2010 Suzuki Alto

Suzuki Alto Celebrates 30 Years of Low Cost Motoring

The Alto celebrates three decades at the head of the pack with 10 million sales.
The introduction of the new Alto city car this year marks 30 years since Suzuki Motor Corporation first launched the name in 1979. It has already become an icon in its class around the world and sales have now smashed the 10 million mark. A car spearheaded by current Chairman and CEO Osamu Suzuki, the model was designed for the Kei Class in Japan to provide motorists with low cost and enjoyable motoring, an ethos which has remained a core feature of the car's DNA over three decades. This is a double milestone for Suzuki as it is also celebrating 30 years of sales and operations in Europe.

Following the introduction of the first 500cc Alto in Japan, the car proved to be a huge success, surpassing the initial sales target of 5,000 units per month by over 300 per cent in just four weeks of the model hitting dealer showrooms. The success of the Alto sparked a massive growth of the compact car segment as other manufacturers set out to take advantage of the phenomenon, but the Suzuki remained the top selling mini-vehicle for 14 years.

The Alto was first exported to Europe in 1981, and has recorded sales of 250,000 units during its 30 year presence. Mirroring the success which the car achieved in Japan, the Alto became the most popular A-segment purchase in a number of European countries.

The new seventh generation Alto, now available in Europe, is one of the greenest petrol family cars on sale today. With emissions of only 103 g/km for manual variants and combined fuel economy of 64.2 mpg, the car continues to provide consumers with a product offering which combines fun, style and exceptional value for money.

Source - Suzuki

• Elegant and sporty design – perfectly matched to European tastes
• Combining style with environmental compatibility
• Great comfort within compact dimensions
Design Development
The product concept for the new Alto gave top priority to fuel economy, lightness and compactness – so the design team faced the challenge of realizing this concept while also realizing appealing, user-friendly packaging and styling.

Design work for the new Alto began in 2005 and was conducted by a team based at Suzuki's headquarters in Japan but involved extensive studies in Europe. Suzuki learned that there were great differences in styling preferences between the Japanese minivehicle market and the European compact-car market. To identify European styling tastes more clearly, Suzuki designers stayed in Paris and Milan, observing the latest design techniques and making numerous sketches with a view to realizing a Suzuki compact car that would look appealingly fresh and distinctive on European city streets. This work created the basis for all subsequent aspects of design development for the new Alto.

Design


The shape of the body and the shapes of parts such as the outside door mirrors also reflect an uncompromising approach to aerodynamic efficiency, and they're complemented by airflow-optimizing airdams and wheel deflectors. A resulting drag coefficient of just 0.30 promotes fuel efficiency and helps to keep CO2 emissions low.

From the front: A big, boldly shaped grille and big, uniquely shaped headlamps give the new Alto a sporty front face, and the bonnet has a curved edge and curved contours that contribute to an overall look of roundness. Also, sporty fog lamps combine great looks with better visibility in foul weather.

From the side: The body has a wedge profile that gives a sense of sportiness without compromising interior roominess. A sharply raked windscreen promotes aerodynamic efficiency, and the roof gently slopes downward toward the rear, creating a smooth, streamlined look.

Specially developed 14-inch wheels positioned close to the corners further contribute to a sporty image. Aluminium-alloy wheels are available on high grade cars.

From the rear: Seen from the rear, the new Alto is distinguished by substantial-looking contours and a trapezoidal rear window that combine tautness with contours and a trapezoidal rear window that combine tautness with evocative curviness. A large rear bumper helps to create an impression of power and sturdiness, and uniquely styled rear combination lamps form eye-catching accents.

Dimensions: The new Alto has an overall length of 3,500mm, width of 1,600mm, height of 1,470mm, a wheelbase of 2,360mm, a front tread of 1,405mm, a rear tread of 1,400mm, and minimum ground clearance of 150mm.

Colours: Suzuki's focus on promoting eco-friendly lifestyles is reflected in four new, nature-inspired body colours: Fortune Rose Pearl Metallic (inspired by roses), Paradise Blue Pearl Metallic (inspired by the sea), Desert Brown Metallic (inspired by the land), and Healing Green Pearl Metallic (inspired by forests). Each of these new colours is easy on the eye and brings a touch of nature to urban streets. The body excludes black areas, so it looks attractively colourful from any angle.

Comfort and Practicality
• Ample space for four adults
• Large storage space and an user-friendly luggage area
• Stylish and functional instrument panel
Seats: The cabin layout apportions most of the space to the front seats but still provides ample space for four adults.

The front seats have integrated head restraints and basically the same frames as the front seats of the Swift and SX4. They combine ample support and refined comfort in a way that keeps fatigue to a minimum even on long journeys, and they each have a slide range of 240mm (in 10mm increments). The driver's seat is available with a seat height adjuster for smaller drivers. The rear seat is big enough for two adults. And since the new Alto has four doors, rear passengers can step in and out with ease.

All of the seats have black-based two-tone fabric upholstery with a silver-coloured foliage motif. The fabric on the seatback of each front seat incorporates a coloured accent that's pink or silver depending on the body colour.

The shoulder anchorages of the front and rear seatbelts are incorporated into the trim for a neat appearance.

Instrument Panel: The instrument panel is sporty, stylish, and functional. A slim design made possible partly by a specially designed audio unit creates a balanced look. Forms that give a sense of movement are combined with gentle curves and two-tone colouring (dark grey and light grey) for a stylish look, and a slim, floating-look section expresses sportiness.

The main instrumentation is a big, high-legibility, single-dial speedometer that incorporates a liquid-crystal display showing an odometer/tripmeter, a fuel consumption gauge, and a clock. Availability of tachometer with a sporty design that evokes Suzuki motorcycles depends on grade.

The air-conditioning controls and other dials and switches have shapes and positions that make them easy to use. Centre louvres at the top of the centre stack maximize the benefit of the air-conditioning system.

For listening pleasure, the centre stack also incorporates a CD audio unit that was designed specially for the new Alto. It can play MP3/WMA discs and can, with a Suzuki genuine accessory kit, be connected to an iPod*. Sound is delivered by six speakers (a 16cm full-range speaker in each door and two tweeters in the instrument panel).

To match the design and colours of the instrument panel, the front-door trim has two-tone colouring (dark grey and light grey) with silver accents. The combination offers a unique layout featuring the aeroplane-wing theme of the instrument panel.

* iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the Ú.S. and other countries.

Storage compartments: Handy storage spaces for small items are located all around the cabin. The front doors each have a 300mm-deep pocket with a 240mm x 20mm opening (large enough for A4-size road atlases). The instrument panel incorporates two cup holders (each large enough for a 500ml bottle or a slim can); a pocket that's ideal for handbags, hats, maps, and similarly sized items; a lower box that can hold five compact discs; and an illuminated tray that's ideal for an MP3-Player, a compact camera, or cards. And each rear door has a pocket that incorporates a holder large enough for a 500ml beverage bottle.

Source - Suzuki