Why the Maruti Suzuki AStar failed as a hatchback?

If you go through the sales reports of any year, any month, you’ll find cars from Maruti Suzuki at the top of the charts. There is a reason that people in India love to buy Marutis and that is the affordability of the cars. And that is not even the best part. The best part is the fuel economy the cars provide. But then, Maruti sometimes did try to introduce something different in their lineup and fail miserably. One such failure is the Maruti Suzuki A-Star. But why did the hatchback fail? Was it the design? Was it the price? Before diving into reasons, let’s first have a look at the specs and features the car offered.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star | Powertrain and Specifications

The first car from the manufacturer to be powered by the K-series engine was the A-Star. It was powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine which used to produce 66hp of power  @6,200rpm and 90Nm of torque @3,500rpm. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The BS4-compliant engine was able to cover around 17kms in a litre of fuel.

Talking about the exterior, the company chose a bit different approach while designing the car. The most noticeable features are the bug-eye headlights. The car was pretty small as compared to the other hatch siblings such as Alto K10.

The A-Star was not a fully-loaded hatch though. The interiors were a little crampy in space, the reason being the smaller size. Tall people were not made for this car, or rather this car was not made for them.

According to the people who own the car, here are a few points that make A-Star a good pick.

• Smooth driving.
• Better design at that time as compared to other Maruti offerings.
• Air conditioning system is a good one.
• Good looking interiors.

But why exactly did the car fail?

To Fail or Not To Fail, That is the question!

Maruti Suzuki used to export the A-Star to various countries where it was sold as the next generation of Alto. It was also sold under the name, Pixo by Nissan Europe under the collaboration of both the companies. The car had a successful run in the international markets. When the car launched in India, it had a booking time of more than two months. But in no time, it was being sold with discounts of more than ₹15,000. What made it a failure in its own country? Why did the tables turn?

• The major reason is the price. None of the customers was ready to spend more than ₹4lakhs on a car that could not even fit 4 people comfortably.
• Another reason obviously was the cabin space. The rear seats were a joke for the ones who were a bit taller than the average height.
• People also complained about the poor fuel economy. Strange to hear for a brand known for vice-a-versa. But yes, A-Star was not able to deliver.
• The cars it was put against. A-Star was rivalling Hyundai i10 and Santro in the market. People chose these two over the A-Star.

So the car was bound to fail. Moreover, Maruti launched the Ritz which had a better design, better space and better price as compared to the A-Star and thus became more famous than the latter. The failure can also be possibly linked to poor marketing by the company. The placement of the car amongst Maruti Suzuki Alto and WagonR made it a poor choice for the customers.

A fun read: Maruti Suzuki WagonR: History Of India’s Most Loved Hatchback

The End!

By the end of its time, Maruti was not able to even sell more than 500 units in India. With the closure of the collaboration of Nissan UK and Maruti Suzuki in 2013, there was no reason for the company to keep the production on. So, the plug was pulled on the A-Star and the rest is the history.

This was not the first time Maruti Suzuki had to discontinue cars due to non-performance. Cars like Kizashi, Grand Vitara and Versa(rebadged as Eeco) were also discontinued silently so that the image of the best seller is not tarnished.

Have a look: 10 Forgotten Maruti Suzuki Cars In India: From SX4 To Stingray