[longhorn]

The humble Alto has beat every other model in the world to become the bestseller worldwide for 2010. Now that's something to cheer for. The India automobile industry has come a long long way from the license raj era and now has achieved this feat we can be proud of.
Source :Overdrive

Maruti Suzuki has achieved the seemingly impossible by turning the Alto into the bestselling car worldwide in 2010. This is the first time in history that a car of Indian origin has become the global best seller across any segment beating the likes of the Volkswagen Golf from Germany and the Fiat Uno and VW Golf from Brazil. Sales of the Alto shot up a massive 25 % in 2010 resulting in sales above the 3 lakh mark. The Alto was launched in 2000 and was an immediate success. By 2006 the Alto had taken over from its sibling the 800 as the best selling car in Maruti Suzuki’s line up. The freshly launched K10 has also been well received and has contributed generously to the sales growth witnessed in 2010. Maruti Suzuki was also aided by the fact that the previous best sellers from Volkswagen underperformed in 2010. To top it all Maruti Suzuki expects sales to be closer to the 4 lakh mark for the year 2011. The future couldn’t be brighter for the Indian automobile giant!

[Gansan]

Way to go,Splendor on four wheels!

OK, now pass the popcorn please and bring out the haters!

[rr_zen]

I am not surprised. I have been in Qatar for the last 3 weeks on vacation and amidst the huge SUVs that dominate the road here, the Alto is the one that complements as a hatch back with its ubiquitous presence.

[Daewood]

That's sweet news.
Congrats to the new 'People's car'.
Maruti plz don't kill this brand like you did to 800.
Make a beetle like sucess story out of this car.

Any idea how many Altos have been sold in India till date from the day of launch?

[iceman7]

Bravo to Maruti Suzuki. I am sure the team at MS must be jumping with joy.

The Indian Automotive scene is surely warming up a lot. Like they say - We live in interesting times.

[sajo]

Thats indeed a fantastic achievement.

But what criteria do they consider when they say its the best selling car worldwide , do they exclude the US from their calculations ?

Here are the top 3 sellers in the US for 2010 (not counting trucks)

- Toyota Camry : 3,27,824
- Honda Accord : 3,11,381
- Nissan Altima: 2,29,263

The top two models outsell the Alto at 3,00,950 (correct me if I am wrong). Or were 300k Indian figures with some additional exports thrown in as well ?

[jaguar.runs]

Indeed the best seller in India and now worldwide too! A great achievement for a car with it's majority of sales done in India. This is a clear indication that our auto industry is growing fast and why all the major manufacturers want to have a slice of it.

Alto, Let's Go!

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by jaguar.runs

Indeed the best seller in India and now worldwide too! A great achievement for a car with it's majority of sales done in India. This is a clear indication that our auto industry is growing fast and why all the major manufacturers want to have a slice of it.

Alto, Let's Go!

+1. It's a great moment for every Indian in seeing India now being counted as a major player in the automobile field.


Cheers,

[aman9393]

The Alto is the global best selling small car. Not the overall best seller.
But nonetheless, a great achievement for Maruti Suzuki.:-)

[svsantosh]

Maruti, Bring this and create a revolution in the autobox segment. You will another 25K to the 3L # easily. (Astar Auto flopped...!!)

[Chetan_Rao]

One question. Is that number only about the Alto model type that's sold in India, or all global 'Alto' models put together?

Even the A-Star is sold in many export markets as the Alto/Pixo.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

One question. Is that number only about the Alto model type that's sold in India, or all global 'Alto' models put together?

Even the A-Star is sold in many export markets as the Alto/Pixo.

That is definitely the Indian model alone but constitutes both the 800 cc and the K10 versions. It does not include the AStar / Pixo / foreign Alto(AStar) in any form. Maruti were doing an average of 22k units month on month in 2010 till the K10 came like a bolt from the blue and then all hell broke loose. The Alto single handedly outsells the combined sales of all models of any manufacturer in India barring Hyundai and probably Tata.

Originally Posted by sajo

Thats indeed a fantastic achievement.

But what criteria do they consider when they say its the best selling car worldwide , do they exclude the US from their calculations ?

Here are the top 3 sellers in the US for 2010 (not counting trucks)

- Toyota Camry : 3,27,824
- Honda Accord : 3,11,381
- Nissan Altima: 2,29,263

The top two models outsell the Alto at 3,00,950 (correct me if I am wrong). Or were 300k Indian figures with some additional exports thrown in as well ?

Where did you get the 3,00,950 figure from ? If it is from our sales thread, it shows only the vehicles invoiced to dealers hence would not include exports from MSIL.

[mash]

Where did you get the 3,00,950 figure from ? If it is from our sales thread, it shows only the vehicles invoiced to dealers hence would not include exports from MSIL.

Here is the link for US sales for year 2010, how can alto with just 400000 sales can be worlds best selling car, some one is joking

Auto Sales - Markets Data Center - WSJ.com

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by mash

Here is the link for US sales for year 2010, how can alto with just 400000 sales can be worlds best selling car, some one is joking

Auto Sales - Markets Data Center - WSJ.com

I guess the Ford F - Series PU and Chevrolet Silverado PU is a pickup /SUV (correct me if I am wrong) and not a car in the true sense(hatchback/notchback/sedan) in which case the Alto would be the best selling car and not the best selling vehicle.

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by longhorn

The humble Alto has beat every other model in the world to become the bestseller worldwide for 2010. Now that's something to cheer for. The India automobile industry has come a long long way from the license raj era and now has achieved this feat we can be proud of.
Source :Overdrive

As it appears to me this is a Credibility Issue to OVERDRIVE

With Due respect to Alto, which is a very good car, and Suzuki, which is a very good brand, This report looks like nothing but a Hoax. I just came across this article on net which tells me

"During calendar year 2010, Alto sold 3,00, 956 units. Whereas VWGol sold 2,93,738 units and Gold sold only 2,51,078 units." See the link"

Link
Maruti Suzuki Alto becomes world's largest selling car

The truth as it appears from Matt's blog tells me VW golf sold 492,556 units in 2010 just in europe. There are 5 more models crossing 3 lakh mark above these alto numbers including Fiesta, Corsa, clio, polo and peuget just in europe sales.

USA Sales
USA December 2010: Ford F-Series #1, Chevy Equinox in Top10 « Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Europe Sales
USA December 2010: Ford F-Series #1, Chevy Equinox in Top10 « Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Haven't come across a World wide sales number anywhere , but if you start combining the sales of cars which are sold in multiple markets then Ford Fiesta , Toyota Corolla, toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Honda Civic , Chevrolet Cruze, VW Polo and Fiat punto will definitely beat down this claim of alto.

Seems a Hoax to me or a rather poor explanation on what parameter Alto is number 1. Not to forget this particular version of alto is sold in very small number of countries with small numbers outside india.

Originally Posted by longhorn

I guess the Ford F - Series PU and Chevrolet Silverado PU is a pickup /SUV (correct me if I am wrong) and not a car in the true sense(hatchback/notchback/sedan) in which case the Alto would be the best selling car and not the best selling vehicle.

I think you dont have to guess Longhorn and just browse over the above two links to see that even in a single market comparison, Camry is selling more numbers in USA than Alto in India. In multiple market basis, well Suzuki doesnt sell well in that many countries.