Maruti Suzuki Alto completes two decades, sells over 40 lakh units since debut

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) announced on Tuesday that its entry-level model Alto has completed 20 years, selling over 40 lakh units since launch.

The winning proposals for Alto, according to MSIL, the country's largest carmaker, are its unique combination of compact and captivating design, easy manoeuvrability, high fuel efficiency, improved protection, comfort features and low acquisition costs.

Alto, which was introduced in 2000, hit a sales mark of 10 lakh in 2008 and 20 lakh in 2012, followed by 30 lakh in 2016. Alto crossed the 40 lakh revenue figure in August 2020.

Today, Alto provides premium features to the aspiring entry car buyers, the carmaker said, such as touchscreen SmartPlay infotainment system, ABS with EBD, dual-tone interiors, dual airbags etc.

Mr. Shashank Srivastava, executive director - marketing and sales, MSIL, said, “Alto, over the past two decades has changed the way India commutes. It has ranked as the No.1 selling car in the past 16 years and continues to win hearts and surprise Indian car buyers with its exciting value proposition. Alto, today, resonates with over 40 lakh delighted customers thanks to its magnetic brand positioning. Alto has strengthened its appeal with every upgrade and has become the preferred choice for the first-time buyers.”

He said, “We’ve seen that nearly 76% of the Alto customers have selected it as their first car in 2019-20, which has further increased to 84% for the current year. Today brand Alto is aptly positioned as ‘Desh Ki Shaan’, as it instils a strong emotion of pride amongst its 40-lakh customer base, a feat unmatched by any other car in India”.

Alto 's unprecedented mass acceptance has helped it emerge for the past 16 years as the largest selling model in the highly competitive passenger car segment each year, MSIL said.

In FY 2019-20, 59 percent of Alto sales were from upcountry markets, which rose to 62 percent for the current year, as per MSIL.

Maruti Suzuki Alto has been exported to more than 40 countries, including Latin American, African and South Asian markets. It is available in petrol and factory-fitted CNG variants and is sold through 1,900 cities through the company's Arena distribution network of 2,390 dealer sales outlets, the company statement said.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.