India’s top notch car maker Maruti Suzuki is on the verge of upgrading its high selling Alto [images] with 1000cc engine from K-series. The move is Maruti’s strategy to go along with the latest technology for its prime models. With this change, the compact Alto will get a refined version with a 1-lit petrol engine derived from K-series. The Chairman of the company told that the move has been in the air for quite some time since the Maruti-800 turned Alto needs some face lifting. He did not specify the period of the launch nor the exact engine from K-series.
Currently Maruti fits two variants of the K-series engine – 998cc three cylinder, K10B found in A-Star [images], Estilo [images], and the refined WagonR [images]. The other, 1.2 lit 4-cylinder K12M petrol engine is fit in Ritz [images], Swift [images] and Swift Dzire [images]. In abeyance to the BS IV norms, the company introduced the engine with 800cc F-series engine. The need has thus come for the company to go in for 1000cc engine for this Alto and quite naturally the cost will differ between these two variants- existing Alto costs Rs2.29 lakhs and Rs2.8 lakhs.
Alto sells like hot cakes and Maruti has done a tremendous job in introducing the car in the small car segment- 20000 average units a month taking the net total to 13.5 lakhs since September 2000. This is Martui’s another milestone in addition to rolling out of 3lakh K-series engine since it has the capacity of 10 lakh units a year. K-series engine comprises 2.5 lakh from the total engine output of Maruti.