Maruti, India's largest carmaker, has reached a major milestone with the Alto, having sold over 25 lakh units of the most popular car in our market. The Maruti Alto is the second product from the carmaker's stables to have notched this achievement, the first being the Maruti 800.
The Maruti Alto was launched in 2000 with an 800cc engine good for 47bhp. A 64bhp 1.1-litre petrol motor was introduced in 2001 but discontinued in 2004. In 2010, the Alto K10 was introduced. Maruti carried out some styling changes on the new version and equipped it with a 67bhp, three-cylinder, 1.0-litre engine. In 2012, the first-gen Alto was replaced by the Alto 800, which had new bodywork done and got refreshed interiors as well. The company also claimed to have worked on the 800cc engine to make it more frugal. An CNG version of the car is also on offer.
Other than the domestic market where it has been raking in the numbers, the Maruti Alto is also exported to some global markets. The carmaker's export figures for the Alto stands at 2.85 lakh units.
Maruti looks to build on this success and there are reports of a facelift for the Alto 800 taking shape. A test mule under camouflage has been spotted already and sources say the carmaker is going to update the styling to move away from the dull image of the current car. There is no clarity yet on when this facelift will hit the showrooms.