India’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is planning to launch the best-selling car Alto 800 with a CNG option in order to boost sales and attract customers looking for cheaper options than petrol. The carmaker expects the Alto 800 to reclaim the top position as the best-selling car in India with the launch of the CNG option.
It is expected that the CNG version of the Alto 800 small car will be priced Rs 30,000 costlier than the current petrol version. The company already offers the option to avail a CNG kit for the Alto at a price of about Rs 45,000. However, the company expects the factory fitted CNG version of the small car to be more welcomed among customers.
The small car Alto’s sales have been falling since 2011 due to the hike in petrol price and the shift in demand for petrol cars to diesel cars. The sales of the small car were overtaken by the sales of the Swift which offers a diesel fuel option in April 2012.
The frequent hikes in petrol price since 2011 and the recent hike of Rs 5 per liter on diesel fuel price (effective September 14, 2012) have compelled customers to turn to more cost effective options such as CNG and Maruti Suzuki plans to tap this sentiment to boost its sales.