[invidious]

If Airbags and ABS is made mandatory, there might be a price increase in the short run but the economies of scale will ensure that this price increase will not be substantially high in the long run. Right now, you are charged a premium for safety features which frankly is rather ridiculous.

Looking at the debate between the 2 sides; I would probably buy a sturdier used car than a waiting-for-a-disaster tin foil. It is not my fault - there are enough drunks and underagre driving cars with worn out tyres on really pathetic roads. Any risk mitigation is such a system is welcome.

[i74js]

The debate on safety features is something that is continuing and will keep going as and when new features trickle down from the top end manufactures into the mass market products.

None of the Indian manufactured cars (HM, FIAT / Premier Auto, Maruti, Tata, Honda and Hyundai) until the year 2000 offered any product with ABS, Airbags etc. Practically speaking, these technologies were only heard in German Cars which were brought and sold here as CBU.

While, we all agree that the requirement of additional safety features is more and more compelling now because of the increased traffic density and better road infrastructure in country, it is not the sole responsibility of manufactures or the regulators to do their bit alone; in free markets like India, a product is sold on its merits (here the definition of merit is different for individual buyer). More so in a price sensitive market, the sentiments take a sway just on the basis of couple of thousands here and there.

- Can you name a manufacturer selling mass market cars in India without safety features in their whole product line, I think none

- Can you name a manufacturer selling mass market cars in India able to sell more than 10% of their cars which are fully loaded, I think none

Let’s make a hypothetical consideration for say Maruti Swift Petrol (Price bracket INR 5.00 Lac Ex Showroom), its middle model is the one that sells maximum. Consider these two options for middle varient.

Model 1:
-No safety features
- Alloys
- Double Din music system with 4 speakers
- Keyless entry

Model 2:
- Driver side airbag
- ABS with EBD
- Steel Rims
- No music system
- No keyless entry

Not more than 10% of the people will pick up Model 2. Also, I have witnessed a case at Ford dealership, wherein a top end Figo (with airbags) was repaired with a normal dashboard and steering wheel post-accident as fellow didn’t want to spend 1.2 Lacs on these replacements with functional safety features and got his job done at 20% of the repair cost.
Why?

The accident was not fetal and the argument was “ Koi zarurat nahi hai aaise he airbags khul gaye !”

They sell what we buy and the arguments could be as generic as - it is atleast better than a 2 wheeler? And the same arguments are given by manufactuers to the regulators in closed door meetings.

And life goes on..

Cheers !

[zenren]

Originally Posted by vikast_ap

Read a comparo between the new K10 and the 1 litre Eon here http://autoportal.com/news/hyundai-e...-car-2362.html

Seems like the new K10 is a way better option given the price and AMT gearbox.

Pathetic review, to say the least.

I'm not sure who owns that portal, but in case anyone connected to that portal is reading this, please ensure they employ folks with decent English vocabulary to write an article/review in English or at least proof-read it before publishing to prevent serious factual errors like the ones below!

Moving on to the interiors, the new Alto looks dated after a very long time.

Does he know the meaning of the word "dated"?

The car features broads headlights, front chrome grill and razor-sharp bumper.

What is this "broads" headlight and "razor-sharp" bumper? Can I use it as a lawnmower due to this razor-sharp bumper?

Eon is surely the most compact car with 3515mm height and 1500mm width.

Even if I ignore the typo of height instead of length in above line, this is news to me!
Height: Alto= 1475 ; Eon=1510
Width: Alto= 1490 ; Eon=1500
Length: Alto=3545 ; Eon=3515

From the above spec, how can someone say Eon is more compact when it is bigger in 2 out of 3 dimensions?

Alto K10 comes fitted with power steering, air conditioning and powered front windows, albeit on the top model. On the other hand, the Eon comes with everything the Alto K10 offers along with tilt steering, driver side airbag, stereo system with the front speakers, AUX and USB connectivity and keyless entry.

Alto gets air conditioning in all variants and power steering in all except the base variant unlike what is claimed above as only in top end. Except for the tilt steering, all features that he mentions as unique to Eon like driver airbag, keyless entry and stereo system with USB are actually present in VXi(O). This is serious misrepresentation of facts.

In a recent study, the Alto and Eon have failed the NCAP crash test with 0 stars

I'm not saying Eon would pass the crash test, but I don't think EON was tested. Only i10 was tested. Agreed that the lack of airbags would ensure 0 stars to Eon, but then the Honda City would also get the same rating and I don't think the author concluded that!

[p'arth]

Originally Posted by MadAbtCars

If you are comparing then K10 AMT to Celerio VXI AMT then the difference is around 60K, But Celerio has a LXI AMT as well which is priced at 4.14Lac (Ex-showroom Delhi).

Few days back when I inquired about Celerio LXI AMT at Varun Motors they told me that it is unofficially stopped due to lack of demand and not taking bookings. Most booking are for VXI AMT and people are interested in ZXI AMT based on the no. of inquiries.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Yet another cheap-&-made-out-of-tin-foil-with-no-regard-to-safety hatchback from the largest car seller in India!

Expect to see a gazillion bookings soon, with the mango people flocking the showrooms clutching their checkbooks, discussing about .0001% lower interest rates from the banks, and how the other dealer is throwing in a deity idol for free along with some mud flaps and a box of tissues.

Soon, in a years time, the manufacturer will release a so called Limited Edition with puke inducing graphics, boasting how millions of people have fallen in love with our tin can. It will have the same crappy plastic interior, in a different color, and some el-cheapo seat covers. Again, the mango folks will put down their money in exchange for some crappy ancient technology that isn't used anymore in the civilized world, in a car that is as well built as a box of cigarettes.

Typical.

Mango people ? What are you ? Lord Falkland ? There are people here who travel in the city all the time to go to work in this hectic life. They go in trains, buses and bikes. For them, this car is like GOD descended on the planet in disguise. Its got a little bit more power to have a little fun when they find a flyover empty or are standing first at a signal. Most of the times, these cars will see rarely north of 80. When I used to work for an organisation in Lower Parel, I don't think my car even saw 80 even once in a day while travelling from Ghatkopar. Same will be the case for most of us who buy this car and when we hardly take it for trips (hey, we are the mango people, we get maybe 28 days in a year as holiday, which obviously cant be taken all together), we know what we are getting into. You can buy a 1.6 Optra with ABS and Airbags for peanuts and be cool, we need our cars to give mileage too at our budget. 8 and 10 kmpl won't work for us.

People buying these cars are safer with their wives and kids in this than on a bike. And people bargain with a 0.25 % interest rate, not 0.0001%. A bank will reduce their interest rates by 0.0001% if u asked them to even without thinking for a nano second. Everyone of us bargains for a lower interest rate, what's wrong in that? No one asks for diety or a tissue box as a bargain, that we can buy on our own.

Yes, we may not be buying a Mercedes but for us whatever we buy is our Mercedes, airbag or not, ABS or NOT. Works for us, works for the thousands of Indians who will buy this car every month fulfilling some of their dreams and that is how Indians on a budget roll, problem ?

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by MHG

When you have a tight budget and need to buy a new car, there is always the Tata Nano. It is safer than a two wheeler and about as safe as alto Alto. If I am asked to pay more than double the price for the Alto k10 then it is well in my right to expect something substantially more in terms of safety kit.

So what makes you say that the Nano will be as safe as alto? The NCAP ratings? Because none offer Airbags?

[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by humyum

...Lord Falkland?

Mate, the fact that I bought a used car for peanuts should make things clear for you, if it didn't already.

No, I'm not Lord Falkland . If I was, I wouldn't have got a beat up old car in the first place.

Originally Posted by humyum

Works for us, works for the thousands of Indians who will buy this car every month fulfilling some of their dreams and that is how Indians on a budget roll, problem ?

No problem mate. And that's exactly why I ended my first post with the word: Typical . To each his own.

Nvm. My post has left a bitter aftertaste for many people here.

I don't intend to hurt anyone's sentiment, and if I've done so, I do apologize.

We've all bought our cars using our head & heart in the right place.

I just hope no one suffers just because some head honcho thinks it's OK to give safety a total miss.

[2000rpm]

On a different note, has anyone read about reliable reports for Safety ratings for Tata cars. Tata uses much thicker sheet metal and should fare better than Alto / K10 / Wagon R in case of a crash. Wanted to ask this as Indica is still a competitor in this segment.

[Aditya]

Mod Note: Please use this thread to discuss the Alto K10 only. For vehicle safety, we have other threads running.

Any more off-topic posts will be deleted.

[S2!!!]

One thing is certain, Maruti must be applauded for bringing AMT technology to the masses. If there is one company that can revolutionise the way India rolls, it is Maruti. A few years ago the masses would have never even dreamt of purchasing an automatic especially due to their high fuel consumption. Maruti came and pulled off the Celerio AMT brilliantly and all of a sudden AMT became the new buzz in the market. People have begun giving the AMT equipped cars some serious thought now. Talks are that the next gen Wagon R too might come with an AMT. Wow! Maruti is trying harder than merely offering silly, stickered limited edition cars every now and then to extend its product life cycle.

As far as the new Alto K10 is concerned, I'm not a fan of the way the it looks but the interiors seem like a pleasant surprise; they look fresh, modern and appealing. No comments on the quality though as I haven't seen them in person yet. I think for a very long time Alto K10 AMT will remain the most affordable and best selling small car available in the market.

If the sale of the brilliant Zest is anything to go by, the Nano AMT (when launched), with its lower price tag might still not be able to give the K10 AMT a tough competition. Sad but true!

[Hrishi_111]

I am kinda of started loving the front of this car, it's better than 'alto 800' and 'Eon' (looks are subjective, please don't start bashing )

I am sure many people were eagerly waiting for the launch since they are looking for the 'AMT' variant as their secondary car for better half/parents and in some cases as 'first' car for daily commute as well.

MSIL does not disappoint them by promising an automatic car around 4.5 Lakhs on road.

However the Celerio (Lxi AT & Vxi AT) started appearing VFM all of the sudden if compare the difference between price as well as space with AltoK10.
(This is not true feature-wise since Alto & Celerio AT's both remains poorly equipped.)

A person very tight on budget or clearly intending the car to use a daily office commute might go for Alto K10 AT, whereas majority might opt for Celerio itself.
Whatever may be the situation, MSIL has once again ensured that customer remains in their family itself.

Hope this forces other manufacturers to think of an automatic in the same segment.

[MadAbtCars]

Originally Posted by p'arth

Few days back when I inquired about Celerio LXI AMT at Varun Motors they told me that it is unofficially stopped due to lack of demand and not taking bookings. Most booking are for VXI AMT and people are interested in ZXI AMT based on the no. of inquiries.

Is it ? I will check with some dealers here in Mumbai about the same. Even if till date the Celerio AMT LXI had seen very less demand, I am wondering whether the demand will go up now given the small difference from the K10 AMT.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

One thing is certain, Maruti must be applauded for bringing AMT technology to the masses. If there is one company that can revolutionise the way India rolls, it is Maruti. A few years ago the masses would have never even dreamt of purchasing an automatic especially due to their high fuel consumption. Maruti came and pulled off the Celerio AMT brilliantly and all of a sudden AMT became the new buzz in the market. People have begun giving the AMT equipped cars some serious thought now. Talks are that the next gen Wagon R too might come with an AMT. Wow! Maruti is trying harder than merely offering silly, stickered limited edition cars every now and then to extend its product life cycle.

As far as the new Alto K10 is concerned, I'm not a fan of the way the it looks but the interiors seem like a pleasant surprise; they look fresh, modern and appealing. No comments on the quality though as I haven't seen them in person yet. I think for a very long time Alto K10 AMT will remain the most affordable and best selling small car available in the market.

If the sale of the brilliant Zest is anything to go by, the Nano AMT (when launched), with its lower price tag might still not be able to give the K10 AMT a tough competition. Sad but true!

I second all your comments. Maruti is redefining the automotive scene in India. I do not see the day very far where every other car is an Automatic.

I was also never a fan of the exterior looks of Alto and the new car fails to excite me either, but the interiors certainly looking fab. However I am reserving my comment till I actually see it in flesh. But even from the pics it looks way better than the previous generation model.

For your third comment about Nano AMT, Even though I am not able to see the co-relation, I just can't think of anything to contradict your statement about the fate of Nano.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Mate, the fact that I bought a used car for peanuts should make things clear for you, if it didn't already.

No, I'm not Lord Falkland . If I was, I wouldn't have got a beat up old car in the first place.



No problem mate. And that's exactly why I ended my first post with the word: Typical . To each his own.

Nvm. My post has left a bitter aftertaste for many people here.

I don't intend to hurt anyone's sentiment, and if I've done so, I do apologize.

We've all bought our cars using our head & heart in the right place.

I just hope no one suffers just because some head honcho thinks it's OK to give safety a total miss.

We need to understand one thing here, for thousands and lacs of people in India, traveling in a car itself is safe. Be it Nano, M800, Omni, or whatever. Those people are mainly used to travel on bikes with their family which include 1-2 kids as well (many times grown up kids as well). So traveling in a car which will not slip or skid in daily use on bad roads, wet roads etc when along with family itself make it much much safer for them. Most of the times these cars are used in within city limits only with speed not going beyond 40-50. I am not against safety features at all but the fact remains the same. Also do remember that owning a small car is still a dream in itself for most of the common, mango people in India.

[Knowall]

Originally Posted by Hrishi_111

I am kinda of started loving the front of this car, it's better than 'alto 800' and 'Eon' (looks are subjective, please don't start bashing )

I am sure many people were eagerly waiting for the launch since they are looking for the 'AMT' variant as their secondary car for better half/parents and in some cases as 'first' car for daily commute as well.

MSIL does not disappoint them by promising an automatic car around 4.5 Lakhs on road.

However the Celerio (Lxi AT & Vxi AT) started appearing VFM all of the sudden if compare the difference between price as well as space with AltoK10.
(This is not true feature-wise since Alto & Celerio AT's both remains poorly equipped.)

A person very tight on budget or clearly intending the car to use a daily office commute might go for Alto K10 AT, whereas majority might opt for Celerio itself.
Whatever may be the situation, MSIL has once again ensured that customer remains in their family itself.

Hope this forces other manufacturers to think of an automatic in the same segment.

I would come into this category... As a family we have 4 cars( Thar, I20, Spark, Matiz( Replaced with the new Alto K10 AMT).
Now when I started my search for a replacement for the Matiz, the sole purpose was to buy a 4th car for the family which would be high on mileage as my wife & Mom would use this for office instead of the Metro. I started with the Nano Twist cheapest with good mileage, but was only Rs 40000/- lesser than the A800 which I decided was the better car to buy 3 weeks ago.. until news came of the K10AMT with 24.03KMPL(ARAI)... Which now I have finally bought.

Was safety a concern...Yes...but Maruti did not give me an option of an Airbag in an AMT...and I wanted to have an AMT in the family as an option since it is primarily for city driving.

BTW..The white Alto AMT is 4k Cheaper than the launch price at Rs 3.76 Ex Delhi. The Maruti website has the pricelist updated.

I get my car tomorrow morning :-)

[RavenAvi]

Checked out the "all-new" Alto K-10 in the flesh earlier today. Checked out the VXI AMT and the VXI (O) trims. (no AMT option available in the VXI (O) trim)

First, the VXI (O):

Front.


Foglamps for the (O) variant.


Love me, love my chrome moustache!


Interiors.


Badging.


The rear.


Door-side beading, to further differentiate the (O).



Now, the VXI AMT:

AMT box same as the Celerio.


Badging.


Black door handles look ultra-cheap.


Black ORVMs as well.


Steel wheels on both trims. Neither get alloys.