Suzuki to show new eco concepts

Suzuki will be showing two new eco concept vehicles at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

The first will be a plug-in hybrid version of the Suzuki Swift. This is designed for motorists with lowish daily mileages of about 20km; used within this short radius of action, the car would run solely on electric power from a modern lithium-ion battery charged from the mains. For longer journeys, the hybrid Swift concept has a 660cc petrol engine. Other emerging plug-in hybrids have a larger “electric only” radius than the Swift concept, but 20km may well represent the optimum range for a Japanese city car, taking into account the cost and weight constraints, and likely patterns of use.

A second concept, a fuel-cell version of Suzuki's small SX4 SUV, will also be displayed; the fuel cell is provided by General Motors. While plug-in hybrids are almost with us, mass sales of fuel-cell vehicles are still a number of years away.