November 16, 2012: The new Maruti Alto 800 has received 43,000 bookings till date since its launch on October 16 with about half the number expected to have been delivered to customers so far.

While Diwali sales figures are yet to be compiled by the company, Maruti Suzuki India sold about 10,000 units of all its models on Dhanteras day (November 11), of which about 2,000 units were of the Alto. This day kicks off the start of the Diwali season with maximum sales of both two-wheelers and four-wheelers having been witnessed by all OEMs.

While the Alto 800 is being manufactured at all three production units in Gurgaon with the production capacity pegged at 25,000 to 30,000 units per month, company officials say that the carmaker is facing some constraints in terms of meeting the rising demand for the new model. However, the compact hatchback does not have a waiting period so far and is garnering customers both in rural and urban centres.

While the Alto 800 has received bookings across India, some of the key cities where it has been popularly received are Kerala, Guwahati and Punjab. In fact, Maruti saw two major deliveries of 200 units and 111 units by separate dealerships in Kerala on two separate days in October and November respectively.

SHOBHA MATHUR