[wheelguy]

The hatchback is equipped with a 17.8cm touchscreen infotainment system with SmartPlay Studio and Android Auto, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD etc. alongwith aero edge design and dual-tone interior theme.

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki has introduced a new trim for the Alto 800, the VXI+, at a price tag of Rs 380,209 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The hatchback comes equipped with a 17.8cm touchscreen infotainment system with SmartPlay Studio and Android Auto, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD etc. Also, it gets aero edge design and dual-tone interior theme claims the automaker.

Commenting on the launch of the new trim, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, "At Maruti Suzuki, We have always strived to delight the first time car buyers with aspirational and modern features. In fact, 38-lakh strong Alto customers are a testament to people appreciating the timely upgrades and newness in the brand."

He also said, "The new Alto VXI+ with the Smart play Studio is tailor-made to offer a unique technology-driven experience to our customers. Alto VXI+ also carries forward the legacy of the Alto which is India’s best-selling car for 15 consecutive years. We thank our customers for their continued faith and trust."

The Alto VXI+ comes with a BS-VI emission norms compliant engine that delivers 22.05 kmpl of mileage.

Source: ET Auto

[GTO]

Really got to hand it to auto marketeers. They will do anything to add colour to the press release, even going so far as to change the accepted unit of measurement. While the world refers to touchscreen sizes in inches, here comes Maruti announcing a 17.8 centimeter touchscreen , just to make it sound big.

Thread title edited .

[vigsom]

^^ True; this started long long ago when x.99 was used instead of the next whole number to make the product pricing look attractive.

One must do everything to ensure the product sells; therefore the marketing folks are forgiven for this.

On a slightly different note, touchscreen isn't the best interface for a car entertainment system since the unit needs to work in sub-optimal conditions eg. extremes of temperatures and humidity. The regular buttons are better.

I have known of several Honda Citys with

1.entertainment systems working with a mind of their own and
2.cracked AC touchscreens .

My own Kenwood misbehaved during the heavy rains 3 months back and has returned to normal only now.

And we now have this Tesla type unit which has everything in it; shudder to think of what controls one would lose if the touchscreen misbehaves.

[Reinhard]

Wow. The people's car at the initial end of the car spectrum now has a full blown touch screen system with Android Auto / Apple CarPlay. On the other end we still have cars over 10 Lakhs that have first 1 or 2 trim levels without these features. Quite a nasty time for car feature decision making teams this.

Person 1: I'm buying a Harrier XE/Altroz XM
P1's Friend: Hey, that doesn't get Android Auto/Apple Car Play man!
Person 1: So? What's the big deal?
P1's Friend: Come one man! Look around, even an Alto gets those features!!
Person 1: Alright, where's the nearest KIA/MG/Hyundai showroom? Or maybe I'll look for the Baleno/Brezza!
(This is a very realistic possible conversation. Large screens & tablets are selling more than engine sizes as we read this!)

Originally Posted by vigsom

And we now have this Tesla type unit which has everything in it; shudder to think of what controls one would lose if the touchscreen misbehaves.

Well the smart play system has absolutely nothing like a Tesla. It has just basic functions for telephony, maps, music/video play. Since the Alto doesn't have ACC, AC controls are still manual dials and not on the touch screen. Even if the system goes kaput, the car's functioning stands to be unharmed.

If one wants good on-board navigation, there is no alternative to touchscreen sadly.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by vigsom

And we now have this Tesla type unit which has everything in it; shudder to think of what controls one would lose if the touchscreen misbehaves.

Just to clarify, the Tesla type unit that I referred to were the ones on the Hector and the several aftermarket ones for big boys like the Fortuner; off topic, but still wanted to make an observation.