FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Suzuki gives early preview of Swift Sport

Suzuki has released its first official pic of the all-new Swift Sport that's set to go head-to-head with the next Ford Fiesta ST.

Issuing a signal pic of a canary yellow Swift Sport, the Japanese car-maker hasn't released any technical details of its latest hot hatch.

All will be revealed, along with the actual car, on September 12 at the Frankfurt motor show, but the next third-gen Swift Sport is expected to offer a significant performance step-up over the current car.

That's because the new Sport is tipped to swap its old naturally-aspirated 100kW/160Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine for a turbocharged 'Boosterjet' 1.4-litre four-cylinder that currently powers the Vitara SUV.

Under the bonnet of the Swift, the new engine is thought to produce around 105kW -- but the modest increase in power hides the true story surrounding the Sport's performance gain.

That's because the new turbo pumps at a punchy 220Nm that, combined with a rumoured ker bweight of around 900kg (more than 100kg lighter than the previous-gen car), the Swift Sport will easily shave a second off the 0-100km/h time.

Expect the new Swift Sport to hit the benchmark 100km/h in around 7.2 seconds, down from the current car's 8.7sec sprint.

To help with the performance, engineers have tweaked the standard car's styling to incorporate a subtle new front splitter and side skirts. The car to be revealed at Frankfurt is also expected to come with a small rear tailgate spoiler for added stability at speed.

Featuring larger 17-inch wheels, the new Swift Sport will come with bigger brakes and a bespoke sports suspension for increased agility.

Inside, expect a pair of more supportive sport seats to complete the changes over the standard car.

The new Swift Sport will benefit from an all-new 4.2-inch touch-screen infotainment system that includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Due on sale here around early 2018, pricing is excepted to remain around $24,000.