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We knew it as a concept already but now we get the official pictures. Meet the Alto, Suzuki's smallest model outside Japan. The Alto will be formally introduced during the upcoming Paris International Motor Show next Fall. Suzuki wanted to beat Europe's current gasoline fuel-misers (with the exception of hybrids): the Peugeot 107/Citroën C1/Toyota Aygo triad. Therefore the Alto features lightweight improvements and a low drag coefficient. The automaker also announced two fuel cell vehicles to be shown in Paris as well, the SX4 FCV, which features a GM fuel cell, and a second "crosscage" concept with air-cooled fuel cells supplied by British company Intelligent Energy. Full press release after the jump.


[Source: Suzuki]

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The new Subaru Stella plug-in isn't the only Japanese green car making its debut next month at the G8 conference in Hokkaido. Suzuki's in the game as well with a new hydrogen fuel cell version of its SX4 crossover, the SX4-FCV. Fitted with a fuel cell supplied by GM, and a 70 MPa (10,000 psi) storage tank for the H₂, the SX4-FCV has a maximum operating range of 250 kilometers and a top speed of 120 km/h (around 75 mph). Power output from the fuel cell is rated at 80 kW, while the motor delivers 68 kW. Road testing has been approved by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and transport, and will commence soon.

[Source: Suzuki]

As posted by sibling Autoblog, Suzuki plans to expand its operations world-wide to meet the demand for its smaller vehicles, the bulk being the fuel-efficient Swift compact (pictured) and SX4 Grand Vitara.

The automaker, the fourth largest in Japan (after Toyota, Nissan, and Honda) will be building its first compact car factory in Japan. The factory is also Suzuki's first in 25 years. The demand for smaller cars follows on the heels of continued high gas prices since Hurricane Katrina and may continue with the closure of the Alaskan pipeline in the U.S. as well as increased demand for vehicles in growing markets such as India and China. Fuel-efficiency plays an important role in these markets and Suzuki's small vehicles are able to capitalize on this demand, which we at AutoblogGreen hope will continued to be recognized by other automakers.

Related:

• GM to co-develop and sell hybrids with Suzuki in North America?

[Source: Motoring]