Alto has carried the brand’s 800 tag and has been through a lot of changes & variants with its respective generation. Maruti Suzuki has just launched the 2022 Alto in the Indian market. They are trying to keep the entry-level hatchback segment alive with such launches. But do we actually need it in the market?
Maruti Suzuki’s Airbag Concern
The rising focus on safety and the changing norms has brought up some concerns of the manufacturers with small entry-level hatchbacks. After making ABS & dual front airbags necessary when the 6 airbags norm came, Maruti Suzuki’s Chairman RC Bhargava stated his concern for small cars in India.
Also Read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Launched At Rs. 3.99 Lakhs!
As these cars, such as Alto, are not designed in a manner to accommodate 6 airbags. Adding these additional airbags will require reconsideration of the design, and incorporating design changes along with airbags will add additional costs as well. This will result in a price hike and affect these cars’ sales.
New Generation
Despite the safety norms & concerns, Maruti Suzuki has launched a new generation of their most loved entry-level hatchback. It is based on a lighter and more rigid chassis on the same Heartect platform as its sibling competitor S-Presso.
Also Read: Evolution Of The Alto and Alto K10 | The Sigma Hatchback
It has design elements inspired by the Celerio, and this car has ruled the segment for 16 years. But after new launched such as S-Presso, this might seem slightly unnecessary to some people. As every product has a timeline and decline, this attempt to keep it alive might be feeble.
Competitors
As the market is also shifting towards SUVs & MPVs, hatchbacks are no longer the top-selling segment in India. Considering the competitors, Alto will compete with its sibling S-Presso and others such as Renault Kwid.
Also Read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Variants Explained!
This newer version shares the design characteristics with Celerio & the power characteristic similar to S-Presso. They both have a 1.0-litre engine churning out 68hp & 89Nm torque with a fuel economy of 21kmpl for the S-Presso & 24kmpl for Alto.
They also share a similar price range, with the former being offered from ₹3.70-5.57 lakhs ex-showroom and the latter new launch for ₹3.99-5.83 lakhs ex-showroom. What do you think about this launch?
