Maruti Suzuki, which is a leading car manufacturing company, has set its roots in the Indian market from the very past and has been able to conquer the market for a long time. This company basically came up with an idea of offering economical cars to the Indian masses, which came into shape with the launch of the Maruti Alto. This car is mainly popular due to its budgetary pricing and phenomenal fuel economy, which is around 20.2 kmpl.
Targeting the middle class group of Indian society, this care turned out to be the best selling car in the market. The car is appreciated for its efficient performance, fuel economy and stylish designing. Priced around Rs.2.8 lac, this car comes within the budget of most of the families. After the launch and success of Maruti Alto, several companies launched cars in this segment. This included the likes of Chevrolet Beat, Hyundai i10, TATA Indica Vista and many more.
Chevrolet Beat, renowned for its expressive design and spirited performance, was launched as a competitor to Alto. Beat was launched in all fuel variants, namely Petrol, Diesel, LPG and Electric. This car possessed various features, including integrated control panel and Advanced Smart Tech technology. Beat has a leading edge in the performance and fuel efficiency, but pricing of this car was structured between Rs.3.5 lac and Rs.5.45 lac, which was quite high if compared to the price of Alto.
Another competition to Maruti Alto was Hyundai i10, which was launched by the second largest car maker in India, the Hyundai Motor India. Powered by Kappa engine that uses an aluminium cylinder block, this car excels in its performance. This car is priced between Rs.3.39 lac and Rs.3.98 lac, which is again higher than Alto. TATA also launched its all new TATA Indica Vista, which was certainly very good news for the car lovers.
Empowered by Eurotech gearbox teamed up with the Vista Drivetech4 Quadrajet diesel and Safire petrol engine, this car was expected to set automotive industry in India on fire. However, this car also got priced more than the Maruti Suzuki Alto, near about Rs.3.8 lac to Rs.5.9 lac. Hyundai Santro Xing, one of the most popular hatchbacks in India, proved the biggest competitor of Maruti Alto. Powered by 1.1 litres, SOHC, 4 cylinder, 1086cc, petrol engine, this car was known for great power and mileage. The price of this car was structured between Rs.2.8 lac and Rs4 lac, almost similar to Alto.
Renowned for advanced MPFI engine that generates maximum power of 70 PS at 4800 rpm and maximum torque of 12.4 kgm at 2600 rpm, Tata Indica V2 Xeta also gave tough competition to Maruti Alto. With standard features like leather seats and power steering, this car was priced between Rs.3 lac and Rs.3.6 lac, which was again higher than Maruti Alto.
The only small car, which was able to beat Maruti Alto in terms of price, was Tata Nano, world’s cheapest car. This car was priced between range of Rs.1.2 lac and Rs.2 lac, which was much less than Maruti Alto. However, Maruti Alto won over it in terms of power and mileage.
