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New Maruti Alto K10 Launch Price Rs 3.99 L - India Ki Chal Padi


RushLane.com
18 Aug 2022

Maruti Suzuki has been a long-standing champion in A-segment hatchback space. A might so great, that it is impossible to dethrone it from that spot. Most competitors have yielded to this brute and have given up and only Kwid remains at large.

New-gen Alto K10 gets new colours and feature upgrades and the overall product is a slight departure from Alto 800 which is currently on sale. New-gen Alto K10 has grown longer in its tooth to retain its domination in small hatchback segment. It also embraces a slightly upmarket design, larger dimensions and handsome looks than Alto 800.

We have spied both Alto K10's top model ZXi and also its base model LXi at dealer's yards before today's launch. Also, looking at Maruti Suzuki's current portfolio after Alto K10, Alto 800 seems to be the last one to run on beloved F8D engine.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Prices

Maruti Suzuki has launched Alto K10 in India starting from Rs. 3.99 lakh for base LXi trim and going till Rs. 5.83 lakh for top-spec ZXi+ AMT (both prices, ex-sh) with a 1.0L K10C engine. While regular Alto with 800cc F8D engine is continued as is. Also, Alto K10 tops out at VXi Plus trim unlike WagonR and Celerio which top out at ZXi trim. At Rs. 5.33 lakh, Alto K10's MT VXi Plus trim seems to be the most value for money, though.

Alto 800 was not designed keeping in mind upcoming 6 airbags mandated by Indian government and Alto K10 is believed to be designed accordingly. Maruti can sell current-gen Alto 800 until the mandate is brought into action and then phase it out. While the new Alto K10 will continue to sell and take Alto brand's legacy forward.

Ahead of launch, pre-bookings were opened at a nominal price of Rs 11,000. Now, orders can be officially placed via the Arena dealerships or company's website. Alto K10 looks like a better product overall. It is larger and offers a lot more space. It also gets some feel-good features like a 7" touchscreen infotainment system with Smart Play Studio software allowing wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering-mounted audio controls and will get 13-inch wheels with wheel covers. Safety features include dual front airbags on (O) trims, and rear parking sensors and ABS will be offered as standard.

Specs & Competition

Alto K10 is based on the company's Heartect platform that also underpins other A-segment hatchbacks from Maruti stables. Alto K10 gets a 1.0 liter K10 DualJet Dual VVT engine developing 65 bhp and 89 Nm. This engine will be mated to either a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox and will get start/stop technology.

The fuel efficiency figures on Alto K10 is 24.9 km/l and is noticeably better than Alto 800's fuel efficiency figures of 22 km/l. New Alto K10 could get CNG options too at a later date. The 6 colour options are Solid White, Silky Silver, Granite Grey, Sizzling Red, Speedy Blue and Earth Gold. With Kwid and other A-segment Maruti cars to compete with, Alto K10 has very less competition.

F8D Engine Future

F8D is a 796cc 3-cylinder SOHC 12V engine that did duties on Maruti 800 and Alto. Alto 800 is the only one that currently comes with this engine. Alto is the 14th highest selling vehicle with a 29.55% drop YoY in July 2022 as seen in top 25 cars list. So, keeping the engine production running that is only fitted to one car with an uncertain future is a recipe for disaster for Maruti.

Also, F8D is not as fuel efficient as K10B or K10C engines too. Fuel efficiency and lightness are the main foundation of Maruti cars and 1.0L engines offer the best of both. K10 engines are equipped with WagonR and S-Presso which sell a lot more than Alto 800 too. So, we might witness the demise of F8D engine and Alto 800 in coming months.

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