At launch, this tiny Japanese kei car cost less than half of what the cheapest American new car — a Ford Pinto — sold for, and it became an instant "micro sensation" because of it.
Median 62 hp across 128 similar cars
Lead trim: 543 cc F5A (SS40)
Suzuki Alto SS30 / SS40SS30/SS40 · 1979–1984
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Suzuki Alto SS30 / SS40 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAt launch, this tiny Japanese kei car cost less than half of what the cheapest American new car — a Ford Pinto — sold for, and it became an instant "micro sensation" because of it.
The first Alto, introduced in May 1979 as a three-door cargo version of the Fronte with a folding rear seat. It was a "micro sensation" thanks to its ¥470,000 price, made possible by Japanese concessions for commercial vehicles, and changed the kei-car market. It launched with the T5B two-stroke 539 cc three-cylinder; the four-stroke F5A from the Fronte was added in January 1981.
Collectors Spotted in the Suzuki Alto Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Suzuki Alto yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 539 cc T5B two-stroke (SS30) | 1979–1984 | 0.5 L Inline-3 | 28 hp | 38 lb-ft | — | — | manual | — |
| 543 cc F5A (SS40) | 1981–1984 | 0.5 L Inline-3 | 28 hp | 30 lb-ft | — | — | manual | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The ninth Alto mild hybrid was the first kei car to reach 95% of Japan's 2030 fuel economy standard, at 27.7 km/L on the WLTC cycle.
Built in Pakistan to full Japanese kei dimensions, this Alto became Suzuki's first kei-size car exported from an overseas plant, to Brunei in 2026.
Owners logged 22.6 km/L in the Alto Eco, topping the Toyota Aqua hybrid for the best real-world economy in the 2013-2014 e-Nenpi Awards.
This Alto brought back a five-door van after 16 years, offered in one colour, Superior White, with chip-proof white resin bumpers.
Suzuki killed every turbo Alto in a December 2000 facelift, leaving just naturally aspirated engines.
Most of the world never got this Alto at all: while Japan drove the real HA11/HA21, export markets were sold a totally different car wearing the same badge, an Indian-built Maruti Zen.
Suzuki put sliding doors on BOTH sides of a kei car in 1988, decades before minivans made it a trend — the aptly named "Slide Slim" was built for Japan's tightest parking spaces.
This generation's 1987 Alto Works was so powerful for a kei car that it forced Japan to create an official output cap — a 64 PS legal limit still in force on kei cars today.
At launch, this tiny Japanese kei car cost less than half of what the cheapest American new car — a Ford Pinto — sold for, and it became an instant "micro sensation" because of it.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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