New Suzuki Alto With Retro Looks

Often it is said that Skoda Superb has the most befitting name in the world. But I think they haven’t heard about Suzuki’s new Kei car Alto Lapin LC at all. Lapin means rabbit in French and Alto Lapin LC is just as cute as a bunny rabbit from cartoons. It strikes the right balance between retro and modern touches and neatly fits within Japan’s Kei car category.

Kei cars are a type of vehicle in Japan that are immensely popular in the island country. Kei is the smallest highway legal vehicle in Japan. They’re also called micro cars, Japanese city cars, ultra mini. It has stringent restrictions in terms of dimensions and engine capacity.

In terms of design, Lapin LC gets a smaller grille that is open and gets chrome accents and detailing for a retro touch. Above the grille, it also gets a slit for retro appeal and doubles up as air intake. Stealing the show are round headlights with projectors and an offset license plate below the grille.

From the side, reminds us of the original Mini cars, more so than present Mini cars made by BMW. It gets a set of steel wheels finished in white and gets a subtle body cladding running throughout the bottom of the car. It also gets a subtle shoulder line running across its length that will appeal to Europeans for sure. At the rear Lapin LC doesn’t get a lot of changes and stays true to Lapin.

Interiors & Launch

gets a similar interior layout as the Lapin but with some special touches. It gets a new upholstery which is a mix of brown plaid fabric and faux leather finished in chocolate shade. The headliner is now beige and also some door pad trims are beige. It also gets features like a touchscreen infotainment system, climate control and heated seats.

The dashboard is neatly laid out and radiates a retro vibe about it. The bottom part of the dash can be had with a wood effect or Dark Grey Pearl shade options on the Lapin LC. The dashboard also houses the gear selector liberating a tonne of space for front passengers instead of a central tunnel. The seating looks like it can hold 4 adults in reasonable comfort. For Kei cars, 5 is a crowd anyway.

Engine Specs

Lapin LC is like a premium variant of Alto Lapin that is specific to Japan for now. According to Suzuki, new Alto Lapin LC pays homage to Suzuki Fronte 360 from the 60s and, sticking with retro charm, it gets light green, pastel pink, pastel blue, beige and brown shades.

is powered by a 660cc 3-cylinder petrol engine making 63 around bhp and is coupled with a CVT. It is FWD but it also gets an AWD option. Pricing for the Alto Lapin LC starts from 14,09,100 Yen (Rs 8.08 lakh approx) and goes all the way to 16,46,700 Yen (Rs. 9.44 lakh approx). We would love to see cars like this in India but instead, Suzuki is keen on selling gaudy-looking cars like S-Presso.

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