Mild-hybrid Suzuki Swift Sport a no-go for South Africa

Suzuki Auto South Africa has confirmed that the local market Swift Sport won’t be following the example set by the model in the United Kingdom in receiving a mild-hybrid powertrain.

Back in March, the automaker made its 48-volt mild-hybrid system available on the Sport in order to reduce emissions in preparation for the Euro 7 regulations that require a corporate manufacturer fleet average of 95 g/km.

Dubbed ‘Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki’, or SHVS, the inclusion of the system has however resulted in the 1.4 Boosterjet engine’s output dropping from 103 kW to 96 kW and torque increasing by five newton metres to 235 Nm. Equipped with the six-speed manual gearbox, the 15 kg added by the SHVS has resulted in the claimed top speed falling by 20 km/h to 210 km/h, and increased the benchmark 0-100 km/h sprint by 1.1 seconds to 9.1 seconds.

Media Liaison for Suzuki Auto South Africa, Toni Herbst, has indicated that the hybrid doesn’t form part of Hamamatsu’s plans for South Africa’s Sport anytime soon.

“The current K14C Boosterjet engine will remain in our local Swift Sport line-up and this is largely due to the added cost of this new powerplant that would in turn raise the cost of the Swift Sport,” Herbst said.

She also remarked that consideration would only be given “if government regulations are amended to provide better assistance for mild-hybrid vehicles”.

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