New Suzuki Swift gets a concept car preview
A new Swift is coming and fresh images give us our most detailed look yet
The new, fourth-generation Suzuki Swift will be previewed by a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show and as we can see from these new pictures, the ‘Swift Concept’ should be pretty close to production-ready.
Suzuki plans on unveiling a suite of new vehicles with several ‘Kei’ car concepts, as the maker presents “diverse initiatives toward a carbon-neutral future”. Alongside an SUV called the eVX which will become Suzuki’s first all-electric car, the Japanese brand will showcase the all-new Swift, which we expect to arrive in the UK sometime in 2024.
The design is certainly evolutionary over the outgoing Swift. The floating roof effect given off by the blacked-out A-pillar remains but this now extends right around the window line of the car and on the roof and the wing mirrors to give it a sleeker look. The Swift traditionally featured rounded surfacing but with the new car there’s a slightly more aggressive shoulder line that flows into the curved, clamshell-like bonnet.
This is the first time we’ve seen the rear of the Swift Concept and here we can see a new design of the rear lights, although the cluster shape and position isn’t too dissimilar from the current Swift. There’s also a roof spoiler and a visible rear-view camera jutting out from the bootlid.
We’re also getting our first look inside the Swift Concept and it’s markedly different from the current model’s cabin. The steering wheel looks unchanged but elsewhere the central touchscreen has been repositioned to the top of the reshaped dash with physical climate control buttons sitting underneath.There’s even a CD player below, although we’ll wait and see if this comes on UK models.
Ahead of the driver the tachometer and speedometer are new, with a more simplistic design and the engine start/stop button remains on the right hand side of the steering wheel. The automatic gear selector also looks unchanged from the current car.
We expect the new Swift to be offered as a mild-hybrid only - like the current model. The new car should use the same HEARTECT platform which allows for 48-volt hybrid power. The rear image of the Swift Concept also features a ‘HYBRID’ badge.
Elsewhere, Suzuki is teeing up an updated version of the eVX – a 310-mile EV concept unveiled at Auto Expo 2023 in India earlier this year. This 4.3m-long electric car’s design is said to have evolved slightly, while Suzuki will also use the Tokyo show to reveal the 4x4’s interior for the first time. The manufacturer says the eVX will offer a “true Suzuki SUV driving experience by further evolving the electronically-controlled 4x4 technologies”.
The third car of interest is the Suzuki eWX – a small electric concept car that conforms with Japan’s stringent Kei car regulations. That means it measures less than 3.4m long and 1.48m wide, with Suzuki claiming the eWX “supports people’s daily lives” with compact dimensions and “light and user-friendly cabin space”. The maker is claiming a 230km (143-mile) range.
Suzuki will also show a series of additional Kei concepts – also targeted at the Japanese domestic market. These include the Spacia Concept and Spacia Custom Concept, as well as the e EVERY CONCEPT, a dinky battery-electric van jointly developed with Toyota. Featuring vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, this model is capable of a claimed 124-mile range.
Completing Suzuki’s line-up on its show stand will be a variety of mobility solutions; a motorised wheelchair and the four-legged MOQBA, which is capable of climbing steps. The brand will also present a selection of prototype mopeds and the Suzuki GO! – a joystick-operated rideable walking frame.
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