The Maruti Suzuki A-Star is the least selling hatchback in the company’s portfolio. The A-Star is nothing but the latest generation Alto, which was re-badged in order to keep the old Alto selling in the Indian market. This premium positioning for the A-Star hasn’t worked and Maruti Suzuki sold a paltry 583 units last month, which is even less than the Eeco and SX4. Clearly India’s largest car maker needs to do something about the sales of the A-Star soon.
Suzuki will soon launch a minor facelift of the A-Star in China. The facelift on the Chinese Alto makes the vehicle look better. The front now features a new grille, revised bumper and new head lights. The side is almost similar to the old model, except the new moldings and alloy wheels. At the rear Suzuki has given the Alto revised tail lights and a new bumper. The front design seems to be influenced from Hyundai’s fluidic styling, with the lights swept back.
Maruti gave the A-Star a minor update earlier this year but that did not help sales much. The company needs to correct the pricing as people are opting for more spacious vehicles such as the WagonR or Hyundai Eon. The A-Star suffers from high pricing and limited interior room. It is not available with a diesel engine which further decreases demand for the vehicle. Maruti Suzuki has commenced production at the Manesar plant today, after a month of lockout. The A-Star is manufactured at this very plant.
Previous pictures of the Suzuki Alto facelift.
Pictures Source – AutoHome