With BS6 emission norms deadline around the corner, most OEMs are currently busy with working upon plans to clear their BS4 inventory. Country’s leading automaker, Maruti has already introduced BS6 engines on many of its models.
In fact, it has already sold more than 3 lakh BS6 emission norms compliant vehicles. The next model all set to get a BS6 upgrade is the Alto K10. Automotive enthusiast Mr. Maurya spotted a BS6 test mule of the Alto K10 while it was testing near company’s Manesar plant.
The test mule can be seen being driven with BS6 emission test equipment and a red number plate. Apart from the test rig, there are no visual changes which can be spotted on the vehicle. It is to be noted that Alto K10’s younger sibling, the Alto 800 already has a BS6 engine currently. K10’s elder cousin, the WagonR 1 litre had received a BS6 engine upgrade last week. The 1.2 litre BS6 WagonR has been on sale since June’19.
Considering the past trends, it is safe to assume that prices of the BS6 Alto K10 will increase by Rs 10-12K (across all variants). This price increase will be due to the upgrades which Maruti will bring-in on the 1 litre petrol motor to make it BS6 emission norms compliant. No other change in the model line up is expected.
The 998cc engine currently comes mated to two sets of transmissions, a 5-speed manual and an AMT. The engine dishes out 67.1 bhp and we don’t expect the power figures to change due to the upgrade. At the moment, Maruti has 8 models which are BS6 emission norms compliant. These include models like the Ertiga, XL6, Dzire, Baleno, Swift, WagonR, Alto 800 and the recently launched S-Presso.
Once the BS6 norms kick-in, Maruti intends to focus on petrol cars in the small car segment. It believes that the price increase in small diesel cars will work out to be significant and small diesel cars won’t offer good return on investment. This would lead to customers shifting to petrol options, decreasing the overall sales of diesel-powered small cars. Hence, it wants to avoid the investment all together, especially considering the high costs required to upgrade a diesel engine.
Maruti isn’t alone, as there are other OEMs as well who have planned to cut down on small diesel cars. French automaker, Renault has decided to stop production of small diesel cars and even Suzuki’s global partner, Toyota has also decided that it won’t be selling diesel powered Etios/Liva etc. in the future.
Speaking about Alto, it is the best selling car of Maruti. With sales of over 38 lakh units till date, Alto has been on sale for over 15 years. Mr Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India said, “At Maruti Suzuki, we are committed to listen to our customers and bring innovations in products to meet their evolving demands. Nearly 54% of Alto customers are first time car buyers.
Alto has been the preferred choice for entry car buyers due to several factors like its compact design, easy maneuverability, high fuel efficiency, updated safety features etc, while maintaining the affordability. The 38 lakh strong Alto family is a testament to our commitment of providing the best-in-class products. We thank our customers for their continued faith and trust in the brand Alto and making it the No.1 selling car since last 15 consecutive years!”
