World Exclusive: Maruti Suzuki Alto and 800 replacement caught on test!

Back at the Auto Expo in January, Shinzo Nakanishi, MD of Maruti Suzuki, confirmed that it was high time that the ageing Maruti Suzuki 800 and the Alto be replaced by a product that is new and more contemporary. After he passed this statement, speculations followed that the replacement vehicle would be the Suzuki Cervo, or some other re-badged Suzuki small car or may be a completely new model. Well, its time to put all the speculations to rest, for what we have here are the exclusive images of the model that will replace the Maruti Suzuki Alto and 800!

It will be a new vehicle alright, but with a new design philosophy as well. At the back you see a new shape and design for the taillights which is quite different from the current crop of Maruti Suzuki cars. In fact, it looks a lot like the i20’s tallights with its swept-back design. The boot-lid too is conventional and not like the stubby ones you see on the A-star or the Swift. The car snagged is the base variant with a blurry ‘LXi’ badging visible in the bottom right corner of the boot-lid. 

The front end of the vehicle is the money shot here as it shows the new design philosophy. Maruti Suzuki has gone the Hyundai and Ford way with a prominent hexagonal air-dam upfront. The grille is tiny with a single chrome slat and the prominent ‘S’ emblem (Suzuki) in the centre. The headlights too are like none other in the Maruti Suzuki camp, but seem to be inspired by the Ford Figo’s design! We particularly like the winglets on the front bumper and the prominent creases on the bonnet. 

The side profile is typical Maruti Suzuki, but we appreciate the flared wheel arches and bolstered shoulder-line. It flows cleanly into the taillights, while adding some muscle to the overall design. The windows are large, though they follow design lines that are similar to the A-star. The LXi version seen here has smart looking wheel-caps – but these too look inspired from the Figo’s. The roofline is slightly taller than the current Alto but not tall enough to call this vehicle a tall-boy hatch.

The vehicle will be powered by a 800cc engine. It is expected to be a new engine altogether which is compliant with newer emission norms. We still have no dope on exactly what this vehicle will be called, but stay tuned to OnCars for all the information on the Maruti Suzuki Alto / 800 replacement.

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