Launched in late September 2019, the Maruti S-Presso shares its 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with Alto K10 but is underpinned by a more modern HEARTECT-K platform
It has come to light that the Maruti Alto K10, which was essentially a more powerful version of the company’s entry-level offering, has been discontinued. With this, the Alto is now available only with the 796cc three-cylinder option. The company has stopped the manufacturing of the small car, while the dealerships are currently busy clearing the leftover stock.
While the S-Presso was launched with a BSVI-compliant engine, the Alto K10 was, until now, available only with a BSIV-compliant motor. For the uninitiated, the more powerful version of the Alto K10 came equipped with a 998cc K10B three-cylinder engine that outputs a maximum power of 67 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 90 Nm @ 3,500 rpm.
The Maruti Alto K10 was available in both petrol and CNG variants, with the former being available with two transmission options – 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT. Even the S-Presso gets the same transmission options but misses out on the CNG option.
The reason for the discontinuation of the Maruti Alto K10 could be the company’s reluctance to invest in updating it to comply with the upcoming safety norms, which could be a result of the great demand that the S-Presso enjoys.
With its Renault Kwid-rival benefitting from a great response from buyers, it actually made little sense for the company to invest in updating a similarly priced product that has a lower demand.
The Maruti Alto K10 was first launched in the year 2010 and received a generation change in 2014. The second-gen model even received a facelift in 2019, which saw the advent of minor styling changes and additional safety features like ABS with EBD, driver side airbag, rear parking sensors, seat belt reminder, and high-speed alert.