Suzuki’s compact car, slotting above the well-regarded Swift, is the Liana (called the Aerio in North America and Japan). The European model’s name is an acronym for the phrase “Life in a New Age,” which isn’t a reference to Earth-friendly alternative lifestyles or 1980s music, but rather to the Liana’s appeal to the youthful, forward thinking buyers it hopes to attract. Due to a combination of cheeky aesthetics (like the digital dash display) and a lucky break in being selected as the first “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” vehicle for the launch in 2002 of that segment on the BBC series TopGear, the Liana got a lot of attention in Europe. Despite being out of production since 2007 in most of the world, the Liana is still being produced for buyers in China and Pakistan. It’s also still being used on TopGear, occasionally being pulled out of semi-retirement when F1 drivers come to visit the TopGear Test Track.
