The mother of all limited editions, Maruti Suzuki has come out with another special edition for a vehicle of theirs. This time the target is the Alto 800 hatchback which is the highest selling vehicle in India which lost out to the Swift DZire a couple of times recently. The Alto 800 is a very basic vehicle and it does not get any creature comforts. It is aimed at those who are on a tight budget and require a fuel efficient and cheap-to-maintain car. Maruti has just launched the Alto 800 Maximum Limited Edition so let us check out what is so maximum about this edition.
As expected from Maruti, this limited edition too gets a dose of gaudy and cheesy graphics which just add to the ugliness of the hatchback. Apart from the stickers, the Alto 800 Maximum Edition gets a rear spoiler, keyless entry, audio system with speakers and art leather seat covers. All these accessories are easily available in the aftermarket too. The Alto 800 gets no other changes and it remains the same mechanically. It is powered by a 796cc F8D petrol engine that produces 48 PS of power and 69 Nm of torque. It is also available with a choice of a CNG kit which is a very economical option. The Alto 800 is priced between Rs. 2.94-3.73 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). It competes with the Tata Nano, Datsun GO, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai Eon.
While people (including us) may bash Maruti for coming up with such limited editions, the company also has its own point. All this is done from a business point of view. Since the Alto 800 is bought by a majority of first-time buyers, many of them are not really aware or informed about vehicles and they would not want to risk voiding their warranty by opting for aftermarket electricals. In these cases, these limited editions do make some amount of sense since buyers would prefer getting these must-have accessories fitted in their cars.
