Suzuki announces changes to range

From next year the Suzuki Swift SZ4 will be available with a economical 1.2-litre petrol engine that qualifies for free road tax and is 16 per cent more efficient than the current 1.2-litre engine. Buyers will have the option to pay a £500 premium for the model with the more frugal engine.

It uses clever technology to return 65.7mpg – 9.2mpg better than the cheaper 1.2-litre engine – while CO2 emissions of 99g/km (instead of 116g/km) equate to a £30 saving on road tax. Although power is down slightly – from 93bhp to 89bhp – changes to the way the car delivers its power and a revised gearbox mean it shouldn't feel any slower.

The Suzuki Swift has proved a hit here in the UK, with 90,000 sold since May 2005, but other models are coming towards the end of their life and the Suzuki Grand Vitara, Suzuki Alto and Suzuki Splash will all cease to be sold in the UK.

Current Grand Vitara stock is set to run out by the end of the year and won’t be replenished, although the Vitara name will live on in a small SUV to be launched at the Paris Motor Show. The Splash won’t make it past the start of next year, while the Alto – which was the company's bestseller last year, with 13,000 units – bows out in the spring to make way for the new Suzuki Celerio.

Suzuki was the second fastest growing brand in the UK last year, with sales swelling by 33 per cent on top of a 20 per cent increase in 2012.

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