ALTO, THE LEADER: Maruti's safe bet has always been its bread and butter model Maruti 800. Not any more. For the first time in May 2004, Alto -- the other small car from the Maruti stable -- zoomed past the M-800 to take the mantle of India's most favourite car.

Analysts say the Alto's manoeuvre is a remarkable feat for a car that made its debut only in 2000.

After being India's most favourite car for almost 20 years, the M-800 lost out to the new entrant Alto last month.

While 10,016 units of the M-800 were sold in May, Alto grabbed the top slot with sales of 10,373 units.

The Alto largely benefited from the cut in prices (by Rs 23,000) last September and the launch of the non-A/C model for a price Rs 230,000 in April 2004. Cheap financing boosted its sales further. The challenge ahead for Alto now is to sustain its growth and maintain its top ranking.

The Alto has six models to choose from. While an Alto Bharat-II non-metallic car is available for an ex-showroom price of Rs 232,966 in Mumbai (excluding registration and tax), the top-end Alto Spin LXi--Bharat II Metallic is priced at (ex-showroom, Mumbai) Rs 290,979.

Photograph: Maruti Udyog Ltd

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