Maruti Suzuki is getting ready to launch new gen Alto next month – Ahead of that, new spy shots have leaked
Maruti Suzuki might not be the default choice when it comes to SUVs. But that scene is changing soon with the launch of new Brezza and upcoming Grand Vitara. But today, they are the default choice for small hatchbacks. As for as competition is concerned, they’re just facilitating Maruti Suzuki’s cause even further.
If we see the automotive market in India closely, small and affordable cars are diminishing. Hyundai pulled the plug on Santro recently and Eon was discontinued long ago. Nissan pulled the plug on the Datsun brand and hence Go, Go+, and Redi Go are no more. Weirdly, the only competitor for Alto from a brand other than Maruti Suzuki is the Renault Kwid.
2022 Maruti Alto – New Blue Colour
In a recent post, we covered the possibility of Alto K10 launching alongside the new-gen Alto too. In FY 2022, Maruti Suzuki sold 2,11,762 Alto and S-Presso combined whereas Renault Kwid sold 26,535 units. Entry-level hatchback market in India, is around 2.5 lakh units a year.
But Kwid is marketed as a micro SUV and so is S-Presso. In that effect, new gen alto is going for the same attributes too. It will be a slightly larger car than the current gen Alto. It will have an SUV stance with around 180mm ground clearance with a lot more room on the inside. Also, Alto isn’t the highest-selling Maruti Suzuki as we found in our top 25 cars list.
Upcoming Alto might get 6 airbags as standard owing to upcoming mandates or at least be developed keeping that in mind for the future. Maruti Suzuki has recently taken up Hyundai’s strategy of feature loading their vehicles as we can see on the new Brezza and Grand Vitara. We can expect that ethos on a smaller scale, to make it in Alto too.
We expect a 7” touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay like the recently launched Celerio. On the exterior, it will get a larger squared-off grille and ‘C’ shaped indents for fog lamp housing, pull-up style door handles like outgoing model, 12” or 13” alloy wheels on top-spec variant, and more. The latest spy shots
2022 Maruti Alto – Specs & Launch
New Alto specs will remain identical to the outgoing model. It will get the same 796cc 3-cylinder F8D petrol engine making 47 bhp and 69 Nm (nice), mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. A CNG variant can also be offered with the new gen Alto. While Alto K10, when launched, will be powered by a 998cc 3-cylinder K10C petrol engine making 66 bhp and 89 Nm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. This engine also does duties on Celerio, WagonR and S-Presso.
Maruti Suzuki hasn’t exactly confirmed a date for reveal or launch. But it is expected to take place sometime in the 2nd half of Aug 2022. New Alto K10 could be launched at a later date or alongside the Alto 800. Currently, Maruti Suzuki Alto starts at Rs. 3.39 lakh (ex-sh). Prices of the new Alto will likely be more than current Alto. With recent trends shifting towards SUVs, it remains to be seen if new gen small hatchbacks will continue to be viable or not. Maybe the new gen Alto might be the saviour of this genre. Only time will tell.
