Alto 800, upon its launch, was perceived as a newer and suave version of the Maruti 800, albeit being a different model altogether. It was one of the most loved SUVs in India but is now being phased out by Maruti Udyog Ltd. Nevertheless, since its production began in 2000; 4,450,000 units of Alto have been released. The phasing out of the Alto 800 makes the Alto K10 2023 Maruti’s key contender in the entry-level hatchback segment. Have you always dreamt of owning an Alto 800? The time to act is now as the company sells the final stock on its shelves. Alto 800 has a 796 cc petrol engine, but the CNG option is also available. A 5-speed manual is the only transmission mode option.
Why is Alto 800 being phased out?
As per Maruti Udyog Ltd., it is not financially viable to make high investments for upgrading Alto 800, such that it becomes compliant with BS6 Phase 2 norms, which came into effect on April 1. Similarly, in the entry-level hatchback segment, the volumes are nowadays low. In FY16, the segment enjoyed a 15% market share with volumes of around 450,000 units. This figure reduced to 7% in FY23 and the volume stood at around 250,000 units. If we take a look at Alto 800’s pricing on Maruti’s official website, the car is priced amid 3.54 lakh and Rs 5.13 lakh. Going for Alto K10 2023, on the other hand, will cost somewhere amid 4-6 lakhs.
Factors that made Alto 800 less popular among Indian consumers over time
Across the contemporary years, the cost of acquisition of vehicles in the entry-level hatchback segment has increased significantly. Factors leading to this development include higher material costs and different forms of taxation, such as registration tax and road tax. However, when we consider the consumers in this segment, their income levels have not seen a proportionate increase. So, entry-level hatchbacks are not as affordable as they used to be for the concerned consumers. In the concerned buyer demographics, the price sensitivity factor cannot be overlooked. With the compromise on affordability, sales volumes decreased as expected, and so did the market share of the entry-level hatchback segment. A tilt towards Alto k10 2023 has been observed at such times.
