Renault Kwid effect: Maruti Suzuki Alto to come in new avatar by 2019

Maruti Suzuki Alto, the long-time leader in the entry-level cars in India is going under the knife for its much-needed makeover to counter the growing competition from the new arrivals like the Renault Kwid.

A new avatar of Maruti Suzuki Alto is on the making and is expected to be launched in the country by the festive season of 2019, report ET Auto. The new Alto, which is internally called as Y1K is expected to be built on a new platform and will be tailored to suit the Indian audience.

The arrival of Kwid has dented the market of Maruti Suzuki Alto and the latter has also seen a drop in its shares from 48 percent to 40 percent. Meanwhile, the French carmaker Renault's Kwid, the entry level-hatchback with SUV-stance has been making steady growth. The Kwid has managed to capture over 20 percent of its segment sales since its arrival in September 2015.

The Kwid has raked in over 1.65 lakh bookings in India and has recently also added 1.0 litre avatar to its line-up. Te Kwid was originally launched with 800cc engine, which is tuned to churn out 53bhp at 5,678rpm and a peak torque of 72Nm at 4,386rpm. The new avatar of the Kwid comes with a 999cc 3-cylinder engine that can churn out 67bhp of power at 5500rpm and 91Nm of torque at 4250rpm.

It is also said that the new Alto could also get a crossover styling as there is more inclination for such design in the country. Other details of the new Alto are scanty at the point of time. Maruti Suzuki is reportedly also looking to roll out new models of the WagonR and the Celerio in India. While the new WagonR in the work is codenamed YCA, the Celerio is internally called as YNC.