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You read it first on MotorBeam. Maruti Suzuki has introduced a VXi variant on the Alto 800 which gets a few additional features. The Alto 800 was launched last year and has been selling very strongly, although the decrease in demand of automobiles in India has led to its elder sibling (Swift DZire) to overtake it in sales last month. However the Alto 800 continues to be the most popular small car in India and is the sole choice for most first time car buyers. The only real competitor to the Alto 800 is the Hyundai Eon.
Maruti Suzuki has given the Alto 800 additional equipment including central locking, driver side airbag, integrated audio system with USB port, full wheel caps, left side rear view mirror, rear spoiler, front power windows and body side mouldings. All these features can be easily installed after market for around Rs. 20,000/- but Maruti Suzuki is charging just Rs. 15,000/- for the VXi variant (above the LXi variant). This makes the Alto 800 VXi quite value for money although left side rear view mirror should be standard across the range.
The Alto 800 VXi is priced at Rs. 3.40 lakhs for metallic colour and Rs. 3.36 lakhs for non-metallic colour (ex-showroom, Mumbai). Maruti Suzuki offers the Alto 800 in various variants including Std, LX, LXi, LXi Airbag, Std CNG, LX CNG and LXi CNG. The VXi variant is now the eight variant in the Alto 800 lineup. The Alto 800 is powered by a 796cc, 3-cylinder gasoline engine which produces 48 PS of power and 69 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The vehicle’s light weight of around 715 kgs along with small displacement motor make it a very frugal means of transport.
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