Suzuki's stand at the Japan Mobility Show (JMS) is going to showcase its first-ever production electric vehicle (EV), which is currently called the eVX. It was revealed alongside other electric cars from the Japanese manufacturer, as well as a concept take on the Swift hatchback - essentially a preview of the all-new Mk4 model, due to land in showrooms in the next year or so.
The theme for the Suzuki booth at the JMS is 'answers for excitement throughout the world', so the EV concepts the manufacturer brought along were certainly varied in size and appearance. It's the eVX which is the most important, though, as it represents Suzuki's first global EV.
Up to 500km of range from eVX
Measuring 4,300mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,600mm tall, the eVX is clearly a compact crossover-SUV, the most popular type of EV going. Suzuki wants it to have the sort of off-road prowess some of its models, such as the Jimny, are fabled for, so it will have a variety of electronically controlled 4x4 technologies fitted to it.
At the moment, the company is simply saying the car will have a range of 500km to a charge, with no further details on power or battery size, but for Suzuki, production of the eVX cannot come soon enough - EVs are conspicuous by their very absence from the manufacturer's range.
A slightly more fun take on the semi-urban EV idea was the eWX, a blend of both cheekiness and the practical mini-wagon shape that is unique to Suzuki. It's a lot smaller than the eVX, measuring just 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide and 1,620mm tall. Anyone familiar with their Japanese car culture will realise those dimensions qualify the eWX for 'kei car' status, making the 230km range look pretty generous - because if it ever makes it to production, the small Suzuki would be ideal running predominantly on city streets.
Electric vans, Swift preview and flying cars
An evolution of that idea is the e Every Concept, a mini-commercial EV designed for local delivery and business work. It has been jointly developed between Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota, and it can deliver power to the grid in case of emergencies - making it doubly useful, along with its status as a zero-emissions van. It's the same length and width as the eWX, but quite a bit taller at 1,890mm, and it has a range of 200km.
The Spacia concept and Spacia Custom concept models are described by Suzuki as minicars with 'unique styling and a spacious cabin', which is another way of saying it's an evolution of the long-serving Wagon R model. Both cars are built around the idea of 'making daily lives more fun, convenient and comfortable', while bright colours and styles
The Swift Concept is less of a concept and more simply a preview of the showroom-ready Mk4 model. It will be equipped with much of Suzuki's advanced safety assist systems, like Dual Sensor Brake Support II, Adaptive High Beam System and Driver Monitoring System, while power will come from a 'high-efficiency engine which strikes a balance between driving performance and fuel efficiency'. That almost certainly suggests the next Swift will have an enhanced version of the hybrid system seen in the current model, which launched in 2017 and is coming to the end of its service life.
Finally, and this one is perhaps a few more years away from going on sale than any of Suzuki's other exhibits, the company showed off a render of its flying car, as well as a one-fifth scale model of it in the booth. Having signed an agreement with SkyDrive Inc in June 2023, Suzuki says it is aiming to manufacture flying cars in a plant in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan from spring 2024. However, the likelihood of these making it to showrooms in the near future is, well, slim.