The new Suzuki Dzire has been revealed, sporting fresh styling and new features. While it’s not yet been confirmed for SA, this small sedan seems likely to arrive in 2025…
Meet the new Suzuki Dzire. The latest version of the Japanese firm’s Indian-built small sedan adopts a fresh exterior design and various new features, further differentiating it from its Swift hatchback sibling.
Interestingly, though the new Swift recently hit the market in Mzansi, Suzuki Auto South Africa is keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to the related small saloon, opting not to confirm the freshly unveiled new Dzire – nor any other potential future products, for that matter – for the local market.
“At this stage, we are unable to provide specific details or projected launch dates for the new vehicles Suzuki Auto South Africa plans to introduce in 2025. As always, we remain committed to bringing exciting new products to the South African market, and we will share more information when we are able to do so,” Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager, Suzuki Auto SA, told Cars.co.za.
Still, considering the Dzire nameplate has carved out a healthy sales niche in Suzuki’s local line-up – initially in 2nd-generation form (when it still used the “Swift” prefix) and then in its current, standalone guise – we’d speculate a local introduction is likely to take place at some point in 2025.
Indeed, over the opening 10 months of 2024, Suzuki Auto SA registered 2 007 units of the Dzire – a model that has proven particularly popular with the local rental industry – in South Africa, hitting a high of 412 units in October. Whether or not the outgoing model (currently priced from R217 900) will continue to be sold alongside the new version, as is the case in India according to Autocar India, remains to be seen.
But back to the new Suzuki Dzire. Whip out the measuring tape and you’ll find the new model is virtually identical in size to the outgoing version, again featuring a length of 3 995 mm, a wheelbase of 2 450 mm and a width of 1 735 mm. In fact, the only change is the addition of 10 mm to the listed height, taking this figure to 1 525 mm.
Unsurprisingly, the latest version of this small saloon employs the same naturally aspirated 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine as the new Swift. In India, this Z-Series (Z12E) motor delivers 60 kW and 112 Nm to the front axle via either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automated manual transmission (AMT) with the same number of cogs. Considering the new Swift launched here with a CVT option rather than India’s AMT, it seems likely the same approach would be taken with any SA-spec Dzire.
Inside, the new Dzire’s dashboard is clearly based on that of the latest Swift, though features a dual-tone finish (combining black and beige) as well as silver-hued accents and even faux-wood textures. The Indian-spec model is furthermore available with a “segment-first” electric sunroof, a 360-degree camera system, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless smartphone charging and dedicated rear air-conditioning vents.
In the world’s most populous nation, the new Dzire ships standard with 6 airbags, electronic stability control, ABS (with EBD) and hill-hold assist. Despite having just been revealed, the sedan has already been assessed by Global NCAP, scoring 5 stars for adult-occupant safety and 4 stars for child-occupant safety, setting what the organisation describes as a “significant safety benchmark”.
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