(Original written in 2019, Revised with new content on July 24th, 2024 by Ahsan Tahir)
If you look at PAMA’s production and sales report for the last five years, Alto always breaks all records. Whether it’s an MoM or YoY comparison, this car is always the winner in sales comparisons.
This is not just in Pakistan, but since the first generation, Alto has been Suzuki’s most grossing car model in Japan, India, and the UAE. Here, we’ll look at the history of Suzuki’s iconic Alto.
Creation of Suzuki Alto in Japan
In the 1970s, Japan was facing its worst crude oil crisis, followed by a trade deficit economy that exceeded $6 billion, equivalent to about $20 billion today after adjusting for inflation. Fuel shortages hit petrol pumps all over Japan, and the fuel available was too expensive for the general public.
Following the oil crisis, Japan’s car market also shrank dramatically, and people eventually stopped buying big-engine cars. All car brands were facing massive crises as most JDM manufacturers only knew how to make big-engine cars.
Suzuki was the first car brand to shift its focus from big-engine cars to tiny-engine cars. Researchers of Suzuki carried out and pointed out two things:
- Vehicles under 450k and 500k Yen budget were selling well
- A remarkable increase in yonder customers and women driver
Suzuki’s designer wanted to design a car with a tiny engine for superior fuel economy, small enough for Japan’s tight streets and practical enough for daily city driving. At the time, it was the only way that could save Suzuki from dying in the 4-wheeler market.
According to Suzuki, they spent all of their R&D efforts on this project, and the entire Suzuki company worked together to develop this car for the general public.
Finally, in May 1979, they launched a car that was small and compact enough for women to drive easily but big enough to fit a small family. The engine was 660cc, and it had superb fuel economy. It just had the essential features to keep the cost low. They named it the “Suzuki Alto.”
Suzuki set the invoice price of the Alto at only 470,000 Yen.
Alto Was the First Ever “Kei Car”
Alto quickly became a great sensation in Japan’s automobile market. It set off the trend that a 4-wheeler car can be economical and fuel efficient. Other brands also copied the same concept of Alto and later introduced their small 660cc cars just like Alto. These types of cars became a popular category, and eventually, the Japanese created a dedicated segment for these small compact cars, dubbed “Kei cars.“
Here’s the Alto generation’s history in detail:
First Generation Suzuki Alto (1979–1984):
The first generation Suzuki Alto is the car that really defined and lifted the Kei-car segment. Introduced back in May 1979, you could buy an Alto with either 3-door configuration, which came with 3-engine configurations:
- 539cc T5B
- 543cc F5A
- 796cc F8B
Cars weren’t so technologically/mechanically advanced back then, so there was no ABS or power steering. It just had a 4-speed manual transmission. The front suspension was a coil strut, and the rear had leaf springs. However, it was the cheapest car in the market at a mere $1,900 and enjoyed immense success.
Later, the car was redesign with a 796cc F8B engine and launched in Pakistan with a badge of Suzuki FX.
Second Generation Suzuki Alto (1985–1988):
Five years after the original Alto, Suzuki decided to have its successor. Though the second generation could also be bought in 3-door or 4-door, however, this time around, Suzuki made a couple of changes by removing the base 539cc T5B engine and introducing three new transmissions:
- 4/5 Speed Manual
- 2 Speed Automatic
- 3 Speed Automatic
That’s not all. A performance version featuring a turbocharged engine appeared back in 1985. However, the suspension configuration remained the same.
The car was later launched in Pakistan with a badge of “Mehran.” And remained in production for more than 20 years.
Third Generation Suzuki Alto (1988–1994):
Just four years after the release of the second-generation Alto, Suzuki once again decided to make a couple of changes to its existing model. The most considerable difference was the design. The design was quite angular, following the new design theme while being taller at the same time. Suzuki also introduced a four-door version with a sliding door to the right.
Suzuki also decided to remove the option of a two-speed manual transmission along with the 800cc engine for the export models. However, this was the beginning of a new era. The 3rd Gen Alto came with a 660cc engine, which will remain the standard for decades to come. However, this car was never built for international markets as it didn’t come with the left-hand drive option.
Fourth Generation Suzuki Alto (1994–1998):
The Alto 4th Gen was introduced to the market in 1994. The exterior design somewhat retained the look of the previous model. Though this model received no major upgrades or features, Suzuki decided to discontinue the sliding door feature, and the original 543cc engine option was also no longer available. Other than that, the performance variant of the car was still available with a turbo charger.
However, it was in March 1995 when the Alto SV model made its first appearance. Known to be the particular fuel economy model, it came with
- A/C
- Power Steering
- ABS
- Audio System
Fifth Generation Suzuki Alto (1998–2004):
Introduced in 1998, the 5th Gen Alto was a pretty good-looking car of its time. It had a reasonably modern design that still holds up quite well today regarding exterior looks. With this model, Suzuki introduced the CVT transmission along with the automatic and manual transmission options. The 5th Gen Alto was also bigger in every dimension compared to the previous generations and a lot heavier, too.
Pak Suzuki also started producing this generation in 2000 until 2012, when, due to technical reasons, the company had to stop production. However, the PKDM units were equipped with a 970cc F10A engine, and unlike the JDM variant, amenities like ABS and power steering were missing; however, A/C was luckily present. 
Sixth Generation Suzuki Alto (2004–2009):
Sixth Generation Alto was probably the most unattractive car of the series. This car was edgier and boxier, and many didn’t like the way it looked. Moreover, the turbocharged version was no longer available. The engine choice was also limited to a 660cc K6A engine. Suzuki did, however, add a lot of tech to this car, such as a UV glass panel, rear camera, and infotainment system, along with the standard techs of its time. Many of these units were imported to Pakistan, and you can find one at a reasonable price even today.
Seventh Generation Suzuki Alto (2009–2014):
Due to the fact that the people didn’t well receive the 6th generation, the 7th Gen Alto was a lot better in terms of exterior design. This generation was curvier and modern-looking and had all the amenities that were present in the previous model, along with a few new features such as eco mode and traction control. The FWD with CVT version of this car turned out to be very fuel efficient, returning an impressive 24.5km/l. Also, there was an option of a new and more powerful 998cc K10B engine along with two 658cc engines.
Eighth Generation Suzuki Alto (2014–present):
And finally, the 8th and the current Gen Alto made its official debut in 2014. The car has a retro-styled design – a throwback to the first-gen Alto (Suzuki 800). Moreover, it’s surprising how much equipment and features Suzuki managed to put in this car, such as:
- Keyless Entry
- Push Start
- Traction Control & VSC
- 2 Airbags
- Collision Alert
- Retractable Side Mirrors
Suzuki also managed to bring back the turbocharged variant for this generation, the Alto RS, which comes with bigger wheels. However, it is not available in a 3-door variant. If we talk about fuel economy, then you would be surprised to know that this car can do 24km/l, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles.
In Pakistan, the 8th generation Alto was launched in 2019 but excluded most of the tech features like keyless entry, push start, TC VSA, and Collision alert.
Since its launch, this car has broken all annual sales records, making it the most popular and demanded car by Pakistani consumers. The built quality of the PKDM Alto is less than that of the JDM version, but still, it’s the most successful car model in Pakistan to date.
If you have one of these cars, please do share your experience in the comments section below.
Suzuki FX (1st gen Alto) was technologically at-par with others at the time of tis launch. For example it came with standard front disk brakes, a trend that had started in the 70s but had not become standard.
For example Datsun, whose cars used to be popular, offered front disc brakes as an option for the 1977-1983 model 120Y. It was only in 1984, when Datsun 120Y was discontinued and Nissan Sunny B12 was launched, that front wheel disc brakes became standard on all trim levels.