Maruti A-Star to be called Pixo and new Alto globally
Maruti Suzuki, manufacturer of the car, will brand it A-Star in India. The same car will be contract-manufactured by Maruti for Nissan Motors and called Pixo. And it will be the new Alto for Suzuki Motor Corporation in Europe. The car will be manufactured exclusively by Maruti Suzuki’s plant at Manesar in Haryana and will be unveiled by both companies at the Paris Motor Show next month at their respective pavilions.
Both Nissan Pixo and Suzuki Alto will compete against Toyota Aygo in the international market while it will be pitted against Hyundai i10, Fiat Palio and Tata Motors Indica Vista in the premium small-car segment in India. An MSI spokesperson refused to comment and said: “A-Star has nothing to do with Alto, which will continue to be the flagship model of Maruti Suzuki in India. It is a totally different segment.”
The Alto-A-Star-Pixo will be on the same platform, but the European cars will be different from the Indian model. All cars will be powered by Suzuki’s 1.0 litre K-series engine, but the Pixo and Alto are likely to have an additional four speed automatic transmission (similar to the Hyundai i10) for easy city handling which may be absent in A-Star.
While all the cars will have a common architecture, Pixo’s front, including the badge, will be different.
According to sources in the automobile industry, the car will be the smallest premium hatchback in India with its 3,565-mm length, 1,470-mm height and 1,600-mm width, with a 2,360-mm wheelbase.
It will basically be a four-seater like the current Alto, but with efficient design and roomy interiors and will have generous head and legroom with a more spacious boot. Features like airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic power steering and steering-mounted audio controls will be standard.
The new car will hit the domestic market sometime in November and debut in the international market early next year. Maruti Suzuki will export 1,00,000 units of this car to Europe and the rest of the world and 50,000 will be for the domestic market.
According to its already announced arrangement with Nissan, it is supposed to produce another 50,000 units for it for the Japanese market.
Via http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Info
Published on Monday, Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:02 pm under categories : Maruti-SuzukiTags : a-star, Alto, Auto News, Maruti-Suzuki, Pixo
One more problem in A star apart from space that the third gear gives jerk in hand when you accelerate or apply breaks and when I talked to dealer about the same they told me that this problem exists in all new maruti cars and can’t be rectified.%0aSo buyers when you take test drive of maruti cars take care that gears are working properly else you end up
Comment by ANUJ KHATRI December 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 pmMaruti A Star has refined K series engine that gives more mileage than 18kmpl. A Star has most of the safety features like ABS, airbags, EBD, front seat belt pretensioners. Also, A Star is highly stable even at 120 kmph. The turning radius short, so easy city driving. A Star is a great star in cars!
Comment by kavin kumar July 2nd, 2010 at 11:31 amMaruti A Star is a good car. And it concluded that Maruti A Star is the least expensive car to own and operate in the annual survey conducted by NRMA Motoring & Services. I am a proud owner of A Star and getting 19kmpl. I am feeling happy with the truth revealed by the NRMA survey!!!
Comment by kavin kumar July 23rd, 2010 at 7:57 pmTo participate in the contest, become a group member for face book group http://bit.ly/cLyPvJ, write on wall – ‘your price’ of Maruti A Star Automatic for the ‘city’ in which you live!
Comment by kavin kumar August 7th, 2010 at 12:50 pm. Maruti A Star is a best mileage car in India. Now it is also proven in Australia. Suzuki Alto[MARUTI A STAR] is judged the least expensive car to own and operate in the annual survey conducted by NRMA Motoring & Services of Australia. This clearly proves that even in international market, A Star is the best small car! We get 19 kmpl and satisfactory service back up from Maruti The new automatic A-Star will attract more women and old people who want to save their knees from pressing clutch lever
Comment by Ganesh August 17th, 2010 at 6:18 pm