In the last one month or so, we have written twice about Maruti Suzuki’s obsession with special edition cars. The company has once again given us the reason to write about the same. First came the Wagon R Madhavan Siganture Edition, then the Alto K10 musiK edition, and now Maruti has launched the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Anniversary Edition.
This launch though seems a bit more understandable, the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 was launched one year ago. The launch coincides with the start of the festive season in India, and Maruti hopes to attract a fair amount of customers to the Alto 800.
Price
The Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Anniversary Edition is priced at Rs 3.12 Lakh (ex showroom Delhi). It costs about Rs 4,382 more than the Alto 800 LXI on which it is based.
What’s New?
It’s a purely cosmetic upgrade and you get the usual stuff, paint, stickers and badges. You can check out changes in the photo posted above, these include new body graphics, door trims, blackened B-pillar, body coloured ORVM and body side mouldings. On the inside you get an improved and convenient rear parcel tray, new music system (optional) and a new seat fabric. The company has also added a new paint option: Purple Haze.
Since there is no change in the mechanical department, you will get the same 0.8-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 5-speed transmission. The engine produces a maximum power of 47 BHP at 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 69 N-m at 3500rpm. The engine, might seem underpowered on paper but is pretty peppy in real life.
Considering the festive season in mind, this strategy of selling old wine in a new bottle may work well for Maruti Suzuki specially in case of Alto 800 which has been picked up by more than 2 lakh customer since its launch and is still serving as a cash cow for the company. However, it will be interesting to see if India’s largest car maker can sustain with this strategy in the mid to long term.
What do you think of the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Anniversary Edition? Let us know in the comments section below.
