Alto becomes second Maruti to drive past 25-lakh mark

Maruti Suzuki India, the largest carmaker in the country, has reached a new milestone with the Alto hatchback having sold over 25 lakh units. It becomes the second car from the company, after the Maruti 800, to notch this achievement.

The Alto was launched in 2000 with an 800cc engine. A 64bhp 1.1-litre petrol motor was introduced in 2001 but discontinued in 2004. In 2010, the Alto K10 was introduced. Maruti carried out some styling changes on the new version and equipped it with a 67bhp, three-cylinder, 1.0-litre engine. In 2012, the first-genration Alto was replaced by the Alto 800, which had new bodywork done and got refreshed interiors as well. The company also claimed to have worked on the 800cc engine to make it more frugal. An CNG version of the car is also on offer.

Other than the domestic market where it has been raking in the numbers, the Alto is also exported to some global markets. The carmaker's export figures for the Alto stands at 285,000 units.

Maruti is looking to build on this success and there are reports of a facelift for the Alto 800 taking shape.