Maruti 800 reincarnated in China

 Maruti’s decision to bring the curtains down on the iconic 800 left a lot of Maruti 800 fans emotional, and some even watery-eyed. They wished for the resurrection of the marque as a new classic. Now, the car that transfigured the way India moved has reincarnated, but in China.

According to China Car Times, Jiangnan Auto has officially launched the mk2 Suzuki Alto (called so in China) at 17800rmb (Rs. 124000) making it the cheapest car in China today.

The Alto was put into production by four different companies - Chang’an Auto, Jiang Nan, Xi’an Tai and Sichuan Auto - in the Chinese market in the late 90s and early 2000s. Eventually, each of them had to stop production due to losses.

The car, just like its Indian ancestor, is powered by the 800cc engine which produces 36bhp, enough to get you around town.  After all, China has now an answer to the world’s cheapest car, our own Tata Nano.