Meet the Suzuki Waku SPO: The retro-styled "excitement" machine ready to tackle the Honda e

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The Suzuki Waku will be unveiled at Tokyo Auto Show.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
3 Oct 2019
2 min read

The idea of a retro-styled electrified vehicle appears to be catching in Japan, with Suzuki set to reveal the Waku SPO PHEV at the Tokyo Auto Show. 

Details remain thin on the ground for now, but we do know the Waku can apparently change its appearance with the press of a "Waku" switch (which means excitement in Japanese), which Suzuki says will "switch its body shape, front mask, and content shown on the dashboard".

Exactly what will be powering the Waku is at this point unclear, though we do know it will feature a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that will unlock pure electric driving, at least over shorter distances.

"With this one car, the family can share fun and excitement across generations, for daily use as well as for pleasure," Suzuki says. 

The Waku is only a concept for now, but if we've learned anything from the Honda e - another retro-styled and electrified vehicle that began life as a concept but has now firmed as a production reality - it's that vehicles like this Suzuki are suddenly right in fashion.

Read More: Honda e 2020 to be even more fun than it looks: Electric hatch's surprisingly sporty power outputs confirmed

While not yet confirmed for Australia, the Honda e will be available with two electric drivetrains - one capable of 100kW/315Nm and a performance version with 113kW/315Nm. Either version will be capable of around 220km of range from its 35.5kWh battery.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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