Beijing Auto Show: Suzuki Showcases Alivio Concept aka Ciaz

Suzuki unveiled a new sedan concept at the ongoing Beijing Auto Show 2014.

The mid-sized sedan concept dubbed Alivio is the near production version of Maruti Ciaz, which was unveiled earlier at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo in India. The Suzuki's Alivio Concept measures 4545mm in length, 1475mm in height, 1730mm in width and has a wheelbase of 2650mm.

Based on the Suzuki Authentics concept car, which was displayed at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, Suzuki's Alivio sedan draws power from 1.6-litre DOHC 4-cylinder petrol engine and comes mated to six-speed automatic transmission. Alivio looks spacious and stylish in its design.

In India, the new sedan Ciaz will pack the same 1.3 liter Multijet diesel or 1.4 liter K Series petrol engine of Ertiga under the hood, and is expected to carry some of the features of both SX4 and Ertiga. The car is likely to be introduced as a replacement of the underperforming SX4 sedan in the country by July this year. Other speculated features of the car include 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, push button start, puddle lamps and leather seats.

Talking about the safety features of the new Ciaz, it is likely to come with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and the car will be a rival of Hyundai's Verna, Honda's City and Volkswagen's Vento in the domestic market. Previous reports suggested that the Maruti's upcoming Ciaz is likely to fall in the price brackets of 7.2 lakh to 10.5 lakh.

Ciaz has been spotted testing in India on number of occasions; however, Maruti is still mum on the launch of the car in the country. Rumours also suggest that Maruti is also developing an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) version of the Ciaz for India, after seeing the overwhelming response for Maruti Celerio AMT.

(Ed: AJ)