When the Alto started to outsell the Maruti 800, it was pretty obvious that Maruti Suzuki has moved on from the 800 era and Alto is the new entry level car from the automaker’s stable.
The company didn’t even bother to update the engine to BS4 norms so it was out of the metros for sure. Sales started to decline and Alto became the new hot favorite for first time car owners. Most of us were convinced that the 800 is long gone. But Maruti Suzuki was thinking otherwise.
TheHindu reports that Maruti Suzuki is charting up plans to replace the Maruti 800 as early as the end of this year. A brand new replacement model is currently being worked up to revive the 800’s fortunes. The new car will be based on an existing platform and will use the same F8D engine that the entry level Alto uses. But it will have a new design with no resemblance with the old 800. This all-new 800 will be priced between Rs 2.5-3.5 lakh range. The key USPs will be fuel efficiency and low maintenance.
Our sources tell us this car could be codenamed YE3 and sport a tall boy design.
The market has definitely moved on from the 800 era. Currently, the Hyundai EON, Tata Nano and Chevrolet Spark are hot favorites of the first time buyers. Nissan is planning to revive the Datsun brand and their first car is also expected to be an entry level hatchback. More importantly, people are shifting away from petrol to diesel cars because of rising fuel prices.
[Source: thehindubusinessline.com]
