MIMS: Alto a highlight for Suzuki

The star of Suzuki Australia's stand at the Melbourne International Motor Show (MIMS) is the Alto, the Indian-built light car that promises more for the Australian market than its European-built rival, the Suzuki Splash. 

Suzuki is yet to announce pricing for the Alto, which will be launched here in the third quarter of this year, but the importer's managing director, Tony Devers, anticipates it will offer the same sort of fuel economy (4.4L/100km) as the Toyota Prius -- for a third of the price. That would position the Alto at around $13,000 when it goes on sale.

"We want this fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness available to everyone," Devers explained to journalists at the MIMS media preview today.

Its availability to everyone hinges on the car being imported at a cost that allows Suzuki to price the Alto at an affordable level, leaving the company some wriggle room for profit. That largely explains why the Indian-built Alto was given the nod over the Hungarian-built Splash.

But would Suzuki consider the Splash for the local market as a premium-priced offering sitting above the Alto? Devers didn't say whether the Splash could be positioned within the local range that way, but did say that Suzuki was building a new plant in Thailand, originally scheduled to open in 2010. Construction of the plant is 25 per cent complete, but has been delayed as a consequence of the global economic downturn.

"When the plant actually opens... we will be getting more product -- and perhaps Splash would fall into that then."

Also read our 2009 Melbourne motor show overview