
wht do u think

and guys pls dont remind me of the beautiful palio 1.6 GTX .
i will always miss it. happy that i own one.

cheers
lamborghini

[Beetle]

I own Alto VX 1.1 *While interior space is definitely an issue , In most other ways it is better than the zen. Be it performance , ride or handling.I beleive it is also a safer car.

I have done 120+ kmph *number of times and at those speeds the car feels very solid and does not run out of breath. it is one of the fastest small cars in the 0-100 km dash. A lot of other small cars don't inspire that kind of confidence !

As long as MUL dont show the courage to phase out older technology models. it will have its cars vying for each other.


-Beetle

[GTO]

The Alto is an entire generation newer than the Zen, and this reflects in much more points on the safety, build quality and ride comfort attributes. Its news to me that they have discontinued the Alto 1.1, but then not surprising since Maruti is trying to limit the once endless offerings they had in the 2 lac - 4 lac segment. Product cannibalisation is one thing.....but the customer was way beyond confused as to which Maruti to buy.

GTO

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (GTO @ June 22 2004,16:36)]but the customer was way beyond confused as to which Maruti to buy.

so they go and buy a Santro instead!!!!!

[SLK]

What Hyundai does is, change the looks, spreads the word in the market that its a new car. AND IT SELLS

Maruti is trying the same with WagonR and Zen.... but will fail. (not enough hard work done)