The new Suzuki Swift is set to launch in South Africa “in the near future”, with the latest generation of this popular hatch powered by a “new engine”. Here’s what we know…
Suzuki Auto South Africa has finally confirmed that the new Swift is scheduled to launch locally “in the near future”, while also revealing that the popular hatchback – which has become one of Mzansi’s top-selling passenger cars in recent years – will be powered by a “new engine”.
Set to make its local premiere at the imminent 2024 Festival of Motoring in Gauteng, the AOL-generation Swift for Mzansi is again expected to be imported from Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar facility in India rather than from the brand’s domestic market of Japan.
Suzuki Auto SA describes the new-gen Swift as “brand new from rubber to roof, with a sporty new design, new engine and safety features never before offered as standard in this class of compact vehicles”.
So, what do we know about this new engine? Well, considering only a single powertrain is currently available in the Indian market, we can speculate that the SA-spec version will employ the same latest Z-Series engine as offered in the world’s most populous nation.
Displacing 1.2 litres, this fresh naturally aspirated 3-cylinder motor generates 60 kW and 5 700 rpm and 112 Nm at 4 300 rpm, peak outputs that are delivered to the front wheels via either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automated manual transmission (AMT) with the same number of cogs.
As a reminder, all derivatives in the outgoing Swift range in South Africa (bar the Japanese-built Swift Sport 1.4T models, that is) use a likewise atmospheric 1.2-litre, with similar maximum outputs of 61 kW and 113 Nm but 4 cylinders rather than 3.
According to Maruti Suzuki, the new Z-Series mill used in the Indian-market model is capable of returning a combined fuel-economy figure as low as 3.9 L/100 km when fitted with the AMT, or a similarly miserly 4.0 L/100 km in manual guise. Of course, local fuel-consumption claims have yet to be announced.
What about the safety features that Suzuki Auto SA refers to in the quote above? Well, we can again turn to the Indian market to form an idea of the safety kit likely to be offered locally. In India, for instance, all versions of the new Swift come fitted with ABS (with EBD), 6 airbags, electronic stability control, hill-hold assist and rear parking sensors, with the top-spec derivative furthermore scoring a reverse-view camera.
As a reminder, the outgoing A2L-generation Swift arrived in South Africa in mid-2018. In 2022, this model ranked 2nd place on the list of Mzansi’s best-selling passenger vehicles (behind only the Kariega-built Volkswagen Polo Vivo), with its tally of 17 282 units seeing it rocket up the table from 6th place in the prior year.
In 2023, the Swift dropped a spot to 3rd position in the passenger-vehicle rankings, with sales of the Indian-built hatchback – which was again SA’s best-selling imported vehicle overall – slipping 7.6% year on year to 15 974 units. Over the opening 7 months of 2024, meanwhile, as many as 9 708 units have been registered locally, keeping the Swift in a comfortable 3rd place.
Check back from more local information on the new Suzuki Swift as and when we find it (we’re particularly interested to see where Suzuki Auto SA will position this newcomer in relation to the outgoing version, which currently kicks off at R213 900)…
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