They sell over 20,000 of these each month and it has been topping the sales chart for decades. Say hello to the Maruti Alto. For the uninitiated, Maruti is India's largest passenger car market - in May 2017 they sold 130248 cars. That is 4341 cars per day or 180 per hour. No, I am not playing with the wrong numbers here.
India is huge. From its land area to our population to the number of cars we buy each day. Combining all manufacturers, we Indians bought almost six cars every minute in May 2017. But the most popular here is the little Alto. As seen here, it's not a pretty looking car but yet does the job right for Indian consumers, half of whom are based in small towns with bad or no roads. We need something reliable, efficient and cheap. And it should outlast us!
So what makes the Maruti Alto so popular? Lets have a look:
1) Its cheap!
This chart shows it all - pricing for the Alto starts at INR 245803 which has been translated into various other currencies for your reference.
Ofcourse the base model does not get any creature comforts but is a popular mode of transport. And I have not even factored various discounts and offers to the tune of 10-15%! And as you can see in the chart, there are two models on sale. The cheaper Alto 800 gets a 796cc engine while the 'premium' version is called Alto K10 and gets a 998cc engine, better design and better interiors. Power? Stands at 67 horses!
2) Its Reliable
The average car ownership time period is very high in India and this is true for semi urban and rural areas. The Alto is one car that is often passed on down to generations - we buy it, drive it for years, our younger siblings learn the art of driving in the same car, it is then passed on to your kids and so on. Hence it becomes very important that a car should be as reliable as us. This means it should not trouble us till the odometer clocks over 1,00,000 kilometers. Infact, availability of a workshop or a road side mechanic is nil in far flung areas - this is where the Alto shines and how
3) Its Small
Yes - that's a real image of Delhi (Gurgaon..) via Indiatimes. Indian roads - they are beautiful but in urban areas, every milimeter of space is taken up. Parking is a headache and finding your way through cars, bikes, cycles, humans, animals and potholes is a war-game in itself. The Alto then scores high marks for its small size and nimble handling. Another reason why it is so popular in the hill-stations. Park it anywhere!
4) Its efficient
Maruti pioneered the concept of 'fill it - shut it - forget it' cars in India. Their cars are made to run on drops of gas which means you can easily cover 18-20 kilometers on a litre of fuel in urban traffic. Increase it by 25% for highway usage (at moderate speeds). Maruti went a step ahead and also offers CNG options which further bring down running costs. No one minds a car that is light on the pocket, eh?
5) There is an Alto for everyone!
