The Suzuki Swift is a competent subcompact that the Japanese marque sells both in Japan and Europe. In the latter, the little hatchback is available with a solid 1.3-liter diesel dubbed DDIS. To make things even cleaner, Suzuki has announced that it will introduce a plug-in series hybrid version of the Swift at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, and the powertrain reminds us of nothing less than a smaller Chevrolet Volt.

The model, which is just a concept at this point, uses a 660 cc engine, probably sourced from a kei car. The engine charges the lithium-ion batteries, which are placed between the front seats – we suspect they extend into the middle of the rear seat as well. The batteries power a 54 kW motor that moves the front wheels.

Despite the lack of particpation from the major U.S. and European automakers, there is still news to be had about debuts at the upcoming Tokyo motor show.

Suzuki will be introducing a new plug-in hybrid Swift at the Tokyo show later this month (which runs October 21 to November 4).

Not much info is to be had on the Swift plug-in hybrid as no performance or output figures are available. Suzuki doesn’t even give us the displacement of the engine. The details provided say only that it will be powered by a small gasoline/petrol engine coupled to an electric motor with electrical current stored in a lithium-ion battery pack.

As a plug-in hybrid, the Swift is capable of being charged from a standard home electrical outlet. It runs on electrical power only, with the engine acting as a generator to recharge the batteries if they run low while driving.

The Suzuki Swift plug-in hybrid is still a concept and so the Japanese automaker has added certain features to distinguish it from the standard-powered production model. These include a new set of headlights and wheels for the exterior. On the inside, the Swift plug-in hybrid comes with its own cabin trim which also features lightweight seats for the driver and front passenger done in a ‘web-design’ material finish.

[Source: Suzuki/carscoop.blogspot.com]

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Hybrids/Alternative, Tokyo Motor Show, Tokyo Auto Show, Suzuki. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.