The Suzuki Ciaz has been launched in Thailand at the 2015 Bangkok International Motor Show. Built locally in Rayong (the third assembly site, after India and China), the new sedan qualifies for Phase 1 of the country’s Eco Car programme, which grants it excise duty incentives.
The Ciaz is nominally a B-segment sedan, but its dimensions are a stone’s throw away from belonging to a segment up, at 4,490 mm long, 1,730 mm wide and 1,475 mm tall, with a 2,650 mm wheelbase. This makes it the largest car to be given eco car status.
As with the Swift sold there, under the bonnet sits a 1.25 litre K12B four-cylinder petrol engine, delivering 91 PS at 6,000 rpm and 118 Nm at 4,800 rpm, mated to a either a five-speed manual or a CVT. Fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions figures have yet to be released, but they should slide under 5 litres per 100 km and 120 grams per kilometre respectively, both required for Phase 1 qualification.
This differs from the powerplants used in other markets – a 95 PS/130 Nm 1.4 litre petrol engine or a 1.3 litre DDiS turbodiesel in India, and a 121 hp/158 Nm 1.6 litre petrol in China (where it is badged the Alivio).
Prices have yet to be confirmed, but sources have been bandying a price range of between 500,000-680,000 baht (RM56,300-RM76,600). More information on the Suzuki Ciaz will be revealed when the car goes on sale in Thailand later this year.
