SCOOP: New Suzuki Swift Spied at the Nurburgring

Our spy photographers have scooped the next generation of the Suzuki Swift supermini during testing at the Nurburgring race circuit in Germany.

Even though the Japanese automaker's people did a pretty good job of bagging the prototype, it's not hard to see that the new Swift will keep its MINI-like design feel. However, the pictures suggest that it will boast larger and more prominent head- and tail lamps.

We don't have any details about the powertrain options, but buyers should expect a range of mainstream four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, as well as a more potent unit for the flagship Sport model.

It remains to be seen if Suzuki's recent tie-up with the Volkswagen Group will affect the powertrain offerings in the new Swift.

It is expected that the 2011 Suzuki Swift will be launched in production form at this year's Paris Motor Show in early September, with sales to start in Europe and other parts of the world by early 2011.

From what we've heard, there's also a strong possibility that Suzuki may bring the new Swift to North America where it will compete head on with the likes of the Toyota Yaris and the forthcoming 2011 Chevrolet Aveo.

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Suzuki Swift Sport "Rock at the 'Ring" Special Edition

Being one of the chief sponsors of the "2010 Rock am Ring" ('Rock at the Ring') music festival that takes place - you guessed it - at the Nürburgring race track in early June, Suzuki's German division decided to release a limited edition version of its funky Swift Sport dedicated to the summer event.

The special edition Swift Sport gets "Rock am Ring" branded logos inside and out along with a new entertainment system that comprises of a Clarion navigation system (TMC) with a 6.9-inch color display, 30GB of storage for music, an iPod adapter and more powerful speakers.

There are no other changes to the Swift Sport that is powered by a 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated four with 125HP propelling the supermini from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.9 seconds and on to a maximum velocity of 200km/h (124mph) while returning a combined fuel economy of 7.0lt/100km (33.6mpg US) with 165g/km of CO2.

The Swift Sport "Rock am Ring" will be offered with a choice of three exterior colors - "White Pearl Metallic", "Cosmic Black Pearl Metallic" and "Supreme Red Pearl Metallic".

Production will be limited to 700 units with sales set to start in April at a price of €17,990.

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European Suzuki Kizashi Sedan to Bow at Geneva Motor Show

At this year's International Motor Show in Geneva in the beginning of March, Suzuki will unveil the European market version of its new Kizashi saloon that's already on sale in North America and Japan. In Europe, Suzuki's mid-size sedan will play in the D-segment rivaling cars such as the Ford Mondeo, Citroen C5, Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Opel Insignia.

The company said that it will offer the Kizashi with all-wheel drive as standard while power will be provided by the same 2.4-liter gasoline engine used on the N.A.-spec model.

The four-cylinder unit churns out 185 HP when linked to a six-speed manual gearbox and 178HP when mated to a CVT.

The Japanese maker is also planning to expand the Kizashi's range in the very near future with a more powerful V6 petrol engine as well as a hybrid version, though it is not clear if these variants will make it to Europe.

We don't know yet if it's technically feasible (and economically viable), but Suzuki's recent tie up with Volkswagen could see the Kizashi sedan being offered with a much-needed in Europe, diesel engine sourced from the German Group.

Together with the Kizashi, Suzuki will also display in Geneva the Swift Plug-in Hybrid that was first introduced at last fall's Tokyo Motor Show as well as new variants of the three-and five-door Grand Vitara with a redesigned rear hatch that does away with the spare tire box.

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Tokyo '09: Suzuki Showcases Swift Plug in-Hybrid and SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki exhibited its latest 'green' concept studies for the future including a Swift with Plug-in Hybrid and an SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). The hybrid version of the Swift is a supermini aimed at city dwellers that travel around 20 km (about 13 miles) a day and has been designed to be driven primarily on electric power.

It is equipped with 600cc engine that is used to charge a lithium-ion battery that powers an electric motor if capacity level drops. The batter can also be charged through any domestic plug socket.

Suzuki did not release any performance or fuel economy figures nor did it say if it intends to produce the Swift Plug-in Hybrid in the future.

The other 'green' study on display at Suzuki's Tokyo Motor Show booth is the is the SX4 FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) which combines a General Motors-sourced high performance fuel cell with a Suzuki developed high pressure hydrogen tank and a compact capacitor that is used to recover energy during braking and using it to reduce fuel cell loading under acceleration.

The SX4 FCV is currently under test on public roads in Japan as Suzuki plans to to commercialize the car in the near future.

Suzuki Swift Plug-in Hybrid

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Suzuki SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle

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New Special Edition Suzuki Swift SZ-L, Production Limited to 500 Units

Suzuki is enhancing its UK line-up with the introduction of a special edition model to the Swift range called the SZ-L. Based on the five-door model with the 1.3-liter petrol engine, the SZ-L gets a higher level of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, pearlescent or metallic paint, 15-inch alloy wheels, electrically retractable exterior mirrors, side protection mouldings, specific floor mats and chrome finish for the exterior door handles, front grille and rear tailgate trim.

Furthermore, chrome bezels are added to the instrument gauges while the door trims and audio surround have aluminum effect detailing.

Suzuki offers the special edition Swift in four colors, Cool White Pearl, Cosmic Black Pearl, Supreme Red Pearl and Silky Silver metallic. The Swift SZ-L will be produced in a limited run of 500 units with prices set at £10,250.

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