Maruti Alto 800 is going to be discontinued from July 2019 because of its inability to meet upcoming crash test norms and the emission norms as well. Alto 800 is one of the oldest serving models from Maruti.
Maruti Alto was first launched in India in 2000. It was a premium alternative to the popular hatchback Maruti 800. While 800 was a bit boxy and sharp, Alto was curvy and a bit bigger with some more features onboard. These two hatchbacks were quite popular at their prime time.
In 2010, Maruti 800 was discontinued because of its inability to match up with the upcoming latest upgrades. Now, rests the same case for Maruti Alto 800. The entry-level hatchback will be discontinued from July 2019.
Maruti Alto comes in 800cc and 1000cc options. Alto 800 will be discontinued along with Maruti Suzuki Omni, because of its inability to meet up with the upcoming norms. It cannot be upgraded to the upcoming emission norms and the upcoming safety norms as well.
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Maruti Suzuki states that the 796cc engine used in Alto and Omni cannot be upgraded to BS-6 norms. Rest all of the engines will be upgraded to BS-6 norms.
Maruti Suzuki states that it is tough to upgrade Alto 800 to the upcoming safety norms. Maruti Alto 800 was made when there were no safety regulations in practice. For it to match up the safety norms, Maruti will have to build the hatchback right from basics. The cost of upgrading is high and will take a lot of time.
Since Maruti Alto 800 is an A-Segment hatchback, its size should be lower than 3.6-metres in length. In such small size, crumple zones and absorbing zones are tough to fit in.
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For the upcoming emission norms, the petrol engines must have a catalyst reduction exhaust treatment system, which cannot fit in a car so small.
Maruti Alto was drawing a respectable sales figure in the entry-level hatchback segment, where it competed with Datsun RediGo and Renault Kwid. However, it has to make an exit in this segment.
There are rumours of Eeco going down the drain too. However, Eeco garners a huge demand in the van segment, which makes it difficult to stop. Maruti might redesign the Eeco to meet up the safety norms and emission norms as well.
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Maruti Alto 800 comes with a 796cc engine that produces 49 BHP and 69 Nm of peak torque. The engine comes with petrol and CNG fuel options. The prices of Alto 800 start off at Rs 2.56 Lakhs going up to Rs 3.83 Lakhs (ex-showroom prices).
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