[Vikram Arya]

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This was bound to happen in view of the impending Emissions and Safety norms coming into effect in late 2019.

Question is what Maruti Suzuki is going to replace it with. Alto I believe was a major volume seller for them and I’m sure they have an ace up their sleeves which they would reveal sometime in 2019.

So what other models under various brands are going to get an axe because of the new norms?

[CoolFire]

Though lower priced, Alto 800 and Omni were important for Maruti. Stopping them will indeed make Maruti weaker. Competition can get a small foothold now, atleast to merely survive the Maruti onslaught.

Good for consumers as these inferior cars will make way for safer ones, both from Maruti and others.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Question is what Maruti Suzuki is going to replace it with. Alto I believe was a major volume seller for them and I’m sure they have an ace up their sleeves which they would reveal sometime in 2019.

Maruti had started working on the new Alto couple of years ago. This should be ready and they would be targeting to replace the current alto with this new model next year.

[rajshenoy]

They already have the K10 engine which might get carried forward. Coming to entry level segment, Suzuki is a pioneer of small capacity petrol engines so should not be a big deal for them.

However the Alto/Omni platform may not meet the future safety requirements and that could be the main reason why they are working on newer concepts

[Thermodynamics]

2018 has been an overhaul for Maruti Suzuki Portfolio. May be it is a right time, considering the upcoming BS VI norms, safety regulations and the paradigm shift towards EVs.

So the stage is being set to welcome "Future S", the new ZEN.

(Reference). It is supposed to be Designed keeping EV option in mind.

[Rshrey22]

I think this will be the replacement for the outgoing model but I don't think MS will be plonking the 660cc turbo engine in it for India. The F8D was already heavily reworked in the current model, what else will they do to abide with the emission norms?

[longhorn]

On the contrary, it should be the 660cc turbo engine that would be replacing the F8D. So far the problem was they could not manufacture the 660 cc motor at a lower cost than the F8D motor. Now with the F8D out of the way and the stated 30+ kmpl FE being targeted, the new Alto will most likely with be launched with this motor. The expectation is that prices will go up by 30-50 k keeping in mind the new motor as well as the new safety norms.

[Rshrey22]

Originally Posted by longhorn

On the contrary, it should be the 660cc turbo engine that would be replacing the F8D. So far the problem was they could not manufacture the 660 cc motor at a lower cost than the F8D motor. Now with the F8D out of the way and the stated 30+ kmpl FE being targeted, the new Alto will most likely with be launched with this motor. The expectation is that prices will go up by 30-50 k keeping in mind the new motor as well as the new safety norms.

Smaller motor + more power + boosted +Indian driving conditions = Unreliable and breakdown prone!

[sharktale]

Originally Posted by CoolFire

Though lower priced, Alto 800 and Omni were important for Maruti.

If not 800, the Omni is a super important car in the urban Indian landscape, though the safety features are NIL at best.

Just an hour ago, while coming back home, there was choc-a-bloc traffic near my home. An Omni ambulance just squeezed through the gaps of the guardrail and the last column of traffic, which even Auto-rickshaws would be scared of venturing into. It definitely could be the difference between life and death.
I was wondering then, if it was a Sumo/Traveller ambulance, it would have been stuck 500m back in the traffic with its' sirens blaring, since India does not have proper enforcement nor adequate space for 'giving way to emergency vehicles'.

The 800 was a quintessential family car in the 90s. It solved the lack of proper public transport then, most definitely in the urban sphere. With the advent of comfortable Uber/Ola, the travelling preferences have shifted and the point of buying a 4 wheeler(barebones & unsafe car) does not sound very prospective both for MS and the customer.

I wish MS puts some research into developing an India friendly Omni which can pass the upcoming standards. It still does not have any direct competition even after 30+ years of service.

[R-Six]

Maruti dishes out an average 20K Altos a month and it one of the most selling products from their range as per the September 2018: Indian Car Sales Figures & Analysis thread. I know those numbers include both the K10 series as well as the 800cc one so not sure what the actual impact on the numbers is going to be.

That said and done, it is high time that Maruti focuses a little more on the safety aspect even on the entry-level hatchbacks. With the improved infrastructure and better road connectivity, more and more people are venturing out on road trips than ever before irrespective of the rides they have. So if they decided to pull the plug on this one as they have no intention to improve and meet the upcoming safety norms, I’d say it is a welcome move for the consumer.

It will be really interesting to see how Maruti is going to fill this void in the future though? Will they realign the pricing of K10 series or will they bring a new model with the 800cc engine?

[sharninder]

I've always why can't Maruti plonk an electric motor in the 800. Or the Zen Estilo. If any, those two must be the simplest because of their inherently simple design and light weight. If any manufacturer can do this in India, it has to be Maruti. Only when a major manufacturer gets a few thousand EVs out there will a real ecosystem form around EVs. Please Maruti, do it!

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

... But it's not worth investing in a facelift when the crash test norms are expected to cover all cars very soon. And the K10 + 800 will be replaced with something safer. It may or may not carry the Alto name forward.

While the Alto name has a strong brand recall, it's still considered an entry-level model. Maruti is looking to move up the food chain. Giving up the Alto name will help. Possibly the Crosshiker can replace the Alto and become the new entry-level model as it can very well challenge the new Santro.

The longer WagonR we've been seeing could be the affordable alternative for 7-seater buyers as the Ertiga has moved up a notch and left some room down below. It could also serve as an alternative for the EECO buyers once that goes out of production for not meeting the safety requirements.

Am I right or am I right?

I'm eager to find out if the Alto name stays or gets replaced with something else. My guess is, Maruti will choose something that starts with 'ALT' to retain the Alto family name. E.g. Altab

[GTO]

Important Notes:

1. The source has removed the article.

2. I received a call from Maruti's communications team last evening saying that the news is untrue. HOWEVER, I asked them to drop me an email confirmation of the same, but that hasn't been received yet. So I don't frankly know whether the news is true or not.

If you ask me for my personal opinion, I think Maruti could upgrade the Alto 800 to meet the new norms, considering the importance of the car.

[Pam81]

I do not think they dare to discontinue F8D. It's almost free to produce in their books. The tools, trained workforce on assembly and so on.

Still there's no entry level car that beats ALTO 800 on kmpl. With rising gasoline prices and electric vehicle uncertainty in rural markets, they would lose big time if they stop it. If they do, it will only make it even more easier for other manufacturers since they do not have a ready product that takes ALTO 800 head on but a little higher price bracket. No one knows better than MSIL on the marketing which is obvious reflection on their market share.

It will be interesting if they decide to use 660cc engine. However, even with the Volume, Turbocharger must result in some price increase. Owing to small displacement volume, main operating conditions of 660cc engine probably in loaded zone all the time which makes it easy prey for upcoming tighter emission controls in RDE (2023) where in GPF (like DPF) for Direct Injected engine would be needed to comply though enforcement is still a million $$ question for India.

[sarthakgupta]

There are two problems with Alto platform:

1. The F-series engine is not BS6 compliant (newer K series is - being already available in Europe).
2. The body structure is not crash compliant (Celerio being the global Alto replacement.

Therefore, they have to heavily rework the body which may push up its prices to all new Santro or say Ignis levels.

Also, Maruti has stated:

Maruti Suzuki has made public that the S-Cross, Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Dzire, Swift, Ignis and Celerio models already meet the future frontal, off-set-frontal, side impact and pedestrian crash norms.

As for the other models, the carmaker has stated that ‘the rest of the models will be compliant to the crash norms ahead of the regulatory timelines.’ Given that the next-gen WagonR is in the works and replacements for the Alto K10 and Alto 800 are also in development, Maruti’s disclosure puts a question mark on the future of the remaining three models – namely the Omni, Eeco and Gypsy

The Indian auto lobby has been able to dilute the crash norms from original 64 KMPH to 56 KMPH already.

Link to quote source