Maruti Suzuki has discontinued the base variants of the Alto and S-Presso.
The discontinued variants featured a single driver airbag, which includes the STD and LXi variants of the Alto, and the STD, LXi and VXi variants of the S-Presso. The Alto’s STD(O) trim, which was previously available with dual airbags, has also been discontinued.
Maruti Suzuki has done this to comply with regulations introduced by the government in January 2022 that mandates that all cars be fitted with dual airbags. The Alto’s new base variant is the LXi(O), which, at ₹ 4.08 lakh, costs ₹ 83,000 more than the previous entry-level trim — the STD variant.
The S-Presso’s new starting prices have also been revised to ₹ 3.99 lakh for the STD(O) trim, costing ₹ 13,000 more than its previous base variant.
Earlier, customers had an option to pay an additional ₹ 7,000 on variants with single airbags and equip them with a passenger-side airbag. Maruti Suzuki also practised this on the previous generations of the Wagon R and Celerio.
The automaker is currently testing the third-generation Alto, which will feature an all-new platform along with exterior and interior updates. Additionally, it is also working on a Creta-rivalling midsize SUV in collaboration with Toyota.
