Maruti Suzuki Celerio is the new global Alto that will replace A-Star/Estilo

Snapshot: Maruti Suzuki will name the A-Star/Estilo replacement as the Celerio. In global car markets, the hatchback will be known as the Suzuki Alto.  The car will be unveiled at the upcoming 2014 Indian Auto Expo.

Maruti Suzuki’s big unveil at the upcoming 2014 Indian Auto was codenamed the YL7. The hatchback was spotted testing across the world and was only recently unveiled in concept form at last year’s Bangkok Motor Show. A replacement to the global Suzuki Alto, also known as the A-Star in India, the production version of the car codenamed the YL7 will be called the Celerio. Notably, the current-generation global Suzuki Alto/Maruti A-Star, which was sold in Spain used the Celerio moniker. In that light, the name has been around for a while now.

In India, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is likely to replace the A-Star and the Estilo, both slow sellers. Featuring a tall-boy design, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is touted to be positioned above the WagonR in terms of pricing but below the Ritz. The 1 liter K-Series petrol engine will be the prime source of power for the Celerio.

A turbo diesel engine is nowhere in the picture as of now, but could eventually add to the Celerio’s engine line up as and when Maruti Suzuki manages to put the under-development 800cc twin cylinder diesel motor into serial production.

A 5 speed manual gearbox could be standard on the Celerio with a 4 speed automatic transmission to be offered as an option, a tactic similar to the one that was adopted with the A-Star. While the Japanese domestic market (JDM) version of the Celerio (global Alto) will be powered by a 3 cylinder-660 cc petrol engine, Suzuki will also offer fuel conserving technology bits such as start-stop, low resistance tyres and brake energy regeneration on the car sold in Japan. The car is also likely feature a lower kerb weight. It remains to be seen if Maruti Suzuki will offer these fuel efficiency boosting bits on the Celerio sold here.

Spyshots courtesy Motoroids