Assertive pricing for new Suzuki Swift

SUZUKI Australia has announced aggressive pricing for its new-generation Swift Hybrid range, with the electrified city car undercutting its main rivals by thousands of dollars – with all versions under $30K drive-away.

The new Swift Hybrid – which is in fact a mild-hybrid, but with ultra-frugal fuel-use figures – starts off from $24,490 drive-away for the entry-level Swift Hybrid with a five-speed manual transmission, while the same base spec with a CVT automatic is $26,990 drive-away.

The mid-spec Swift Hybrid Plus is $28,490 drive-away, and the flagship Hybrid GLX is $29,490 drive-away.

Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota said the brand is proud to have the entire new-gen Swift line-up play a pivotal part in the electrification of the city car segment.

“The entire product range will be under $30,000 drive-away for hybrid platform as standard from the ground up,” he said.

“I actually think that we will sell 10,000 of these per year,” he added, suggesting that the desire for an affordable hybrid in the sub-$30K segment is something that buyers have wanted for some time.

For context, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid is available in base Ascent Sport trim for $28,500 + ORCs (approximately $32,200 drive-away), and the newly launched MG 3 Hybrid+ model kicks in Excite spec from $27,990 + ORCs (approximately $30,200 drive-away).

“Today, right now, this very minute, we’ve got the cheapest hybrid in Australia, and what happens next week is what happens next week,” said Mr Pachota of the expected influx of affordable electrified rivals from competitor brands.

“And so be it – let there be another player in the game that builds more consideration for the segment – and therefore gives more opportunity for this product to be a consideration for that buyer.”

The base grade Swift Hybrid comes standard with LED headlights and daytime running lights but makes do with 15-inch steel wheels and plastic covers.

However, it does have heated door mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, cloth upholstery, a 9.0-inch touchscreen media system with standard sat nav, wired Android Auto and wired/wireless Apple CarPlay, and DAB radio.

Plus this time around there’s a digital speedo, and plenty more standard safety spec including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, traffic sign recognition, a reverse camera and rear parking sensors.

There are six airbags fitted (dual front, front side and full-length curtain).

Mid-spec Hybrid Plus is auto only, but comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, a leather steering wheel, heated front seats with a different fabric finish, driver’s seat height adjustment, USB-A and USB-C ports, and added safety kit in the form of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

And the range-topping Hybrid GLX auto gets a different set of 16-inch alloys, folding door mirrors, wireless phone charging, paddle shifters, single-zone climate control and a rear heater duct, which isn’t fitted to the higher specs.

All versions are powered by 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 12-volt mild-hybrid technology, with 61kW of power and 112Nm of torque. It has an integrated starter generator, and it pumps out 2.3kW and 60Nm and can act as an electric motor to restart or assist the engine in some situations.

Also part of the electrification is a 12 volt lithium-ion battery, and there’s also a lead-acid battery for the car’s electrics. The generator can also recharge both batteries, and it can be recharged by the engine or by regen braking.

Unusually there is a manual model available, with the five-speed version having a claimed fuel consumption of just 3.8 litres per 100km. The CVT automatic model has an official number of 4.0 litres per 100km. The vehicles run a 37-litre fuel tank but require 95RON premium unleaded.

And in keeping with the Suzuki way of doing things, both vehicles are lighter than rivals – the manual weighs just 919kg (kerb), and the CVT auto is 957kg (kerb).

Suzuki Australia has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals are every 12 months/15,000km, and you get up to five years of roadside assistance included at no cost if you maintain the car with the brand.

Through the first five months of 2024, the Swift has been the second best-selling light car in its segment, with 2365 examples registered (down 6.3 per cent year-to-date due to model change-over). It has been outsold so far by the MG3 with 4586 units, but that model has also seen a new-gen version introduced at a considerably higher price than the existing model.

In 2023 the Swift – which was more expensive in its previous guise – was the brand’s best-selling vehicle with 6914 units registered.

2024 Suzuki Swift pricing*:

*National drive-away price.