The Suzuki Lapin is a

kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...

with a five-door

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

body, manufactured since 2002 by

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

for the Japanese market only, and was also marketed in Japan only by

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

as Mazda Spiano under an

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

agreement through their

Autozam was a marque of Japanese automaker Mazda, specializing in small cars and Kei cars, many of which were Rebadging, rebadged Suzuki models. Autozam also briefly acted as importer of Lancia vehicles to Japan. The Autozam dealership channel is stil ...

stores until 2008. It is based on Suzuki's popular

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

kei car. The Lapin has a very distinctive, boxy shape, that apparently proved popular with female buyers. The name "Lapin" stems from the French word for "

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

", and the car sports rabbit-head badges. The Mazda version has differences concerning some styling details, including a different front end.

First-generation HE21S (2002–2008)

The first-generation Alto Lapin was introduced in January 2002 with three trims, "G","X" and "X2". The car is powered by the Suzuki's K6A ''kei car'' engine, 0.66 L naturally aspirated (40 kW / 54 hp) with either

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...

. The default transmission is a four-speed automatic. * In October 2002, Suzuki launched the "Turbo". It has a

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

44 kW (60 hp) motor and a five-speed manual option. * In September 2003, the series II model was introduced and two new versions "SS" and "L" were added. * In October 2004, the series III model was introduced and "L" discontinued. * In December 2005, the series IV model was introduced and the canvas top version was discontinued. * In April 2006, the series V model introduced and round-shape headlamps "L" added."X2" version discontinued. * In May 2007, the series VI model introduced and received new shape front grill.

Second-generation HE22S (2008–2015)

The second-generation Alto Lapin was introduced in November 2008 with four trims: "G", "X", "T" and "T L package". CVT was added and manual transmission was dropped. * In May 2010, all models got CVT and a four-speed auto was discontinued. * In August 2010, the series II model was introduced. * In May 2012, the series III model was introduced.

Third-generation HE33S (2015-present)

The third-generation Lapin was released on 3 June 2015. The derivative model called Lapin LC was released on 17 June 2022 with LC10 Fronte 360-inspired front fascia.

References

* ''(technical data in infoboxes)'' * ''The article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Japanese Wikipedia articles on the

Suzuki Alto Lapin The Suzuki Lapin is a kei car with a five-door hatchback body, manufactured since 2002 by Suzuki for the Japanese market only, and was also marketed in Japan only by Mazda as Mazda Spiano under an Original equipment manufacturer, OEM agreement t ...

as of 17 February 2007.''

External links

Suzuki Lapin at the official manufacturer's site

Mazda Spiano -- fan site
{{Suzuki vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Kei cars Hatchbacks Lapin Retro-style automobiles Cars introduced in 2002 2010s cars Vehicles with CVT transmission