[sharmanova]

- Maruti Alto K10 now gets 6 airbags as standard.
- Prices hiked by up to ₹16K. Now starts at ₹4.23L.
- 3-point seat belts for rear passengers also added.



Link

[vedantpatkar17]

Originally Posted by sharmanova

Attachment 2731009

- Maruti Alto K10 now gets 6 airbags as standard.

That’s actually unbelievable,Six airbags in an Alto was something we never expected. I hope they also update some of their other cars, like the Grand Vitara, XL6, Fronx, Baleno and Ertiga

[bijims]

Great News!, It looks like Maruti is planning to add 6 airbags as standard to its entire lineup, and the cars that don't get this are getting a model facelift, refresh or get axed. It seems the importance of safety even among budget-conscious buyers has been heard and Maruti is doing its best (even though a bit late) to cater to the customers' needs. The Dzire 5-star NCAP was the first step and I think with 6 airbags standard across the lineup and better safety ratings, Maruti is taking a big stride in getting back its 50% market share.

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by sharmanova

- Maruti Alto K10 now gets 6 airbags as standard.

So 6 airbags as standard in the cheapest car and 4 and 2 in flagship MPV and SUV? What is going on MS??!!

Anyway, this is actually surprising especially when even the cars in higher segment, such as the updated Tiago and "SUV" Punch from the safety saints doesn't offer 6 airbags even as an option on any variant including the top-spec! (Guess 10 inch touchscreen and trendy steering is more important than safety! )

Kudos to Maruti for taking the initiative! Public seems to be prioritizing safety and MSIL has rightfully woken up from the slumber. Hoping to see some good crash test results as well!

Also if @ron178 you see this, do you think Alto's GNCAP rating can be improved further with this update to 4 stars? Especially when their bodyshell was already rated stable unlike Tiago's unstable bodyshell?

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

.....

Also if @ron178 you see this, do you think Alto's GNCAP rating can be improved further with this update to 4 stars? Especially when their bodyshell was already rated stable unlike Tiago's unstable bodyshell?

The Alto is built on the K platform that Japanese Kei cars of Suzuki are based on. Scalability in terms of safety is definitely possible. After all, the Japanese Alto does score 4 stars. Structurally, there would have to be some changes as well as in the Driver / Passenger Airbags. In worst case, some changes in pedal area too could be required. A 3 star would be definitely achievable without much fuss. 4 star would require a lot of work, in my opinion.

But, there would be some costs associated with it as well, which could deter Suzuki from further changes to an already shrinking sales segment.

[ron178]

A reminder that 9 years ago BHPians were celebrating the left mirror becoming standard on the Alto.

Am I crazy for thinking the Alto is now a good fit for this thread (Cars | What is the price-point of diminishing returns?)? I actually can't think of a car I want more than this.

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Also if @ron178 you see this, do you think Alto's GNCAP rating can be improved further with this update to 4 stars?

Originally Posted by Carma2017

In worst case, some changes in pedal area too could be required. A 3 star would be definitely achievable without much fuss. 4 star would require a lot of work, in my opinion.

Maruti can unethically get it to 4 stars by exploiting a loophole (Global NCAP's absurd loophole) and engineering to keep the side impact score low enough to be somewhat similar to the frontal impact score but still managing to stay above the 4-star threshold.

By my calculation any side impact score between 11.8 and 13.8 points (and no 'brown' part) will fetch *cough, cough* "4 stars" while anything above that will be 3-star.

With only 8.2 points in the frontal impact, if the Alto ends up earning more than 13.8 points in the side impact thanks to the airbags, even though its total score will be comfortably above the 4-star threshold, it would still be a 3 star car because GNCAP penalises imbalance in front and side scores (i.e., difference > 5.6 points) by taking away a star.

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Especially when their bodyshell was already rated stable unlike Tiago's unstable bodyshell?

That is just a stereotype caused by a misunderstanding about the meaning of the so-called "stable bodyshell". In the frontal impact test the Alto's pedals were displaced rearwards and upwards moderately. And I am not sure why, but the driver's right knee protection was unusually compromised as well.

[IshaanIan]

Maruti was saying something about how higher grade steel is finally being used in their DZire making it safer than previous Heartect attempts. I wonder if this higher grade steel is also percolating its way across their entire line up as that would be even better news than the added airbags. For all we know Maruti folks may have just realised that lot of first time car buyers own marutis and lot of first time car owners have accidents. This might just be a ploy to increase their revenues through inflated insurance bills.

Originally Posted by ron178

I actually can't think of a car I want more than this.

I cannot agree more. I have been thinking long and hard about getting one myself because with the advent of the latest WagonR and the passing of the Datsun brand, Alto is the only car remaining in our market that adheres to KEI car width restrictions and that makes navigating our increasingly dense roads, a breeze. Who needs an elaborate centre console and partition between driver and co-driver when they can get to maintain a higher average pace than every other 4 wheeler on the roads only thing I don’t like about it is the mix between old school zen/alto-esque low slung seating and tall boy construction. I hate when a practical approachable car is ruined by an unnecessarily high waistline. this is the only reason I feel that many first time car owners these days are going for SUVs over altos since they find the high dashboard and waistline too imposing when navigating obstacles. No longer being able to extract the full potential of an Alto’s small footprint means that they probably give in and go for a larger SUV under the pretext of being able to offer everyone in the family a comfy ride atleast.

[antz.bin]

Great Job MSIL! First the Celerio, then the Alto!

Addition of 6 airbags as standard increased the price of the Alto by a princely sum of Rs.16000. Rs.3500 (or 28%) out of this 16k goes to the govt as GST. The annual increment in car prices due to *increase in input costs* sometimes is more than this amount.

To think that less than 3 years ago, RC Bhargava was unsure that 6 Airbags will even fit in these small cars.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...-bhargava.html (Don’t know if 6 airbags will fit in small cars: RC Bhargava)

Some more gems from this gentleman

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...as-mantra.html

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...tatements.html

[GTO]

A mere Rs. 16,000 price hike shows just how cheap airbags have become now. All cars on sale in India should adopt 6 airbags on the pronto.

[sumeethaldankar]

Awesome news. Maruti who once knew the pulse of the automotive nation finally sensed that people are willing to buy desi manufactured cars even when they are compromised on reliability and poor after sales leading them to eat into their market share just for the sake of safety. It is going to get interesting from here MSIL to see if they can claw back their lost market share.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

only thing I don’t like about it is the mix between old school zen/alto-esque low slung seating and tall boy construction. I hate when a practical approachable car is ruined by an unnecessarily high waistline. .... going for SUVs over altos since they find the high dashboard and waistline too imposing when navigating obstacles.

True. The first time I sat and drove the new Alto it felt weird. The seating was set high, the beltline was high, but all the controls felt like it was designed for a low slung car especially the gearlever. The Alto and Spresso feels so similar that it is like. "if you want to see the bonnet while driving buy the Spresso, if you don't want to see the bonnet while driving, buy the Alto" With the older Alto, you only had difficulty in ingress/egress. Once you are seated, the visibility all round is good. Now ingress/egress is super easy, but driving position has taken a hit

[Doge]

Originally Posted by bijims

Great News!, It looks like Maruti is planning to add 6 airbags as standard to its entire lineup, and the cars that don't get this are getting a model facelift, refresh or get axed. It seems the importance of safety even among budget-conscious buyers has been heard and Maruti is doing its best (even though a bit late) to cater to the customers' needs. The Dzire 5-star NCAP was the first step and I think with 6 airbags standard across the lineup and better safety ratings, Maruti is taking a big stride in getting back its 50% market share.

Maruti had actually worked on equipping all their cars, including the Eeco, with six airbags years ago in anticipation of the government mandate, which was eventually canceled.
I have even seen a version of the Bolero (?!) getting the six airbags treatment, which I suppose was scrapped after the mandate was called off.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by GTO

A mere Rs. 16,000 price hike shows just how cheap airbags have become now. All cars on sale in India should adopt 6 airbags on the pronto.

That's damn right. As I have also said earlier, 6 airbags should no longer be a matter of debate or differentiated offering. The other things that should be standard are
1) power windows
2) rear wiper/washer for hatch/MUV/SUVs
3) all-seat adjustable neck restraints.

There is more in terms of value to be offered in other aspects. Powerplant/performance is one consideration, steel vs alloy wheels, ICE, standard AC vs Climate control, for instance are others.

[ItsMeTheCarBoi]

What a shocker

Imagine how far the Indian automotive industry has come, the Alto comes with 6 airbags now! Just a few years ago, we were so happy with a driver airbag and LHS mirror!

Now all cars will be forced to have 6 airbags, now that the 2nd cheapest car in India has it!

God bless competition .

P.S. Maruti can you blacken the B-pillars and body color the wing mirrors? It will look SOOO much better! The Alto is really all the car you need.

BTW, if ESC ( or is it ESP?) is added, can we expect the Alto to score 4 stars? As 6 airbags add 1 star and ESC yet 1 more star?

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by ItsMeTheCarBoi

BTW, if ESC ( or is it ESP?) is added, can we expect the Alto to score 4 stars? As 6 airbags add 1 star and ESC yet 1 more star?

ESP is already a standard fitment in all maruti cars since some time.
One more thing, maruti could have done, providing Rear seat adjustable headrest or lengthening rear headrest for better whiplash protection.
Btw what is Luggage Retention Crossbar which is also added in this update. Is it the steel plate which is fixed behind rear seat back to prevent luggage intrusion in case of rear shunt?