[volkman10]

New Maruti model to replace 800, Alto says MD Shinzo Nakanishi.

Report from ET.
The Maruti 800 and Alto, India's bestselling car models, are set to drive into the sunset Maruti Suzuki is working on a replacement for the 800cc cars to bring in a more contemporary and fuel-efficient model.

Cheers!

New Maruti model to replace iconic 800, Alto says MD Shinzo Nakanishi - The Economic Times

[Durango Dude]

At best Nakanishi has hinted that work is on, I think, may be the next Auto Expo would be the venue for the unveiling, by that time there will a lot of spy pics and scoops doing the rounds, very difficult to keep a secret in today's times.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I am guessing A-Star to run well should actually have to be remodeled slightly, especially on the rear-end. Few changes can make it look a very good product.

Off-Topic: If I were MSIL, I would work on attaching a small boot to A-Star and sell it. Imagine, a car with a boot for indian mass which has this fascination towards sedans would do wonders to the car.

Exactly my thoughts! Give the hatch an extra 30cm length that goes to rear legroom and boot, and they have a winner.

Or, attach a small boot to it, price it around 4L for the base variant, and have another winner like DZire!

In either case, make the front end more mature-looking than the current funny looking frog.

[Nitrous Power]

Originally Posted by SunilM

Knowing Maruti and their track record of milking products well past its sell-by date, it is highly unlikely that they will phase out the current Alto. I would be really, really surprised if they do. Even for Maruti 800, they were forced to discontinue it from major cities due to emission norms. If they had a choice, they would still be selling it side by side . A market leader needs to be more proactive, which, sadly, Maruti isn't. Just because a model sells, you don't keep producing it. Qualis sold really well, isn't it?

A quote from the article - need I say more?
Nakanishi, however, said that the AltoK10 (1000cc version of the Alto) would continue to sell in the market . "Who knows, we may also decide to continue with the Alto 800 and let the market take a call on its future."

And my friend, Maruti is not the only manufacturer that is following strategy of milking products well past it's sell-by date. Hyundai still sells Santro even though internationally it was replaced by i10, Accent is still on sale in India even after 2 new generations of Accent (Verna in India) is already launched. Tata also sells Indica - Vista and Indigo - Manza side by side. There are many more examples out there. Again, I am not great fan of this strategy but all manufacturers do that as long as the model is selling high enough to bring profit for them, why point out only Maruti?
OTOH, Toyota discontinued Qualis when it was selling like a hot cake but again very few such examples exist in India.

[SunilM]

Originally Posted by Nitrous Power

And my friend, Maruti is not the only manufacturer that is following strategy of milking products well past it's sell-by date. Hyundai still sells Santro even though internationally it was replaced by i10, Accent is still on sale in India even after 2 new generations of Accent (Verna in India) is already launched. Tata also sells Indica - Vista and Indigo - Manza side by side. There are many more examples out there. Again, I am not great fan of this strategy but all manufacturers do that as long as the model is selling high enough to bring profit for them, why point out only Maruti?
OTOH, Toyota discontinued Qualis when it was selling like a hot cake but again very few such examples exist in India.

That, my friend, is precisely why I said that the leader should me more pro-active. Others keep selling the old models as Maruti led the way in doing so, and showed that you can sell antique models and make good money. M800 is a classic example, there is simply no parallel. Others just followed the path showed by Maruti.

If Maruti had regularly upgraded models and phased out older ones, they would still be selling as much, most probably even more. And other smaller manufacturers would not dare sell older models. These old models sell because of the Maruti name, not because people love old models This will hit Maruti in the long run. Others will slowly catch up, and cars like Eon have proved that others can also make newer, cost effective models. Eon may be a game changer in that aspect and may just wake up Maruti from its slumber. That is what made people like Mr. Nakanishi take notice. Eon will do better as more cars come on road and word of mouth publicity catches on.

[Blue_V]

Alto and Alto K10 could be kept in production with a small face lift.
A-Star hasnt been a success. Its ugly and it has claustrophobic rear windows. Maybe overhaul the styling of the A Star?

[Nitrous Power]

Originally Posted by SunilM

That, my friend, is precisely why I said that the leader should me more pro-active. Others keep selling the old models as Maruti led the way in doing so, and showed that you can sell antique models and make good money. M800 is a classic example, there is simply no parallel. Others just followed the path showed by Maruti.

If Maruti had regularly upgraded models and phased out older ones, they would still be selling as much, most probably even more. And other smaller manufacturers would not dare sell older models. These old models sell because of the Maruti name, not because people love old models This will hit Maruti in the long run. Others will slowly catch up, and cars like Eon have proved that others can also make newer, cost effective models. Eon may be a game changer in that aspect and may just wake up Maruti from its slumber. That is what made people like Mr. Nakanishi take notice. Eon will do better as more cars come on road and word of mouth publicity catches on.

What stops other manufacturers to retire old models when new comes out. Old models sell not just because of Maruti, there is other factor, Price! Alto was not so successful when it was launched, but picked up when it was moved to lower price segment. Currently, there is no real competition to Alto with its price. If Eon would have priced little less, it will have seen huge success, it will be interesting to see forthcoming months for Eon numbers as currently it is no where closer to Alto's numbers despite being new and much better car than Alto, it's the price that is hurdle. My whole point is, if companies keep the old model with cheaper price tag and introduces a new model at existing price of old model, it's good for consumers and first time buyers.

[Aroy]

The reason that old models continue selling is that at times they are cheaper to buy for the same configuration, and to the price conscious buyer that is what matters.

The 800 sales were dipping monotonically, as they were canibalised by the Alto 800. So the buying public does decide whether to accept or reject the old models, whether the manufacturer wants it or not.

By the way, as a basic transport the 800+AC was OK, but the Alto+AC beats it in both performance and AC power. With K10 the Alto has sufficient power with an excellent AC. All the competing offerings have either poorer performance or lower FE and at the same time more expensive to buy and maintain.

If MUL wants to replace the 800 and Alto-800 successfully, they have to come up with better performance, better FE and price it less than the Alto K10. With modern technological advances, they can easily get 65+HP from a 600/700cc engine.

[longhorn]

At the Alto's price point, the two most important factors are excellent FE and low ownership costs. While they could easily achieve the first part with a 660cc motor, the 2nd part is where they are going to have some trouble. As things stand today Maruti cannot manufacture a car cheaper than the Alto on a brand new platform, let alone the 800. This is the heart of their dilemma.

[rubicon]

Came across the following report in today's Business Line of The Hindu..

Replacement for Maruti 800 to roll out by year-end

New Delhi, April 8:

Maruti Suzuki started its India innings with the Maruti 800 almost three decades ago. Now, the iconic brand is set to drive into history.

A replacement for the model is expected before December this year –— but, under a totally new brand.

Likely to be priced in the Rs 2.5-3.5 lakh range, this will feature the same F8D engine used in the base Alto but in a new updated avatar in order to compete with the new generation engines offered by competitors.

“A replacement for the 800cc model makes sense as it hasn't been selling very aggressively at about 2,000 units a month. This will be a totally new small car, though based on an existing platform,” a company official told Business Line.

He added that the existing two Alto models will remain since they have strong volumes (around 20,000 units/month).The market leader will focus on fuel efficiency and low maintenance as the primary drivers — the main purchase considerations in the compact segment. However, the design will be sharp and reflect Maruti's new styling language, another source said.

At present, the 800cc segment is contested by Hyundai's new Eon and Maruti's own Alto. Tata Motors is also reportedly working on an 800cc Nano, while others such as Nissan-Renault are also eyeing the segment.

“With petrol prices on the rise and urban spaces getting crowded, the fuel-efficient compact car category is expected to show strong growth in the future. However, the next step is developing smaller diesel engines for the segment,” an industry expert said.

The Maruti 800 had stopped selling in the top 13 cities in India from September 2010, as it could not meet the Bharat Stage IV emissions norms, which were made mandatory in these cities from that date. The compact car has seen several updates since launch in 1983 and was based on the Suzuki Alto, a brand which itself was later introduced in India.

roudra.b@thehindu.co.in

Business Line : Companies News : Replacement for Maruti 800 to roll out by year-end

[romeomidhun]

Source: End of road for car that began motoring era — Maruti 800 - Money - DNA

"Maruti Suzuki, which heralded a revolution of sorts with it, creating a whole new segment of cars, will stop manufacturing Maruti 800 before the month-end."

[veyron_head]

I owned the 800 for 5 years and clocked 90000 kms. Its what a car should be - 'No Nonsense'. Not once did it fail me, never did it stop in the middle of the road. It still ran like new when I sold it a month ago.

I really hope maruti brings it back with a BS4 engine.

[SirAlec]

Its indeed sad news. I really like the car, and infact kept my first car still with me. 12 years and 2lac plus kms on oddo and it still runs like new.

[rrsteer]

My 800 has been a pain for me from day one. Since the first day there is a knocking sound on acceleration after having slowed the car down. M *** finally rectified 95% of this problem only recently.
At present i am fighting to get the action of the cars clutch pedal sorted out. I dont remmember a time when this car was fully niggle free. Btw it 5 years and 45k km old.
The worst part is I have to face all this after having tried to maintain it as well as I could. Simply the most irksome car I have owned. Good that its being laid to rest.

[PCS]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

My 800 has been a pain for me from day one. Since the first day there is a knocking sound on acceleration after having slowed the car down. M *** finally rectified 95% of this problem only recently.
At present i am fighting to get the action of the cars clutch pedal sorted out. I dont remmember a time when this car was fully niggle free. Btw it 5 years and 45k km old.
The worst part is I have to face all this after having tried to maintain it as well as I could. Simply the most irksome car I have owned. Good that its being laid to rest.

Mr. rrsteer. i think this is the first of the case am finding a problem for M 800

come on yaar, its the car that has served the nation over the years.

I never had a problem with my 800 for 12 yrs

yes,i do agree that case may vary between individuals

MARUTI SUZUKI 800 IS INDEED A GREAT CAR THAT THIS NATION HAS EVER GOT.

ONE NEED TO SALUTE THIS CAR AND BID ADIEU FOR SERVING FOR 28 yrs