Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car manufacturer is set to develop a new small car in order to replace the Alto entry level car in the company’s portfolio in India. The car is expected to be introduced by the end of the year 2012 and will be developed on the Alto platform.
The new car is claimed to be powered by the 800cc petrol engine used for the Alto. The company’s move to develop a new car model on the Alto platform could be due to the declining sales of the Alto and the new launch would be expected to introduce freshness in the segment. The sales of the Alto have declined by 11 percent in the fiscal 2011-12 selling 3,08,288 units.
Moreover, the new launch could be timed to overlap with the Diwali festival which is considered by many an auspicious period for new purchases.
The Alto K10 equipped with the 998cc K-10 engine will continue to be sold.
