Suzuki Alto facelift showcased in Chengdu

Suzuki Alto has been updated with a renewed front end design as well as some minor aesthetic enhancement at the rear. The car was showcased at Chengdu motorshow. The updated front end has lost the cheeky-look of its forebear, and Suzuki has instead smashed in a more formal looking set of lighting and bumper. 

The teardrop-shaped headlamp made way for a squarer item which extends deeper into the fender. The single large radiator grille also has been replaced with more angular item which starts higher-up in a more conventional position instead of being positioned low down as previously. Large Suzuki emblem sits prominently in the new grille.

At the back, changes are more subtle. While the pert stance remained, the cheeky bulbous rear bumper has revised, as if it was smashed from behind to be more squarer. The bumper is made more distinctive by the incorporation of black lower garnish. While there is no sheet metal change at the back, the appearance is further modified with the new rear light internals.

The interior has been updated too with the new door trim. It now incorporates a longer arm rest+power window panel that run all the way to the top section of the door trim. The China car also boasts additional color insert within the cabin to boost the cheerful image the car portrayed.

Suzuki Alto is on sale in Malaysia since August 2010. It is Indian-CBU and available in GA-spec manual (RM44,888) all the way to GXS (RM54,888). It comes in 996cc triplet cylinder and measures just 3,500mm in length. Some more photos after the jump.

Honda Civic Sedan debuted at Chengdu Auto Show 2011

It is debut again and again for Honda Civic, across many continents and a few permutation of model and variants. Maybe that's how Japanese car maker approach their product marketing, meticulously tuned and customized to specific market preference. What you see here is Honda Civic sedan, previously seen as bland USDM and slightly better looking GCC/UAE version. The China version is slightly different again, and this could point closer clue to how our Malaysian model will looks like, as the taste of these two countries are almost similar.

Two variants were launched at Chengdu for China market, the VTi and Type-S. These two variants are differentiated by engine size. The VTi is powered by 1.8l of R18A variety, with 142hp. The Type-S is powered by new 2.0l that produced 157bhp.

The VTi comes with the option of manual or automatic 5 speed gearbox, while the Type-S is only available in automatic gearbox. The car is promised to have an  improved fuel efficiency, the official quotes are 6.8l/100km for 1.8l engine and 7.4l/100km for the 2.0l lump. Importantly, the choice of engine mirror those available in Malaysia right now, so this could point to our choice of engine too.

The Type-S is marketed as sporty model and it comes with different rims, bumper treatment. The VTi is more conventional with different grille. More details after the jump.

Peugeot 308 Sedan debuted in Chengdu

While the car journalist around the globe still catching breath on the massive amount of important new car launched at Frankfurt Auto Show, Peugeot has debuted the 308 Sedan at Chengdu Auto Show. For us in Malaysia, the show nearer to home could signify a better relevance in terms of model showcased over here rather than over there. 

For years, Peugeot small sedan is comical at best. Essentially a booted hatchback, those car were poorly proportioned, and as a results, looks like a hatch, with boot grafted as afterthought. In Malaysia, we were served with Peugeot 207 sedan, essentially an old Pug 206 from year 1998 when the hatch originally launched, with boot grafted on, and underwent into cosmetic surgery to implant a Peugeot 207 face and hey presto, you have a Pug 207 Sedan, proudly launched in our shore in 2010. It even has the rear door from the hatchback model, spoiling the sedan body line entirely.

Peugeot has launched a 308 sedan in Chengdu, and this represents a shift in Asian-market thinking as far as sedan is concerned. It looks coherently integrated at the back, while the front end has been given a facelift inspired by new Peugeot 508.

The latest car side profile is way better than Peugeot previous attempt in creating a sedan from a hatchback. The boot is better integrated with the rest of the body, and the rear door is no longer awkward looking. In short, it looks like a proper sedan.