There is no denying that Maruti has been ruling the Indian small car market for years now. It was initially with the 800 and was later followed by the Alto, but Hyundai Motors India is expected to make its presence felt in the entry-level hatch segment with the launch of its 800cc car, expected to happen at the auto expo 2012.

It is to be mentioned here that Alto sells close to 20,000 units per month and the company is banking on this model heavily in order to ensure high volumes under its umbrella.

Be it Spark, i10 or Figo, no product hasn't really been able to make a dent in the volumes of the Alto. But experts are of a view that the market leader should get a back up plan ready really fast as the plans of Hyundai to attack its bread and butter are growing at a lightning fast speed.

Notably, expected to be priced at around Rs 2 lakh mark, the car will be priced lower than Santro's current entry price of Rs 2.73 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi, non AC).