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October 2, 2012

Maruti opens pre-launch bookings for the new Alto 800

NEW DELHI: India's largest carmaker is resorting to the pre-order gambit to stoke consumer interest in the upcoming festive period and thereby make up for muted sales in the fiscal year so far. Maruti's sales have been subdued largely because of a suspension in production following worker unrest in its plant in Manesar in Haryana.

Alto 800
The interest quotient for the yet to be launched Alto 800 seems to be high. In a unique effort, Maruti Suzuki India has started pre-launch bookings of the car which is slated to hit the market on October 16.

Dealers say that the new-look Alto comes with an array of changes. The most notable of these is a new 796 cc petrol engine that delivers a fuel economy of 22.7 kmpl, some 15 per cent higher than the engine of the old Alto. The revamped Alto also has a more contemporary exterior design, and the interiors have been overhauled with dual tone upholstery. While airbags have been added as a safety device, the scooped-out front seats give an additional 15 mm of rear leg space, and the tall boy design increases headroom by another 15 mm. MarutiBSE 0.53 % may also offer a CNG variant, what with many buyers opting for cheaper fuel options in entry-level compact cars.

"We have got 100 Altos for delivery and are expecting more arrivals once the car hits the market on October 16, which marks the beginning of the Navaratra's festival. The new car carries many contemporary features to generate incremental sales in the festive season," said a Maruti dealer in Delhi who did not want to be named.

Pradeep Saxena, executive director, TNS Automotive, a marketing research firm, says Maruti Suzuki is attempting to create a pre-launch buzz for the Alto with the pre-order strategy. "Timing is critical for the success of any product in a crowded car market. Maruti will also build up enough stock at its dealerships to cater to the anticipated high demand during the festive season," explains Saxena.

Alto, Maruti's quintessential car has been India's bestseller for 10 years in a row. It was also the world's most widely sold compact car in 2010. However, sales have taken a beating in the past couple of years as demand shifted to diesel cars and feature-rich premium hatchbacks. Sales dropped to its lowest ever for a month, to 10,500 units in August. According to the company Alto sales declined by 35% to 89,000 units in the April to August 2012 period compared to 1.22 lakh units in the same period a year ago.

You can visit the official Alto 800 page http://www.marutisuzukialto800.com/ to book your order by paying a booking amount of Rs 5000.

As per reports, the following could be the main highlights of the car.
Car Variant: The car will come in six variants—three in CNG and three in Petrol.

Mileage: Petrol variant expected to give a mileage of approximately 23 kilometre per litre while the CNG version will give a mileage of around approximately 31 kilometre per litre.

Interiors: Fashionable and trendy, the car with stylish headlamps, better headroom and legroom.

Colours: The car will come in six vibrant colours.

Price: The petrol version is likely to be priced between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh while the CNG version will be priced between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh.

Blue Star architect General Brar attacked in London


Lt Gen KS Brar targeted outside a hotel; discharged after treatment
London - Lt. Gen. (retd.) K.S. Brar, who led “Operation Blue Star” 28 years ago to flush out pro-Khalistan militants in the Golden Temple, was attacked in central London on Sunday night by four knife-wielding assailants, inflicting injuries on him.
Lt. Gen. Brar (78), who enjoys Z-category protection, was returning to his hotel from a dinner along with his wife. A television channel quoted her as saying that three bearded men attacked and tried to slash his throat. But she would not jump to the conclusion that they were Sikhs. He was rushed to a hospital from where he was discharged on Monday after a surgery and his wounds were stitched. Sources said the incident took place on Old Quebec Street near Hyde Park.
The couple are in London on a private visit. He was attended by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
The Military Attaché in the Indian High Commission here visited the hospital and enquired about his condition.
Scotland Yard told that investigations were on but no arrests had been made so far. A Yard spokesman said: “Officers and the LAS attended the scene and discovered a man, aged in his 70s, suffering from an injury believed caused by a knife.” 

This is a popular area in central London, filled with pubs, restaurants and large department stores. Lt General Brar is thought to have been coming out of a restaurant when he was attacked. Lt Gen Brar, a Z-category protectee, was reportedly stabbed by four bearded men. He was with his wife when the incident took place.

A spokeswoman for the Indian High Commission said, "He (Lt General Brar) was on a private visit and was attacked by some people. He was injured, hospitalised and has been discharged."
The Indian High Commission has refused to comment on who might be responsible for the attack. But there is inevitable speculation that the perpetrator is linked to Khalistani extremists who have become more active in recent months in the UK. They have not forgiven Lt General Brar for his role in flushing out the extremists from the Golden Temple way back in 1984, which resulted in the death of extremists leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Also killed in the operation was retired Major General Shabeg Singh, Lt General Brar's former superior officer who had joined the militants.
Brar was commanding 9 Division based in Meerut in 1984 when he was asked to cancel his pending leave and help co-ordinate Operation Bluestar, together with Lt Generals Krishnaswamy Sundarji, then head of Western Command, and Ranjit Singh Dayal.
Operation Bluestar was controversial because of the casualties involved and also because of the decision to enter the premises of the Golden Temple just after Guru Arjan's martyrdom day.
Justifying the operation, Lt General Brar later was quoted as saying, "It is very easy to say that we could have laid siege, we could have postponed it for a day or two, or carried out the Operation without the loss of life.
It is only we, who were there at that time, who know what our limitations and needs were."
Bluestar got underway on the night of June 5, 1984, when six infantry battalions and a squad of commandos under General Brar's command stormed the premises of the Golden Temple. Four out of the six commanders were Sikhs and they were repeatedly asked not to fire in the direction of the Hamindar Sahib even if they received fire from that direction.
It took six days and the use of several tanks to complete the operation, resulting in damage to the Akal Takht, which has subsequently been rebuilt.
Commenting on the damage, Lt General Brar later said, “It is unfortunate that there were so many casualties, as well as destruction, which we tried to avoid to the maximum. I am a Sikh myself, and I can assure you that there was no indiscriminate killing during the operation, and at all times our endeavour was to save life and property."
He added, "We tried to avoid the operation totally by requesting the inmates to surrender so that there would be no bloodshed, but it seems that they were determined not to do so. As you know, the charisma of Bhindranwale was such that the people had almost begun to accept him as the 11th Guru and were prepared to sacrifice their lives at his call."
Lt General Brar has family members living in London. Among them was a maternal uncle, who died of cancer in 1997 and who initially opposed his nephew's role in Operation Bluestar. General Brar visited his dying uncle in hospital and said in a subsequent interview that his uncle had "tears rolling down his cheeks" and now understood his actions.
Sources said External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, who is in New York, called up the Indian High Commissioner J Bhagwati to know about the condition of Lt Gen Brar, who has been on the hit-list of various extremists and militant organisations.

No word on perpetrators
The Indian High Commission has not commented on who might be responsible for the attack on Lt Gen Brar
But there is speculation that the perpetrator is linked to Khalistani extremists
Brar’s injuries were said to be not serious. He was hospitalised and later discharged

Key Bluestar Planner
Lt Gen Brar, then a Maj Gen and GOC 9 Division, helped coordinate Operation Bluestar, together with Generals Krishnaswamy Sundarji, then head of Western Command, and Ranjit Singh Dayal. Bluestar was controversial because of the casualties involved and also because of the decision to enter the Golden Temple complex just after Guru Arjan's martyrdom day.
Lt Gen Brar