The Suzuki Alto made its first appearance in 1979. It was built and sold across the globe, but its names differed from country to country. For example, our country’s very first family car; Maruti 800, was based on the Japanese Alto concept. In its early days, Alto was sold as a 3-door hatchback, with a two-stroke 539cc engine, sprung on struts at the front and leaf springs at the back. Fast forward to 2021, the Suzuki Alto has gone through nine sets of upgrades, and this 42-year old car is once again ready to face all challenges with its ninth-generation model, MY22.
Suzuki Motors has launched the 2022 Alto for the Japanese market in a completely new avatar. It gets new exteriors, interiors, and a host of new features.
Design
The car is completely re-designed with a taller profile and a shorter more compact front end. The car looks cute in its boxy yet nimble design. It offers a dual-tone color scheme, where the roof and side mirrors are covered in white.
At the front, the grille slats have been replaced by a body-colored panel with the Suzuki badging on it, and a chrome strip running across the nose of the car. The headlights look to be halogen. The number plate is placed asymmetrically, towards the left side. Along the side, the design is simple and neat, with the 14-inch multi-spoke wheels adding to the simplicity. Around the back, the look feels similar to the Celerio, with a flatter boot lid and small taillights.
Interior changes
The inside gets many changes. We get to see a fabric stitched interior. The new dual-tone dashboard houses the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as the rectangular AC vents as were seen on the previous-generation models. The car also gets a new multifunction steering wheel with mounted controls. The instrument cluster seems to be an analog unit, with a small digital display for the odometer.
Powertrain
It is powered by a mild-hybrid system; a 660cc engine coupled with a small lithium-ion battery. This complete unit is mated to a 5-speed gearbox offered both in manual and Automatic.
Safety features
The car gets some high-tech electronics under the Suzuki Safety Support. Its Active driver assistance program offers; lane departure warning, high beam assist, autonomous braking, and frontal collision warning system as well.
Also read: Next-Gen Maruti Suzuki Alto Spotted Testing!
Alto has been one of the most famous cars in the Indian market. In October, it became the most sold car of the month. Seeing its ever-rising sales in our country, we hope that Suzuki plans to bring this new iteration of the Alto to our shores in the near future.