First pix: New Swift

It carries over some visual cues, but the next Suzuki Swift will be more than just a facelift. Larger overall, but particularly in length, the new Swift will adopt higher-strength steel in greater measure to reduce weight and enhance safety. Suzuki claims that the new car will be stiffer in the bodyshell, as well as lighter.

Expected to improve on the current Swift's cornering prowess, the new car will ride on a wider track and longer wheelbase -- and feature lower-profile tyres on larger diameter wheels.

The images show the car that European markets will get, built in Suzuki's Hungarian plant. In European specification, the Swift will be powered by a choice of 1.2-litre petrol engine or 1.3-litre diesel.

General Manager for Suzuki Australia, Tony Devers, warned that the third-generation Swift could be as long as 12 months away from a local launch.

"We are very excited about the preliminary release of the new car, but we are still some way off finalising the Australian version of the next Swift," he was quoted as saying in a press release.

"The new Swift doesn't go on sale here until the first half of next year, so we still have some development time to work through. I can confirm the Australian-specification Swift will offer even better performance and economy than the current benchmark model."

Dimensions for the new car (with variance from the existing Swift in brackets) are as follows: Length 3850mm (+90mm), Width 1695mm (+5mm), Height 1510mm (+10mm), Wheelbase 2430mm (+50mm), Front track 1480mm (+10mm) and Rear track 1485mm (+5mm).

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