Suzuki-Maruti A-Star Concept Car

The Concept A-Star is the first concept car with which designers from Maruti Suzuki India's research-and-development division have been involved from the beginning of styling development. As such, it's an excellent showcase of Maruti Suzuki India's capabilities.

The production model that inherits some of the design themes of the Concept A-Star will be built at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant and sold mainly in Europe but also in India and other countries.

As a hint at the design of Suzuki's fifth world strategic car, the Concept A-Star has sporty, highly distinctive European styling with an added Indian touch;

lively performance within a body that's amply sized for a European city car; and superior aerodynamics and a high-efficiency 1.0-litre engine for outstanding fuel economy.

SMC's fifth world strategic car is the second model in the second phase of our world strategy. The theme of this phase is families, so the design embodies a focus on delivering comfort and freedom to all family members. At the same time, it's faithful to the sporty spirit that's communicated by the Suzuki "Way of Life!" brand slogan. As the smallest of SMC's world strategic models, it also has excellent environmental credentials.

In the Concept A-Star, sportiness is embodied by styling in which dynamic-looking body contours communicate the Suzuki sports DNA and boldly flared fenders and extra-large wheels hint at strong dynamic capabilities. The styling includes pink accents that allude to the forthcoming production model's main target customers.

A chassis that enables lively handling is combined with a body that's compact enough for manoeuvrability around town but amply sized for a city car. Also, the Concept A-Star has aerodynamically efficient body contours and a high-efficiency 1.0-litre engine for outstanding fuel economy. Overall, the Concept A-Star shows that environmental compatibility and safety can be delivered with no sacrifice in style and performance.

Exterior :

• Body styling that communicates a smart, active, fun-to-drive character with compact elegance
• Expressions of Japanese and Indian culture
• Unique front face
• Side view that conveys a sense of dynamism even when the car is stationary
• Unconventional lighting with an element of surprise
• The Concept A-Star's exterior design theme is "a smart, active, and fun-to-drive vehicle". This theme is reflected in hand-crafted details, in expressions of Japanese and Indian culture, and in an elegantly sculpted body with slick surfaces.

At the rear, two pairs of arched lamps combine traditional motifs with an element of surprise. (One of the pairs of lamps is distinguishable only when illuminated.) An unconventional high-mount stop lamp has a Suzuki "S" badge embedded in it like a jewel. Nearer the bottom edge, integrated dual exhaust tailpipes and a rear diffuser convey a sense of performance.

Interior

• Cabin styling that communicates sportiness and friendliness
• Sleek, wing-like, floating-look instrument panel
• Controls and central display designed to heighten excitement
• Unique pink illumination
• Materials, textures, shapes, and colours evoking an emotional high

The interior design theme is "giving the user a captivating and exhilarating driving experience". The design communicates sportiness and friendliness through floating-look elements, convex surfaces, sweeping lines, and pink illumination. And throughout the cabin, materials, textures, shapes, and colours are combined in ways that evoke an emotional high.

The most significant interior design feature is a sleek, wing-like instrument panel. A recess below the instrument panel creates a look of lightness and space, and pink lighting in the recess makes the instrument panel look as though it's floating. A translucent hood over the speedometer complements the floating look.

A central liquid-crystal display with audio, climate, and navigation controls adds to the driver's excitement. The steering wheel incorporates controls for the liquid-crystal display, turn signals, headlamps, and wipers. And the gear knob, the engine-start button, and the base of the gearshift lever are designed to add touches of sportiness.

Also, a sporty, dynamic character is communicated by black leather seats with pink trim accents, by long, sweeping curves on the door trim, and by aluminium pedals with functional graphics.