Next-gen Maruti Alto to have a smaller engine -SCOOP

Maruti Suzuki is working on the next-generation Alto for the Indian car market. As a new R&D centre is being set-up in India, Maruti Suzuki is likely to develop the car in India itself. The design and majority of the testing for the new Alto will happen in India and Japan. The new Alto should be launched in 2018, and it will also get the downsized engines. Suzuki is downsizing its engines and it had recently introduced the 1.0-litre BoosterJet (turbo petrol) to replace its bigger engines in the future.

The new Alto will be powered by the 796cc petrol engine (which has been powering the Maruti 800, Alto and even the Omni) and the second engine will be the 658cc engine, which is likely to be turbocharged. Expect the 800cc diesel also to make its way in the Alto, though there is no clarity on that. This will then replace the K10 in the Alto and produce sufficient power. The Alto is the highest selling car in the country and Maruti Suzuki has introduced AMT on the K10. In the coming few months, even the Alto 800 will be getting an AMT, as Magneti Mirelli is working on increasing its current production.

India will be a major export hub for Suzuki, as even the YRA (premium hatchback bigger than Swift) and iM-4 (compact SUV) will be manufactured in India and exported to the European market. The Gujarat plant should be ready by mid-2016 and that will make it easier for the company to export to Europe.