2019 Maruti Suzuki Alto CNG launched in India

The Indian market will get the BS6 implementation from April 2020. Before that, Maruti Suzuki is busy updating their current range of vehicles with the upcoming emission norms. Earlier this year, Maruti Suzuki updated the Alto and Baleno with the upcoming emission norms. Recently, the BS6 compliant Swift and the WagonR were also launched in the market. Maruti Suzuki has also silently added the CNG version of the Alto to the line-up. The new Alto CNG is priced at Rs 4.11 lakh for the base LXi variant and Rs 4.14 lakh for the LXi (O), all price ex-showroom, India. Comparing it to the regular non-CNG version, the price is about Rs 60,000 more.

Apart from the addition of the CNG fuel option, the Alto remains identical to the non-CNG version. It looks exactly the same and there are no changes in the car. The CNG powered Alto also gets the same 796cc, three-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine. It produces a maximum power of 48 Bhp and peak torque of 69 Bhp. There is a five-speed manual transmission in place. The engine can seamlessly switch between the CNG fuel and petrol fuel on the go.

Feature-wise, the brochure of both models remain identical too. Maruti Suzuki offers power steering, manual air conditioner, power windows at the front, a child lock for rear doors, body coloured door handles, chrome accents in the cabin, retractable rear seatbelts, remote boot release, remote fuel lid opener, body-coloured mirrors and driver-side airbag as standard. The LXi(O) variant also gets the driver-side airbag.

It should be noted that only the Alto 800 is compliant with the upcoming Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assesment Program (BNVSAP) crash test norms. Maruti Suzuki is yet to upgrade the more powerful Alto K10 with the newer safety norms. However, earlier this year, Maruti Suzuki launched the Alto K10 with the mandatory safety equipment list that includes high-speed alerts, rear parking sensors, ABS+EBD, driver/co-driver seatbelt reminder and a driver-side airbag. In its current form, the Alto K10 will only be allowed to be on sale in the Indian market till October 1, 2019. Post that, only BNVSAP crash test norm compliant vehicles will be allowed to be on sale in the Indian market. The Alto 800 and the Alto K10 make up for a large number in the total sales number of Maruti Suzuki India. They both contribute to a large portion of the total sales that makes Maruti Suzuki the best-selling manufacturer in India.

It should be noted that BS-VI norms will be imposed in India from 1st April 2020. Maruti Suzuki has formally announced that they will not offer any diesel-powered vehicles in the market after the new emission compliance is in place. However, they may bring back the diesel models if there’s enough demand in the market in future.