Suzuki Alto News

Suzuki Australia and tyre supplier Goodyear were quick to repond after reports from concerned owners over problems sourcing replacement rubber for the Alto's 14-inch rims.  A shipment of 155/65R14 tyres arrived on April 28 and another 120 tyres are due this week.Suzuki Australia spokesman, Andrew Ellis, admitted there was a shortfall of spare tyres in the country.  "The issue is that we are changing over to a new tyre, an eco version, and the shortfall has happened in the changeover," Ellis says.If any owners still have problems with replacements Suzuki will supply a wheel and tyre from one of its own vehicles.  The new low rolling resistence "eco" tyre, similar to the one fitted to the Ford Fiesta EcoNetic, delivers marginally better fuel economy.Ellis says with the new tyres fitted, the 50kW three-cylinder Alto's combined fuel economy drops .1 of a litre to 4.7 litres/100km.  Apart from the Swift, the Alto is one of the company's success stories.  Demand has exceeded supply but the company expects more shipments soon.Despite the Alto's success, the five-year old Swift is still the company's most consistent seller.  A new, larger Swift is in the pipeline for launch next year.It is expected to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September.  In Europe a range of petrol and diesel engines are planned, from a 1.3-, 1.5- and 1.6-litre petrol fours to a Fiat-sourced 1.3 common-rail diesel.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.

His views have the support of the peak motoring body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.  About 30 importers in the FCAI importers group believe consumers have a right to be rewarded for going green. "It's got to be a reward basis but what those rewards are I don't know," Devers says. "It could be cheaper stamp duty or free parking in the city. If the Federal Government is keen about the environment and promoting green cars they need to show it." Devers acknowledges that he has a vested interest in the debate with the company's Alto light car being one of the lowest emitters of harmful C02 gases. "But we really need to open the discussion on this," he says. "We really need a benchmark, whether it's on fuel efficiency or emissions... perhaps anything under 130g/km in CO2 emissions." Devers also argues that Australian motorists are being denied some of the newer fuels available in Europe that lower emissions. "All this has to be put on the table and thrashed out," he says. The FCAI chief executive, Andrew McKellar, says the group is working through that process now. "We know other governments around the world use incentives and we need to look at that," he says.  The importers' push comes as the FCAI revealed this week that the average carbon dioxide emissions of Australia vehicles is now the lowest on record. The FCAI says improved engine technology has helped cut the average CO2 emissions.  The 2009 National Average Carbon Emission figure is 218.5 grams of CO2 per kilometre, down 1.8 per cent compared to the 2008 figure of 222.4 grams of CO2/km. All new cars, off-roaders, light commercials and buses up to 3.5 tonne are used to calculate the NACE figure.  The FCAI's original target was to reduce emissions from new vehicles from an average 252.4g/km in 2002 to 222g/km by the end of this year.  McKellar says the FCAI is now focused on achieving further reductions by 2015 and 2020.

As importers rush to slashed prices and pass on the 5 per cent import tariff drop others are putting more equipment into their cars.

This one is the P-NUT, a futuristic Honda designed exclusively for city runabout use.  It's a tiny three-seater with a full see-through roof that has been designed to take any type of advanced powerplant, from new-age petrol engines and plug-in batteries to a hydrogen-powered fuel cell that generates its own onboard electricity.The P-NUT - its name means Personal-Neo Urban Transport - was appropriately revealed in one of the world's most congested cities on the opening day of the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.Honda said it is a response to the growing number of people living in cities instead of traditional suburban sprawls.  "A new generation is discovering the benefits of living in urban centers that provide convenient access to business, entertainment and social opportunities," the director of Honda USA's design division, Dave Marek, said at the car's unveiling.The P-NUT is the size of the tiny Suzuki Alto already available in Australia but has a cabin with passenger space equivalent to a Toyota Camry. Among the advanced systems in the car are a heads-up dashboard display and a minimalist steering wheel.There is no production plan yet but the P-NUT could easily join Honda's future model plan with minor changes. Mercedes-Benz has already proven the global demand for dedicated city cars with its tiny Smart, an upright two-seater which has been a winner in London and Paris.

The field for the COTY contest will be set over the next two weeks as the 100-plus new arrivals this year _ everything from the baby Suzuki Alto to Holden's latest economy-focussed Commodore and the brutally luxurious BMW X6 M, is whittled down by the most experienced team of jurors in Australian motoring.Between them, the nine COTY judges have more than 150 years of combined experience as reporters, testers and commentators on the Australian motor industry.  They also make up the only coast-to-coast crew and are drawn from News Limited daily papers and the Carsguide.com.au website.The first group of five COTY finalists will be named next week, with the final members of the 10-car field locked into place the following week.  Once the field is set, the judges will assess the contenders for their value, safety, economy, safety, style and comfort.  The objective is to find the car that does the best job in every area, at the best price, for Australian car buyers in 2009.The test process is exhaustive, from city, country and highway running to a racetrack session at Lakeside in Queensland to assess the car's dynamic and safety abilities.  The 2009 COTY will join a long and strong list of previous winners from the Holden Commodore VT in 1997 to the Ford Falcon G6E, which took the crown in 2008.This year's COTY contest begins today with the naming of the four cars which will fight for the Green Car of the Year award. For all the stories, video and photos of this year's awards, visit Carsguide Car of the Year 2009. Make One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.

The towel – or more precisely, half-towel after it was split down the middle to share with the support vehicle – was used to shade the driver’s side as we drove from Darwin to Adelaide.The driver being on the western side meant that after midday the afternoon blasted through the window with near-thermonuclear intensity.  And we were insisting on keeping the airconditioning off as we travelled, relying on the occasional allowance of fresh breeze to keep us cool.  Unrealistic? Perhaps. But effective in keeping the little car fairly comfortable and astoundingly fuel-efficient.I shared the helm of the Alto for the first half of the Eco Challenge category route -- from Darwin to Alice Springs – with motorsport mechanics student Chris Smith from Kangan Batman TAFE, which had joined with Suzuki in prepping the car.  It didn’t take long to work out the first half was also the hottest half. But the Suzuki, and my co-driver, held up well.We sweated, we nursed the fuel economy, we blessed the blue towel and we cursed the occasional blowflies who invaded when the window was open.  And the Alto micro hatch repaid us with a great performance. The other secret weapon was of course its weight. The tiny five-door tips the scales at just 850kg, to which my co-driver and I added another estimated 120kg.  And that was just us, and a few of bottles of water sitting in ice on the back floor.The Alto’s other advantage when we hit strong cross-winds was its smaller profile, with it measuring 3.5m long and 1.6m wide.  The 1.0-litre engine is a 50kW/90Nm three-cylinder that has an official fuel figure of 4.8L/100km and a CO2 emissions figure of 113gm/km. But the five-speed manual version we drove in the Eco Challenge did much better than that, and we were sitting in under the 4L/100km mark for much of the trip.The bars on the integrated digital fuel gauge in the instrument panel seemed to take hours to clock down, and while we didn’t have trip computer estimating the fuel economy we knew most of the time we were travelling fairly frugally.At the Adelaide finish line after the city circuit through South Australia’s capital, the little Alto’s cumulative result was 3.91L/100km – an improvement of 19 per cent – and the CO2 emissions were calculated at 90gm/km.We had gone easy on the anti-lock brakes, and didn’t need to use the full-size spare wheel, thank goodness, as a tyre change would have severely compromised our finish time.   And we didn’t even plug into the MP3 auxiliary jack for the audio system, so intent were we on judging the messages coming from under the bonnet and on the tacho.But it has those all features. Oh, and it has airconditioning, too.Global Green Challenge - Performance Report, 2009Make One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.

Car companies are about to be put to the test in the Global Green Challenge and Carsguide is going along for the ride. There are two key buzz words in today's world of clean, green motoring: more and less.Car buyers, pricked by an environmental consciousness, are driving demand for better efficiency to reduce the impact on their wallet and less emissions to reduce the impact on the environment.And there's an added caveat to this quest for green sustainability: it has to be affordable without robbing the family car of performance or driveability.Welcome to the challenge facing car designers as they chase motoring's holy grail — producing a workable, green friendly car for the future. A bookmark of just where the industry is at will be on display at the end of the month when the Eco Challenge for production cars, run in conjunction with this year's Global Green Challenge, sets out from Darwin on October 24 and heads south to Adelaide.It will be real-world 3000 kilometre reality check, albeit most of the driving will be on highways, to show buyers what more-for-less cars are available now, or the near future.This week car companies have been jostling as they line up for the starting grid — some have still to fully show their hand but organisers say 21 cars are expected to contest the Eco Challenge while a further 38 dedicated solar-powered cars will also follow the same route the following day in their own race.This year's production car field is an eclectic mix.Hyundai Hyundai is using the Global Challenge to launch its 2010 Santa Fe wagon, promising more power and reduced fuel consumption which will attract caravan owners looking for an alternative to heavier 4WDs.Hyundai's Team R has entered two Santa Fes, one of which will be driven by CarsGuide. The wagon gets Hyundai's new R turbo diesel and a new six-speed manual transmission along with a recalibrated suspension and steering package for our tougher road conditions. A six-speed automatic will be optional. The Santa Fe goes on sale at the end of the year.Skoda Skoda will use the event to showcase its new flagship, the Superb saloon. Skoda says the 2-litre direct injection turbo diesel is capable of 5.4l/100km on the highway, meaning you can marry luxury with economy.Suzuki will use the event to showcase the ability of the tiny Alto, which the carmaker claims can travel 100 kilometres on just 3.5 litres of precious fuel on the highway. Tests in India have already shown it can do better at 3l/100km.The car is being kept on the road by a team of apprentice automotive engineers from the Melbourne's Kangan Batman TAFE college.Holden Holden and Ford will be fighting each other in the Challenge. Holden had been tipped to show of a Commodore, which like Saab, can run on 85 per cent ethanol, or a diesel, but the General will instead showcase its recently launched 3-litre Omega Sportwagon, fitted with the new SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) engine and six-speed automatic transmission.Holden won't reveal what fuel economy goal it is aiming for but it maintains the SIDI is now the most fuel efficient Aussie-built six-cylinder in the market. Holden says the engine, rated at 9.3l/10km is 13 per cent more fuel efficient than the previous motor at 10.7l/10km.Ford Ford will come out fighting with an XR6 Turbo and a Fiesta Econetic which will be launched in November and has the potential to run at 3.7l/100km. Again, Ford won’t talk about economy goals.BMW BMW is another keeping its cards close to its chest until closer to race. It will have a fleet of three diesel Mini Ds, one of which is will be driven by former Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan. The 1.6-litre Mini diesel is capable of 3.9l/100km combined and 3.5l/100km on the highway.Tesla While all eyes will be on the known brands, one entry which will likely steal the limelight will be the all electric Tesla roadster — the world's first production all-electric car which is being entered by broadband company Internode.The company's managing director Simon Hackett imported the first car to Australia recently.Kia Kia has entered two LPG electric hybrid Fortes, which have a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a small electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries — a first for a mass-production small automatic car. Kia says it can return 5.6l/100km.Based on the Cerato, the Kia Forte has the potential to make it to the Australian market next year for less than $30,000. Based on the Cerato The Forte was launched in South Korea in August and displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.NON-PRODUCTION AND EXPERIMENTAL CARS Independent team Deep Green Research has come to the party with an electric Honda.Students from South Australia's Annesley College have built a petrol/electric hybrid Holden Viva. The all-girl Annesley team has taken part in previous solar challenges but this is the first time they have entered the production car class. The students will be driving the car on the 3000km journey.Research and development company Intex is entering a four-cylinder petrol Ford Spectron Van with a retrofit hybrid system that converts the drivetrain to a plug-in hybrid electric.Absent This year Toyota is a notable non-starter after impressing in 2007 with its Prius.And there has been a late scratching with Volvo confirming it was withdrawn its two C30 DRIVe hatchbacks because they are stuck on a ship from Europe, a victim of stormy weather in the Atlantic. Volvo had high expectations for the 1.6-litre diesel which sips a claimed 3.8l/100km. The eco hatch will now be launched in Australia early next year. 

This time it's Suzuki that has been drawn into the battle.Toyota and BMW have been fighting for months over the relative benefits of diesel and hybrid cars, with everyone from Fiat to Volkswagen also trumpeting the strengths of diesel, but no-one at Suzuki expected to be caught in the crossfire. But it has happened.Toyota forced Suzuki to change the advertising for its new baby Alto to protect the position of its all-new Prius, which I have test driven for today's Carsguide.Industry insiders say the change is only minor, but Suzuki was forced to change its touting of 'Australia's most fuel-efficient petrol car' to 'Australia's most fuel-efficient non-hybrid petrol car' after a complaint by Toyota Australia.Yet, ironically, Suzuki is happy to have its $12,490 Alto compared with the $39,900 Prius.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

The research, done in conjunction with the Monash University Accident Research Centre, found some second-hand cars are five times more likely than other vehicles to cause serious injury or death if involved in an accident.In a study of over 3.6 million second-hand vehicles, the 2009 Used Car Safety Ratings backed by motoring organisations such as the RAA and RACV show a large gap between the highest-rated used cars - the 2004-2007 Volkswagen Golf and Mitsubishi's 1999-2003 Nimbus - and the worst, Suzuki's Carry from 1982-2000 and the Suzuki Alto from 1985 to 2000.RAA technical manager Mark Borlace says small and light cars are particularly problematic in the most recent survey. "Small and light cars are 13 out of 19 vehicles dominating the worst category. "Commercial vans and utes also attracted low ratings due to the high injury risk they posed to both their own occupants and other road users if involved in an accident," he says.The MUARC used car safety ratings research examined more than 3.6 million vehicles - almost 240 passenger and light commercial vehicles up to 17 years old - and 740,000 injured road users involved in road crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2006.The crash rating is based on how well protected the occupant and other road users were, including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Borlace says the best performers were mostly from Europe and Japan.None of the large-cars on the list, including a range of Australian-made large cars from Holden, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi, scored above four stars."This is a rating for the whole safety performance, both you and the other road users - the older small cars - Sherpa, Alto, Mira - the injuries to occupants get can't be offset by how well it treats everyone else.""Large cars do a lot of damage to other cars, it makes it hard for them to holistically be a good car in this rating," Borlace says. The results showed over half of the vehicles studied (118) were rated good or excellent, while more than one in 10 (25) were rated excellent."What we'd like to have happen with this rating - three out of four of us will buy a used car, not a new car - but more importantly, young people with their first car, they want something sexy and fast."But with parents helping with or funding the first purchase, what we want to see them do is use this list as their menu list for the kids, getting something that has five stars but something the kids can live with aesthetically and can afford," Borlace says.LIGHT CARS Best Performers Volkswagen Polo (1996-2000)Daihatsu Sirion (1998-2004)Honda Barina XC (2001-2006)Mazda 121 (1997-2002)Mazda 2 (2002-2007)Worst Performers Suzuki Alto (1985-2000)Subaru Sherpa (1989-1992)Daihatsu Mira (1990-1996)Holden Barina (1989-1999)Nissan Micra (1995-1997)SMALL CARS Best performers Chrysler Neon (1996-1999)Ford Focus (2005-2007)Mazda MX5/Eunos Roadster (1998-2005)Peugeot 307 (2001-2007)Volkswagen Golf/Jetta (2004-2007)Worst performers Subaru Impreza (1993-2000)Nissan NX/NX-R (1991-1996)Mitsubishi Lancer/Mirage (1991-1992)Hyundai Excel/Accent (1995-2000)Hyundai Excel (1990-1994)MEDIUM CARS Best Performers Audi A4 (2001-2007)Ford Cougar (1999-2003)Mazda 6 (2002-20078)Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2000-2007)Honda Accord Euro (2003-2007)Worst Performers Nissan Pintara/Ford Coursair (1989-1992)Volvo 200 Series (1982-1993)Toyota Celica (1990-1999)Toyota Camry/Holden Apollo (1988-1997)Subaru Liberty/Outback (1994-1998)LARGE CARS Best Performers Ford Fairlane/LTD (1998-2002)Ford Falcon BA/BF (2002-2007)Holden Statesman/Caprice (1999-2003)Holden Commodore VY/VZ (2002-2007)Holden Commodore VE (2006-2007)Worst Performers Volvo 850/S70/V70/C70 (1992-2005)Toyota Camry (1998-2002)Nissan Maxima (1990-1994)Mitsubishi Magna (1991-2003)Hyundai Sonata (1989-1997)UTES Best Performers Ford Falcon BA/BF (2003-2007)Holden Rodeo (2003-2007)Mitsubishi Triton MK (1996-2006)Nissan Navara ( 1997-2005)Toyota HiLux (2003-2007)Worst Performers Toyota 4Runner/HiLux (1989-1997)Subaru Brumby (1982-1992)Kia Ceres (1992-2000)Holden/Isuzu Rodeo/Pickup (1989-1995)Toyota HiLux (1998-2002)COMPACT 4x4s Best Performers Honda CR-V (2002-2007)Subaru Forester (1997-2002)Kia Sportage (1998-2003)Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute (2001-2006)Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)Worst Performers Daihatsu Rocky (1985-1998)Holden/Suzuki Drover/Sierra (1982-1999)Suzuki Vitara (1988-1998)Toyota RAV4 (1994-2000)Daihatsu Terios (1997-2005)