Suzuki announces new Swift

Suzuki has taken the wraps off its new, slightly larger, third-generation Swift. Like its predecessor, it will be built at the company's plant in Hungary.

The latest Swift enjoys a strong inheritance from the out-going version, which won a something of a following as a nippy, cheaper alternative to BMW's Mini. The new car has a slightly smaller petrol engine – 1.2 litres as opposed to the previous 1.3 – but still enjoys improved power, torque and fuel consumption. CO2 emissions in official tests are down, too, from 140g/km to 116g/km for the manual version.

Suzuki concluded a strategic partnership with Volkswagen last year, which has seen VW acquire a 19.9% stake in the Japanese company; while this change will probably have come far too late to affect the development of the Swift, it will be interesting to see whether future Suzukis are drawn into the German manufacturer's giant platform-sharing scheme.

The new Swift goes on sale in the UK in the autumn, and prices will be announced nearer the time; a 1.3 litre diesel version will join the range early next year.