Suzuki is leading the way in terms of affordable cars in South Africa. Most of their vehicles are compact, even the highly popular Suzuki Jimny, which makes them less expensive to manufacture and to buy. The Japanese brand has just launched its updated Celerio in South Africa – improving what was already a sought-after, affordable five-door hatchback.
The new model seems to be more spacious, zippy and fuel-efficient than the old one, so it’s likely to be a good seller in South Africa, especially among first-time buyers. The designers wanted a car that is safe and fuel-efficient, yet still full of more luxurious features than is typically found in this segment.
“That is why we pay so much attention to the design and specification of this model, to ensure that it perfectly exemplifies our ethos of efficiency, durability and value-for-money in a compact package,” explains Suzuki Auto South Africa brand and marketing manager, Brendon Carpenter.
Suzuki is an indirect customer of Formex; the automotive components and assemblies that we manufacture are sold to Tier 1 suppliers that deal with Suzuki. Our parts are installed on these vehicles, so it’s always exciting to witness the launch of new models in South Africa, including the new Celerio.
Suzuki Celerio design
The brand-new Suzuki Celerio is a lot more rounded than the outgoing model, with more curves and softer edges. The old model was quite angular, especially in the headlights. The new Celerio has headlights that are shaped like butterfly wings and a fully-redesigned interior with more technology.
The deep oval grill with the single chrome line that links the headlights to the Suzuki emblem is a far more distinctive feature of the front end of the new car. It also creates a more unified design with the black intake on the lower bumper, which wraps around the fog lamps.
At the rear, the taillights are also less angular than on the old model. This creates a more balanced design with equal top and bottom weighting; the old Celerio looked slightly bottom-heavy because its taillights were pointed down and inwards.
The sides of the new model are also more rounded and deeply sculpted. A deep bulge on the lower part of the doors makes the car look more planted. The old model had a sharp shoulder line extending from the front wheel arch to the taillights, which gave the car the appearance of being slightly raised.
Inside, everything is a lot more interesting to look at and more spacious on the new Celerio. The steering wheel has a silver ‘V’ at the bottom and integrated control buttons on the left-hand side. The shift lever is an interesting and quirky hollow trapezoid. Higher up, the new car has a 6.2-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. While the old Celerio has a utilitarian interior, the new one features more design elements and is simply a nicer place to sit.
New engine technology
The new Celerio comes with Suzuki’s DualJet technology; a multipoint fuel injection system that uses two injectors per cylinder. This creates more efficient combustion and improves the fuel-efficiency. The new Celerio has an average consumption of 4.2 litres per 100km (or 23.8km per litre), which makes it the most fuel-efficient five-door hatch available in South Africa!
The engine is a three-cylinder, 1.0 litre that generates about 50kW (67hp) and 89 Nm of torque, which is practically the same as the old engine. However, with better efficiency and responsiveness, the new car is better to drive and easier to own. It also comes standard with an auto stop-start system that turns the engine off when the car is stationary to conserve fuel.
The new Celerio provides the choice between a five-speed manual gearbox and an automated gearshift transmission (AGT). This is the same automatic transmission that’s used on the new Dzire. Underneath the bodywork, the chassis is more rigid and offers improved impact protection, despite being lighter than the old chassis.
Pricing and final thoughts
The new Suzuki Celerio is available in South Africa for the following prices:
- 1.0 GA manual – R178 900
- 1.0 GL manual – R198 900
- 1.0 GL auto – R213 900
These all include a five-year/200 000km warranty and a two-year/30 000km service plan. The new Celerio is an affordable five-door hatch that is in a league of its own when it comes to value for money and fuel economy. Suzuki is already dominating the affordable segments and the new Celerio is likely to be a top-seller in its class. For more information about our components and products, please contact us today.
Formex Industries is a metal forming and assembly company that supplies a variety of complex products to the local automotive industry and the export market. The company is based in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropole, South Africa’s foremost region for automotive manufacturing and export.
Formex is a Level 2 B-BBEE supplier. The company is owned by Deneb Investments Limited – a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) – one of South Africa’s biggest true B-BBEE companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
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