Team-BHP reader spots the 2014 Suzuki Alto/A-Star (YL7)

Maruti Suzuki is likely to launch the 2014 Alto/A-Star replacement at next year's Indian Auto Expo. In line with this development, the on-road testing of this car has begun in full earnest here. Team-BHP reader Rishabh Jaiswal has spotted the 2014 Alto testing in the northern part of the country. In India, the 2014 Alto (code-named the YL7) is likely to be positioned as the replacement to the A-Star and the Estilo hatchbacks. Globally, Suzuki will replace the current A-Star/Alto with the next generation model. 

Also, Suzuki sells the current Alto/A-Star under the Nissan Pixo and Suzuki Celerio badges. These cars too, are likely to be replaced by the next-gen 2014 Alto, which is now in its 8th generation. In the Japanese car market, the 2014 Alto will be available with a 660 cc, 3 cylinder petrol engine that outputs 52 Bhp-63 Nm. In the Indian car market, the 1 liter K-Series petrol engine, currently powering a range of cars such as the Alto K10, A-Star and WagonR could be used on the 2014 Alto. 

Fuel saving and emission cutting technologies such as a start-stop system and brake energy regeneration is standard on the Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) of the 2014 Suzuki Alto, which is touted to deliver as much as 33 Kmpl in the Japanese driving cycle. It'll be interesting to see whether Maruti Suzuki would introduce these features on the India-spec 2014 Alto given the fact that India is a country where high fuel efficiency is a major selling factor.

Maruti Suzuki's 800 cc twin cylinder, turbo diesel engine, currently under development for use first in the Y9T pick up truck, could eventually make it to the 2014 Alto's engine bay. This turbo diesel engine is likely to be used in cars such as the 2014 Alto and the WagonR after 2015. The 2014 Alto features a tall boy design, and is also expected to feature more space on the inside. Lack of space on the A-Star's rear seat has been a major deterrent to the car's fortunes in India. The new model is expected to address this issue.

Also, the 2014 Alto is likely to spawn a compact sedan variant. The compact sedan version of the 2014 Alto will under cut the Maruti Suzuki Dzire in terms of price and positioning. If Maruti Suzuki indeed launches the compact sedan version of the 2014 Alto, the car could be the world's least priced sedan offering from a mainstream car maker.