Suzuki is not the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of manufacturers to the forefront of hybrid electric, yet the manufacturer of Hamamatsu follows his merry way. Suzuki had presented at the Tokyo Motor Show 2009 version of the plug-in which Swift had the advantage of being, like the Chevrolet Volt, equipped with a series hybrid architecture. Since yesterday, this car is certified by the Japanese Ministry of Transport and therefore likely to be normally registered for use on public roads in Japan.

Suzuki has now put into circulation by the fall of 60 copies made available to dealers of the brand that will have the task of accumulating data on use in real conditions. It is unlikely however to see that Swift as is on the market quickly, especially as the Swift will have a complete model change in the coming year.

The Suzuki Swift Plugin uses a 3-cylinder 660 cm3 as a generator from the range Kei Suzuki and a 55kW electric motor that produces 180 Nm of torque. Autonomy on batteries Sanyo is only a short 15 km and the announced consumption in hybrid mode when the engine is running, is 3.9 l/100km and 2.6 l/100km mode plug-in .