Suzuki has unveiled the Alivio sedan at the 2014 Guangzhou Auto Show. It was unveiled in concept form around the same time the Ciaz was unveiled as a concept car and appears to have followed a similar path of development.
Essentially a Chinese version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, it has the same external design right down to the chrome bits on the rear of the car. The only noticeable change is the added chrome on the fog lamp housing as well as the reflectors in the rear. The Alivio is a tad bit longer than the Ciaz but has the same wheelbase.
It appears that Suzuki wanted to keep costs in check and so both cars have exactly the same interior though by the look of it, the Alivio has a few more features and obviously added safety features to comply with Chinese regulations.
The Chinese markets get the Alivio with two petrol engine options - a 1.6-litre four pot motor and a 1.4-litre four pot motor. The former produces 120bhp while the latter powers the petrol version in India but produces 100bhp for China as compared to its Indian counterpart which produces 91bhp. Power is sent to the front wheels via a four-speed AT or a five-speed manual.
The Ciaz has been a major success for the Indo-Japanese automaker beating its main rival the Honda City in just a month. The car is expected to play a crucial role for the automaker as it is their ticket to moving into more premium segments in the Indian market. We believe that Suzuki is playing such a strategy for the Chinese market too.
Pictures and source:CarNewsChina