Maruti Suzuki Alto

Maruti Suzuki Alto
Suzuki Alto 800 (Chile)
Overview
Manufacturer - Maruti Suzuki
Also called - Suzuki Alto
Production - 2000-present
Body and chassis
Class - City car (A)
Body style - 5-door hatchback
Layout - Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Chronology
Predecessor - Maruti 800

The Maruti Suzuki Alto is a city car manufactured and marketed by Suzuki through its subsidiary Maruti Suzuki primarily for the Indian market since 2000. The first-generation model was essentially the Indian version of the fifth-generation Suzuki Alto kei car (with larger engine options). The second generation was made as a standalone model, which was built on the same platform as the first generation. The third-generation model is built on the same underpinnings as the S-Presso.
Since 2006, the Alto has been India's best-selling car and crossed the 1 million production figure in February 2008 becoming the third Maruti model to cross the million mark in India after Maruti 800 and Maruti Omni and fourth overall joining Hyundai Santro.

First generation (RF; 2000)

First generation (RF)
2004 Suzuki Alto GL 1.1 (UK; pre-facelift)
Overview
Production - 2000-2014
Assembly - India: Manesar (Maruti Suzuki)
Body and chassis
Related - Suzuki Alto (HA12)
Powertrain
Engine - Petrol: 796 cc F8D I3 / 998 cc K10B I3 / 1061 cc F10D I4
Transmission - 5-speed manual / 3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase - 2,360 mm (92.9 in) 6
Length - 3,495 mm (137.6 in) / 3,620 mm (142.5 in) (K10)
Width - 1,475 mm (58.1 in) / 1,495 mm (58.9 in) (with body mouldings)
Height - 1,460 mm (57.5 in)
Curb weight - 740-820 kg (1,631-1,808 lb)

The first generation was launched to the local Indian market on 27 September 2000 although the Alto nameplate had been successfully used to export the Maruti Suzuki Zen to Europe from India since around 1994, having captured over 40% market share in Belgium and 33% in Netherlands by 1998. The original Alto 800 carries the RF308 chassis code while the three-cylinder K10 is RF310; the four-cylinder export version is RF410.
The Alto was seen as a natural successor to the time-tested and equally popular Maruti 800 (MB 308). It contained all the plus points that the 800 offered Indian car-buyers, in addition to features such as power-steering, power-assisted braking and a 5th gear that the 800 did not normally have. The popularity of the Alto has steadily increased over the past few years, mainly due to the aggressive pricing. This reduction in prices has mainly come in due to the reduction in excise duty over time. Alto became the first car in India to sell over 200,000 units in a single financial year, the last 100,000 units being sold in 5 months. Alto was also the only car to sell over 22,000 units in a single month. Maruti's vast network of dealerships and Maruti Authorized Service Centers (MASS) have also contributed towards this massive popularity in the Indian entry-level automobile market.
Alto K10 (RF310)
Maruti Suzuki India launched a new version of the first generation Alto in the Indian auto market in August 2010, the Alto K10. The new Maruti Alto K10 is equipped with the company's 1.0-litre, K-series DOHC inline-three petrol engine which also powered the Celerio and Wagon R, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The 998 cc (60.9 cu in) K10B engine delivers 68 PS (50 kW) of maximum power at 6200 rpm with 90 N.m (66 lb.ft; 9 kg.m) of maximum torque at 3200 rpm. The K10 has a redesigned front end, with more sculpted headlights. This spelled the end for the F10-engined model, while the F8-engined Alto was replaced by the all-new Alto 800 in late 2012. The Alto K10 remained in production until 2014.
Europe
This model, using the fuel injected 1061 cc F10D engine, entered the European market at the March 2002 Geneva Motor Show.[8] Being built in India by Maruti, it was only available with five doors, unlike earlier Maruti Zen-based Altos in Europe. Unlike in India, European model Alto was available with a 3-speed automatic transmission option. The car was discontinued in 2006.
Specifications
Until the late 2010 introduction of the K10 Alto, it was powered by a three-cylinder 796 cc (48.6 cu in) gasoline engine with four valves per cylinder, MPFI and a 32-bit ECM. All models have a five-speed manual transmission. There also used to be a VX/VXi model (RF410) with a four-cylinder 1061-cc engine with 63 PS (46 kW) and 85 N.m (9 kg.m; 63 lb.ft) torque, launched in April 2001. This has now been discontinued, although it was sold for longer in certain European countries. The VX model also featured a tachometer not found in lesser Altos.

Alto 800 (RF308):
Maximum Power: 47 PS (35 kW) at 6200 rpm
Torque: 62 N.m (46 lbf.ft) at 3000 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: approximately 20 seconds
Top Speed: 137 km/h (85 mph)
Alto 1.1 (RF410):
Maximum Power: 63 PS (46 kW) at 6000 rpm
Torque: 85 N.m (63 lbf.ft) at 3200 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: approximately 15 seconds
Top Speed: 155 km/h (96 mph) (manual) / 145 km/h (90 mph) (automatic)
Alto K10 (RF310):
Maximum Power: 68 PS (50 kW) at 6200 rpm
Torque: 90 N.m (66 lbf.ft) at 3200 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: approximately 13 seconds
Top Speed: approximately 160 km/h (99 mph)

Safety
The Indian-made K10 version in its most basic Latin American configuration with no airbags was crash tested by Latin NCAP in 2013. It received 0 stars for the adult occupant and 3 stars for child occupant. The car is not equipped with airbags, front seatbelts with pretensioner, ISOFIX or ABS.

2004 Suzuki Alto GL 1.1 (UK; pre-facelift)
2007 Suzuki Alto 800 GL (Chile; facelift)
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 (India; facelift)
2011 Suzuki Alto K10 DLX (Chile)
Dashboard of a 2008 Maruti Suzuki Alto

wikipedia.org (en)