Maruti Suzuki India, on Tuesday, unveiled its new Alto 800 in petrol and CNG versions. Addressing a press conference here, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Shinzo Nakanishi said Alto had registered sales of over two million units since its launch in September 2000.
“It is the country’s largest selling car for the past eight years. At 22.74 kmpl, the fuel efficiency of the new car is up by 15 per cent. This has been due to efforts in engine engineering, increased compression ratio and improved volumetric efficiency,” he said.
Mr. Nakanishi said over 10,000 people had already booked their car without knowing its price or having gone in for a test drive. “We have to fulfil our commitment to serve these orders quickly. The car has been designed for the youth, and we have seen to it that it is comfortable while driving,” he added.
On the controversy surrounding the strength of employees at the company’s Manesar plant, Mr. Nakanishi said it had 3,800 employees right now, of which 700 to 800 were temporary employees.
“We have not received the SIT report so far,” he said
The car has black colour on the petal-shaped halogen headlamps. Admitting that the sale of cars in petrol version had shown a decline in recent months, Maruti Suzuki India chief operating officer Mayank Pareek expressed hope that the new car would hopefully help in reviving the market.
“By unveiling the new Alto 800, we have created excitement, and it would be a preferred vehicle for the youth. Forty per cent of customers would be below the age of 35.” “We are waiting for the festival season to usher in. During Onam, we had registered the highest sale in Kerala. The low-priced car is loaded with value. However, the proof of the pudding lies in its eating, and already over 10,000 customers have booked the vehicle.”
The ex-showroom price of petrol version is Rs.244,000 (standard), LX Rs.276,500 and LXi Rs.299,000. The CNG car is priced at Rs.319,000 (standard), LX Rs.337,000 and LXi Rs.356,000.
