MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND - Suzuki’s collaboration with fellow Japanese carmaker Suzuki is increasingly looking like the two way street that it should be.
We recently reported that Toyota is planning to launch its Suzuki Baleno-based, Indian-built Starlet in South Africa, while the Urban Cruiser compact SUV, which is based on Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara, is also looking like a possible candidate.
But while Suzuki is building Toyotas for India and Africa, Toyota is doing the same for Suzuki in Europe, with the recently revealed Rav4-based Across SUV now being joined by a compact station wagon called the Swace.
The Swace is closely based on the Toyota Corolla, and so far it has only been revealed in wagon format. Interestingly, the vehicle adopts the same frontal design as the US-spec Corolla, which will help to differentiate it from its Toyota sibling since the Euro Corolla has a different face.
Inside, the Swace is very much a Toyota affair, barring the Suzuki badge on the steering wheel, and infotainment comes in the form of a 20cm touchscreen system with all the modern smart-phone-mirroring systems.
Only one engine option is being mentioned at this stage, and this comes in the form of a hybrid drivetrain that pairs Toyota’s normally aspirated 1.8-litre petrol unit to an electric motor.
However it remains to be seen whether European buyers will be swayed by what is essentially a Toyota with Suzuki badging - why not just buy the real thing?
At this stage it looks unlikely that the Suzuki Swace will be launched in South Africa.
