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Old 2nd March 2016, 13:16   #1
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Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

The Maruti Suzuki Alto has crossed the 30 lakh sales mark in the Indian market. Launched in September 2000, it has taken the car about 15 years and 6 months to achieve this milestone. It's the only Indian car to achieve this feat.

Maruti Suzuki has also exported over 3.8 lakh units of the Alto to more than 70 countries across the world with Sri Lanka, Algeria, Chile, UK and Netherlands being its top markets.

The Alto is Maruti's entry-level car and at present, comes in two variants - Alto 800 and Alto K10. The Alto 800 is powered by a 796cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 47 BHP and 69 Nm of torque. The Alto K10 comes with a 998cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine that develops 67 BHP and 90 Nm of torque. Both cars come with a 5-speed manual transmission. The K10 is available with an automated manual transmission as well. CNG versions of the Alto are also available.

Cumulative sales milestones:
  • September 2000 - National launch in Delhi
  • October 2003 - 1 lakh units
  • August 2006 - 5 lakh units
  • November 2008 - 10 lakh units
  • October 2010 - 15 lakh units
  • April 2012 - 20 lakh units
  • March 2014 - 25 lakh units
  • February 2016 - 30 lakh units
The average monthly sales of the Alto over the past 10 years exceed 22,000 units.

Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!-journey-alto-towards-3-million-30-lakhs-units.jpg
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Old 2nd March 2016, 13:46   #2
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

The Alto took its own sweet time to reach the top of the sales charts, with the 800 holding on to the title until 2004 or thereabouts. But once it got there, the Alto has been simply invincible. Maruti-Suzuki, for its part, ensured the Alto got nips and tucks whenever necessary to guard its turf. Be it the Nano, the Eon or now the Kwid, challengers have come and failed to usurp the Alto from the top so far. Great going by the little car from Maruti-Suzuki!

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Originally Posted by Aditya View Post
The average monthly sales of the Alto over the past 10 years exceed 22,000 units.
More than anything else, its this consistency that's been the Alto's forte.
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Old 2nd March 2016, 14:01   #3
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Alto is where Maruti 800 was in the 90s.

I remember, there was a time, especially in the non metros, if someone said they have bought a car, no one asked which one.

All they asked was the colour. The make was given. M 800!!
When MSIL decided to put their highest selling car to rest post 2004, Alto was a front contender to fill the huge shoes of the M800.

And what a wonderful job it did.
To its credit, it is a no nonsense car that many 1st time buyers prefer inspite of easy loans and interests.

That main reason is the low cost of maintenance, high FE, very wide and accessible ASC and most importantly, the trust the Alto has garnered for itself over the last 15 years. Its indestructible and can be opened by any road side mechanic if the case so demands.

MSIL has tweaked the car over the years and has made it modern adding features and upgrades from time to time.

Alto has faced a lot of competition. Firstly, the Nano. Then, Eon and now Kwid.
It has also faced competition from within the stables in the form of Wagon R to some extent.

It has stood firm and an average of 22,000 per month is more than most other manufacturers complete lineup monthly sales combined.

Commendable.
Here's wishing the little Alto many more years of accomplishments!!
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Old 2nd March 2016, 15:04   #4
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Kudos to the volume king Alto

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya View Post
The average monthly sales of the Alto over the past 10 years exceed 22,000 units.
22K, that's more than what 3rd place holder Mahindra had managed in the last 1 year, Mahindra managed an average of 17K, in that sense Alto would grab the 3rd spot in the market share if it were to be considered as a company.

This fact speaks volumes on how well MSIL has understood the market and its penetration. With the safety initiatives, the Alto has further improved its appeal.
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Old 2nd March 2016, 15:16   #5
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by arnabchak View Post
Alto is where Maruti 800 was in the 90s.

I remember, there was a time, especially in the non metros, if someone said they have bought a car, no one asked which one.

All they asked was the colour. The make was given. M 800!!
When MSIL decided to put their highest selling car to rest post 2004, Alto was a front contender to fill the huge shoes of the M800.
Completely agreed! Yes, Alto has been the bestseller for MSIL for so many years. Like many several first timers, I too had purchased Alto from Maruti True Value in 2013 and sold recently and upgraded to Jazz i-vtech 2016. When my father was considering buying M800 some 9 years back, I advised him to buy an Alto. Though, I didn't knew the basic difference between these two cars, but the shape of the car somehow made me reauest my father to buy Alto. Ultimately he purchased M800 and this left me disappointed and I decided to buy an Alto for me when the time is right. The K-series enginer of 1000 cc in Alto K10 was good one although the show stopper was still Alto (800 cc vehicle) only. Though Maruti has done lot of changes here and there to the vehicle, but the lack of safety features (a driver side airbag can be provided) is a big put off. Having said that, we Indians love kitna deti hai line and it is a blockbuster in its FE.

Last edited by GTO : 3rd March 2016 at 11:02. Reason: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.
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Old 2nd March 2016, 21:30   #6
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Man ! I still like this car even though there are so many options out there. Fill it - shut it - forget it, this punchline so aptly fits this car !

For newer generation who have started earning, I always urge them to buy an Alto instead of high end motorcycles or for their parents. I lost one of my friend's friend when they met with an accident on bike, he was reluctant to buy a car despite having the money.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 12:14   #7
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Alto is a gem of a car. I remember when I was buying my first car in 2011, I did a test drive of Liva, Beat, Polo and Alto. In terms of power delivery, I felt the K10 better than Beat and Liva and at par with Polo. I am 6 feet tall so space was a constraint and I ended up picking up Liva instead but I loved the Alto K10.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NiInJa View Post
For newer generation who have started earning, I always urge them to buy an Alto instead of high end motorcycles or for their parents. I lost one of my friend's friend when they met with an accident on bike, he was reluctant to buy a car despite having the money.
Sorry but I just do not agree to this . You can never compare a performance motorcycle with a car. The feel of riding a good motorcycle can never be replaced by any car. All the people purchasing high end motorcycles have the money to buy a car instead or rather already have a car but they still buy bikes and ride them on the not-so-safe highways of India. All the gear all the time and riding responsibly is how the riders minimize the chances of any mishap.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 13:27   #8
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Let us also not forget the Alto that was available in the 4-cylinder 1.1 litre engine! It was quite feature loaded at that time, and its sad that Maruti discontinued it very soon after launch.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 14:24   #9
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Alto is one of the best entry level cars available in our market today. No wonder why not a single car in the entry level segment is not able to challenge the alto in a serious way so far.
I owned an Alto K10 (not the new generation) from 2012 to 2015. Did 35K KMs in Bangalore city. The ease of driving the K10 in congested city roads was some thing I still miss since I migrated to a slightly larger car.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 16:47   #10
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

I've been following the monthly sales chatrs on Team-BHP for about a couple years now, And all through this period, I believe only one month the Alto was overtaken by Dzire to be the top selling car for that specific month, else its been Alto all the way.

Had bought a second hand Alto about a couple of years back for wifey, was amazed by the demand that Alto has in the second hand market as well.

Super fun and easy to drive on the city roads, great visibility as well. Its not a big surprise that Alto is still the most sold car in India.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 18:26   #11
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

No wonder Alto is a king of entry level hatchback segment. I remember a relative of mine sold four year old Alto driven 70,000 kms at a price which was only 50,000 less then the on road price of the vehicle. It speaks a lot about the resale price of the vehicle.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 20:49   #12
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ashbhat2 View Post
Had bought a second hand Alto about a couple of years back for wifey, was amazed by the demand that Alto has in the second hand market as well.
In January 2013 I had paid a premium amount of Rs 2.20 lakh to purchase a 2008 model alto lxi which had run for just 15000 kms. Indeed this car still commands a super premium tag in the resale market. If you try searching for used Alto cars in Chennai, the prices which you will get is unbelievable. I was able to sell my alto (purchaser is the third owner now) for Rs 1.50 lakh at the ODO of 42000 kms. If you have happened to drive the new alto 800, then you will realize the old alto is still a gem considered to the new age one.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 21:07   #13
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by NiInJa View Post

For newer generation who have started earning, I always urge them to buy an Alto instead of high end motorcycles or for their parents. I lost one of my friend's friend when they met with an accident on bike, he was reluctant to buy a car despite having the money.
You are correct. Any car is far safer than a two wheeler.
However, the Alto is not a very safe car. Much better and safer options are available. I would recommend buying a used City/ Civic or Vento / Jetta for three to four lakhs rather than a new Alto.
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Old 3rd March 2016, 21:39   #14
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lobogris View Post
You are correct. Any car is far safer than a two wheeler.
However, the Alto is not a very safe car. Much better and safer options are available. I would recommend buying a used City/ Civic or Vento / Jetta for three to four lakhs rather than a new Alto.
Buying is only one part and maintaining is another. It's not easy to maintain any used car as compared to Alto. Also, one must take into consideration the epic fuel economy is Alto. This, however, is for the guys who can not afford anything above Alto.
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Old 5th March 2016, 13:39   #15
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Re: Maruti Suzuki Alto - 30 lakh sales up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by arnabchak View Post
Its indestructible and can be opened by any road side mechanic if the case so demands.
True that - even the Tier 3 cities have enough mechanics to take care of the Alto and this is true for almost all the Maruti cars.

Quote:
It has stood firm and an average of 22,000 per month is more than most other manufacturers complete lineup monthly sales combined.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra View Post
22K, that's more than what 3rd place holder Mahindra had managed in the last 1 year, Mahindra managed an average of 17K, in that sense Alto would grab the 3rd spot in the market share if it were to be considered as a company.
That's more that what Nissan, Datsun, Skoda and Fiat have sold in the entire 2015 .

And there is no stopping the king, unless Maruti wanted to kill it.
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