subject: Maruti's Refurbished Alto K10 Will Be Bigger [print this page] Next month Maruti Suzuki is going to launch its refurbished version of Alto which has been the fulcrum of companys sales. Maruti officials said that the new Maruti Alto K10 will have some additional features like a larger 1000-cc engine and sport different exteriors and interiors. The new model will be 125 mm longer than the vintage version. It will also be more spacious than the company's badges in the so-called 'B' segment, Estilo, the old WagonR and A-Star.
Though Maruti Suzuki officially denied to give any details about the car but a spokesman said that the new K10 will be affordable and an aspirational product. The new model will cost around 2.8-3.4 lakh and will squeeze between the Alto Lxi and Estilo LX. In fact, the company's aim behind launching this new model is to give a tough competition to its rivals, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor India which are planning on a similar car for the premium entry level segment. Hyundai has plans to introduce a model priced below its top-selling Santro and Tata Motors is working on a model that will fit between Nano and Indica.
Several cars like Nano, Ford Figo, Nissan Micra and VW Polo were launched this year but none of these cars were able to address the Alto's market. Rather Alto, with its Lxi model contributes to 70 per cent of sales. It is priced at 2.8 lakh and competes with Hyundai Santro priced at 2.7-lakh and Chevy Spark priced at 3.23 lakh. A Maruti executive said that it is no longer about spotting the opportunity but it is about getting there first. In fact, Marutis plan is quite clear. As the rival launches are not due any time soon, it will make the most of the opportunity in hand. The companys executive said that everybody has realised that it is a large segment.
The company is being careful with the price of K10 so that the sales of Alto do not get disturbed. In fact, the company wants the new Alto K10 to complement Alto's market share.
