India's largest selling car costs USD 3800 / 3000 Pounds : Why is it so popular?

They sell over 20,000 of these each month and it has been topping the sales chart for decades. Say hello to the Maruti Alto. For the uninitiated, Maruti is India's largest passenger car market - in May 2017 they sold 130248 cars. That is 4341 cars per day or 180 per hour. No, I am not playing with the wrong numbers here.

India is huge. From its land area to our population to the number of cars we buy each day. Combining all manufacturers, we Indians bought almost six cars every minute in May 2017. But the most popular here is the little Alto. As seen here, it's not a pretty looking car but yet does the job right for Indian consumers, half of whom are based in small towns with bad or no roads. We need something reliable, efficient and cheap. And it should outlast us! 

So what makes the Maruti Alto so popular? Lets have a look:

1) Its cheap!

This chart shows it all - pricing for the Alto starts at INR 245803 which has been translated into various other currencies for your reference.

Ofcourse the base model does not get any creature comforts but is a popular mode of transport. And I have not even factored various discounts and offers to the tune of 10-15%! And as you can see in the chart, there are two models on sale. The cheaper Alto 800 gets a 796cc engine while the 'premium' version is called Alto K10 and gets a 998cc engine, better design and better interiors. Power? Stands at 67 horses!

2) Its Reliable

The average car ownership time period is very high in India and this is true for semi urban and rural areas. The Alto is one car that is often passed on down to generations - we buy it, drive it for years, our younger siblings learn the art of driving in the same car, it is then passed on to your kids and so on. Hence it becomes very important that a car should be as reliable as us. This means it should not trouble us till the odometer clocks over 1,00,000 kilometers. Infact, availability of a workshop or a road side mechanic is nil in far flung areas - this is where the Alto shines and how

3) Its Small

Yes - that's a real image of Delhi (Gurgaon..) via Indiatimes. Indian roads - they are beautiful but in urban areas, every milimeter of space is taken up. Parking is a headache and finding your way through cars, bikes, cycles, humans, animals and potholes is a war-game in itself. The Alto then scores high marks for its small size and nimble handling. Another reason why it is so popular in the hill-stations. Park it anywhere!

4) Its efficient

Maruti pioneered the concept of 'fill it - shut it - forget it' cars in India. Their cars are made to run on drops of gas which means you can easily cover 18-20 kilometers on a litre of fuel in urban traffic. Increase it by 25% for highway usage (at moderate speeds). Maruti went a step ahead and also offers CNG options which further bring down running costs. No one minds a car that is light on the pocket, eh?

5) There is an Alto for everyone!

And finally the version line up (or trim levels as we call it in some countries). The Alto is offered in two engine options (Alto 800 and Alto K10). There are two fuel options (Petrol and CNG). And there are two gearbox options for the Alto K10 too - manual and AMT which is known as automated manual transmission. You can pick up the basic lower model or top it up with optional driver airbag and features. Low EMIs, good discounts and you are sorted.

So the next time you are in India, don't be surprised by the number of these little scale models all over the place. We love it. I agree it looks very average, safety is not taken care of, it runs on a tiny 3 cylinder engine but hey, remember the figure? 1 Alto is being sold every two minutes in India!

This is my 2nd post on Steemit - I registered a day back and already loving it. But I need your genuine feedback - bricks or flowers, I will take it all. Promise.

And here's the link to my 1st or my introduction post - https://steemit.com/travel/@bunnypunia/hello-from-new-delhi-himalayan-lover-turned-auto-journalist-turned-hotelier