Suzuki boss Tony Devers says the Swift S, with its bigger wheels, rear wing and impressive air cooling vents and body work could be here within a year. “This shows that driving a compact car does not mean having to settle for less,” he says.
While the Swift S may arrive within a year, the Kizashi turbo concept - shown last year at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney - is still a long way off. Devers says the concept was driven by Australia and had been further developed with an American company with a new “refined” turbo.
“We’ve got to prove a point to headquarters that we need a turbo,” he says. “To get new customers to the Kizashi we need more power.”
Devers says Suzuki has recorded its biggest-selling month in June and is heading for 25,000 sales this year. He says the company has gone from 10,000 sales in 2004 to over 25,000 and doubled its market share.
Swift remains the biggest seller, but is now joined by strong sales in the Alto. However, Devers says the one-litre three-cylinder will not enter a price war with the new Chinese models.
“We’ve just had our two best months of sales of Alto,” he says. “We pioneered this segment and are happy where we are now. “There will be no price war. “We believe our pricing is great value. Price is a key but so is safety and quality.”
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