Production version Suzuki A:Wind to be called Celerio; Alto moniker to get the axe

The production version of the recently unveiled Suzuki A:Wind is to be called the Celerio and not the Alto as most people expected. If this is not surprising enough, then the news that the Japanese automaker is dropping the Alto moniker altogether should be quite a jolt. The company has also said that the new car will be produced and exported from Thailand rather than Gurgaon, as has been the case for the last 10-15 years.

The Suzuki A:Wind is the Japanese automaker’s new A-Segment hatchback that was unveiled last week. It is 3.6-metres long (2.4 metre wheelbase), 1.6-metres wide and 1.5-metres high, making it larger than the current vehicle. The A:Wind gets 16-inch rims with 185/55 R16 tyres but we expect that the Celerio will get smaller wheels.

It is powered by a 1.0-litre three-pot petrol engine that is expected to produce 68bhp and 90Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox or in the case of markets like India there will also be a five-speed manual.

The car that we call the A-Star in India, is globally called the Alto in some markets and the Celerio in some others. The axing of the Alto moniker means the end of the road for one of Suzuki’s most revered and long standing brand names.

However, for markets like India, the Alto brand name (in one form or another) is unlikely to go away anytime soon as it has been the Indo-Japanese automaker’s cash cow for over 30 years now. It began life as the 800 and then the Alto brand name was introduced in 2000. Realising the success of both names, Maruti Suzuki launched the Alto 800 last year and it has been a phenomenal. We expect that Maruti Suzuki will launch the car for the Indian market next year and it will be produced and exported to Europe from the Gurgaon facility.