Maruti Suzuki’s market share in India has declined after the entrance of new competitors. The recent and most brutal attack to Maruti’ Suzuki’s small car dominance is undoubtedly the Hyundai Eon. The company’s bread and butter model, the Alto looks atleast two decades old infront of the entry level Hyundai. To counter the Korean automaker, Maruti is planning to launch smaller cars in India, which will be high on fuel efficiency. One such model could be the JDM (Japanese Domestic Model) Suzuki Alto, the same one which uses a 660cc motor and delivers 32 kmpl. The aforementioned car was spotted on test in Gurgaon and will mostly be shown at the 2012 Auto Expo. The company will try to evaluate customer response to conclude if its feasible to launch this car in India.
As can be seen in the pictures, the JDM Suzuki Alto looks very similar to the A-Star at the front (the A-Star is actually the new Alto globally). There were absolutely no badges on the car, expect the Suzuki logo and the Alto badge at the tail gate. Two small stickers (written in Japanese) were present on the rear windshield. The tyres were 145/13 in size but Maruti might reduce them to boost fuel economy. HR26 registration confirms its a Maruti Suzuki registered car. The front number plate is not mounted in the center, while the car is quite big for a small car and has intelligent maxisation of space. Infact this Alto can easily be as spacious as the WagonR and can give the A-Star and Eon some complex. We feel Maruti Suzuki can launch this Alto as the new A-Star, as the A-Star has failed to sell in decent numbers.
Source – Team-BHP
