Maruthi Suzuki India (MSI) is all set to roll out its new 800CC model by the end of this year which will have advanced technology and likely to be costlier than their smallest and best selling model Alto.
The new model is expected to be fuel efficient and technically more advanced than its previous two 800CC models.
"Although this will be a 800cc car, technologically it will be more advanced than the existing two 800cc models. It'll be more fuel efficient, and hence will also be more expensive than M800 and Alto," Indian news agency Press Trust of India quoted a source as saying.
The company has reportedly started running trials of the car and the commercial production will begin at its manufacturing facility in Gurgaon either in July or August after the week-long annual maintenance shut-down that ends on July 1.The new model is likely to get launched by diwali.
A report in livemint.com has given some details about the look of the car. The car is reportedly a mixture of Maruti Suzuki's A-star and Alto models. While the front-end looks like A-star, the rear looks like an Alto.
"The new car has been designed very carefully, keeping in mind the competition and requirements of customers in that segment," a top company official, requesting anonymity, told livemint.com.
MSI has been losing customers following the rise in demand for Diesel cars due to hike in petrol prices. The company's majority of the cars are run on petrol which has affected their sales.
According to the company's official website, Alto's sales have crossed the 2 million mark; however in recent times, the car sales is said to have dropped owing to high interest rates and petrol costs.
The company has reportedly stopped production of some of their models for three days last month to avoid stock accumulation.
MSI hasn't upgraded its Alto 800cc which was introduced in 2000. The latest version of Alto 1000cc known as K10 was introduced in 2010. Competing against it, Hyundai Motor India launched its low-cost hatchback model Eon in 2011. MSI's new model is expected to compete against Hyundai's Eon.
