India’s sweetheart when it comes to buying that “First Car”, the Maruti Suzuki Alto has not for nothing been the best selling vehicle over the years. However, safety regulations which make it mandatory for vehicles to come fitted with a certain set of equipment as standard were making it difficult for this entry-level hatchback to keep marching forward. In addition, stricter norms which will require cars to be safe for pedestrians and pass through rigorous crash testing will be applicable for all new cars in India, starting October 2019. For now, though, the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 can carry on, since the carmaker has equipped it with all that is required to keep it going.
The Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 now comes fitted with safety features like ABS (antilock braking system) with EBD (electronic brake distribution), a speed alert system, rear parking sensors, driver and passenger seatbelt reminder as standard across all variants. The addition of these features is in line with the new safety norms which have come into effect, starting April 1st, 2019. Starting July 1st 2019, vehicles will have to be fitted with a driver-side airbag as standard, in addition to the speed alert system, rear parking sensors and seatbelt reminder for front passengers, which the Alto K10 has already been updated with. As a result of these additions, the price will naturally go up and it has. It is now priced between INR 3.66-4.45 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
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However, this is a temporary arrangement as an all-new Alto is about to replace the ageing model which is on sale currently. The new-gen Maruti Suzuki Alto will meet the regulations which will be in effect for all cars, starting October 1st, 2019. These regulations will make it mandatory for cars to go through a crash test for full-frontal impact, offset-frontal impact and side impact. This was already applicable for all new cars that were launched after October 1, 2017. Older models had a grace period until October 2019 to meet these regulations. Once the safety regulations are met, all the vehicles will then have to meet the new BS VI norms which will come into effect next year.