Suzuki Swift Sport Extreme muscles up

Meet the Suzuki Swift Sport Extreme concept: a lower, wider, angrier little hot hatch that could signal Suzuki's intent to test the waters for a limited-edition scorcher.

Revealed at the Thailand international motor expo earlier this month, the Swift Sport Extreme concept is without doubt one of the most aggressively-styled hot hatches ever assembled by Suzuki, featuring the sort of butch bodywork to rival the visuals of the MINI JCW GP and Toyota Yaris GR-4.

Up front a completely redesigned front apron is in evidence, featuring a smaller grille but a wider lower air-dam and front lip spoiler with red pinstripe. Because red pinstriping makes you go faster. Just look at the Honda Civic Type R.

Pumped-up black wheel-arches and lowered suspension conspire to envelop larger alloy wheels, giving the Suzuki Swift a tougher stance, and also fitted are matching side skirts (with red pinstripe, naturally) and a new rear apron with mini diffuser and square exhaust outlets.

While the brake package looks a little meek behind the giant wheels and low-profile tyres, the front rotors are cross-drilled, which should improve stopping power.

The upgraded bodywork is topped off with twin rear spoilers -- one at the top of the tailgate and one below the rear windscreen.

Suzuki has also seen fit to add a new bonnet – and this is where it gets interesting, since there's a power bulge in the middle flanked by two vents. Such a design is often a tell-tale sign of something potent lurking beneath.

Suzuki has not revealed tech specs for the Suzuki Swift Sport Extreme concept but for what it's worth the regular Swift Sport's 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-pot bangs out 103kW/230Nm.

It would need to develop around 150kW and 300Nm to be taken seriously alongside models like the Renault Clio RS.

If nothing else, the Extreme concept shows there's growing intent within Suzuki to dial up its hot hatch offerings, but whether it involves just bodywork or the full chassis and powertrain treatment remains to be seen.