Suzuki has released the first image of its all-new Alto minicar, which the carmaker plans to debut at November’s Paris Motor Show before a global sales launch early next year. As expected, the production Alto shares much in common with last year’s A-Star concept.

The A-Star was developed in concert with Suzuki’s Indian subsidiary Maruti and showcased at last December’s Auto Expo in New Delhi. If offered in Australia, the Alto would be positioned below the entry-level Swift in Suzuki's lineup.

Two Altos, but only one for export
Suzuki is expected to build two different versions of the Alto - a low-cost model manufactured by Maruti at a plant in Manesar, India, and a global version that will be sourced from Suzuki’s operations in Japan.

Power for both models will come from a newly developed Euro 5-compliant 1.0-litre aluminium petrol engine with carbon dioxide emissions of less than 109g/km. That will place it somewhat below the Swift's 1.6-litre four-cylinder in terms of power, but the enhanced fuel efficiency and low emissions could be a selling point if fuel prices remain high or climb even higher.

The current Indian-market Alto, which features a smaller 800cc engine, this week won a fuel-efficiency rally in Delhi. Achieving an efficiency of 2.4L/100km, it's clear why the Alto is such a success in India, where it has sold over one million units since the latest generation's debut in 2000.

Australian launch a possibilty
The Suzuki Alto was first introduced in Japan back in 1979 and has since gone on to spawn six generations, with sales in Europe, the Middle East and South America. The current generation Alto is the best-selling car in India, however it has recently come under threat by new models from Hyundai and General Motors.

The latest, seventh-generation car, will once again be an A-segment five-door hatchback and could for the first time be sold in North America and Australia. If it does come to our market, the car will be Suzuki’s first true city-car offering in more than a decade and also one of the first of a new-generation of affordable super-minis available in Oz.

7th Generation Suzuki Alto gallery

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