Latest news with #SuzukiAutoSouthAfrica
IOL News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- IOL News
Suzuki Auto South Africa breaks ground on new head office and distribution centre
Suzuki Auto South Africa, in partnership with real estate group Fortress, has begun construction on a new state-of-the-art head office and distribution centre at Longlake Logistics Park in Gauteng, marking a significant step in the Japanese automaker's expansion in the region. The sod-turning ceremony, held on May 21, celebrated Suzuki's 17 consecutive years of sales growth and underscored its commitment to the South African market. The 24 507m² facility, set for completion by mid-2026, will replace the company's current headquarters at Linbro Business Park. The new site will feature 19 100m² of warehousing with a 15m clear height for optimized storage, alongside 2 900m² of modern office space, training facilities, boardrooms, a workshop, and a 100-seater canteen. Designed to support efficient logistics, the facility includes large yards and easy vehicle access.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
SA's favourite small car tested: 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT
Since the start of the year, the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT has reigned supreme as the nation's best-selling passenger vehicle. And, after spending a week with the top-spec Suzi, we can confirm it's not difficult to understand why. Taking over the mantle of the people's car, it has practicality, efficiency and great value to its core. The 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT is instantly recognisable, even while the firm introduced subtle refinements to keep it fresh. Specifically, the GLX model benefits from 15-inch polished alloy wheels, LED headlights with the larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment. As a result, the new Swift's design strikes a fine balance between sturdiness and youthful appeal. A neat and tidy interior with everything where you expect to find it. Image: Suzuki Likewise, its compact footprint (3 840-mm long and 1 735-mm wide) ensures it's an ideal urban runaround. Tight parking spaces hold no mystery and, somehow, the Swift doesn't feel cramped inside at all in the head, leg and shoulder department. In fact, for a mere R271 900, the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT is one of the most generously equipped cars on the market. The high-resolution 9-inch display offers seamless Apple CarPlay connectivity. Better still, it integrates instantly with your iPhone and the interface responds quickly to inputs. A big shout out to Suzuki Auto South Africa for the cloth seats the GLX offers. Even for someone over six foot, the seats offer ample support for daily driving. Rear passenger space is reasonable for the segment and storage solutions are well-thought-out, with adequate door bins, a reasonably sized glove compartment and easy-access cup holders. Furthermore, the neat 265-litre boot capacity (seats up) makes way for more space with the rear seats folded flat. All told, there was no practical situation that found the new Suzi wanting. Generous dimensions for a compact hatch don't detract from parking lot ease of use. Image: Suzuki However, as sensible as all that sounds, the true magic of the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT becomes apparent when you're behind the wheel. At the heart of this success story lies a fundamental engineering principle that many manufacturers seem to have forgotten. Light weight! With a kerb weight of just 920 kg, it demonstrates how weight reduction can transform the driving experience across multiple dimensions. For example, the 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine produces a modest 61 kW and 112 Nm of torque. Sure, these figures might appear underwhelming on paper. However, when paired with the featherweight construction, the result is surprisingly spirited performance. Likewise, the five-speed manual gearbox features a precise, short-throw action that makes rowing through the gears a pleasure. And a fun necessity to maintain zip, like any good, small car. As such, we can report that the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT feels nimble and darting through traffic. Light yet precise steering offers enough feedback, and body roll is a non-event when you press on. Similarly, on South Africa's sometimes less-than-perfect roads, the Swift rides with composure. No matter how heavy your foot, the Suzi only knows to sip fuel. Image: Suzuki Better still, in an era of ever-fluctuating fuel prices, the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT is remarkably efficient. During the one-week test period, tried as we may, we simply could not drain the 37-litre fuel tank. The brand claims 4.4 l/100 km on a combined cycle. And while this is somewhat optimistic, our real-world testing yielded 5.0 l/100 km on the dot. Impressive across varied conditions and driving styles. This exceptional efficiency stems directly from the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT's lightweight philosophy. Less mass to move means the small petrol engine doesn't need to work hard and doesn't impact drivability. Safety wise, you'll want for nothing either. For the asking price, you get dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, and rear parking camera/sensors as standard. The newest Suzi represents an excellent-value proposition for cash-conscious South Africans. Image: Suzuki There you have it, just like the car, a neater and tidier road test of the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT you will not find. Priced at R271 900, the 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT represents outstanding value in today's economically sensitive market. That's a huge win for people, being able to simply afford the thing. Then you factor in Suzuki's famously low running costs (5-year/200 000 km warranty and 2-year/30 000 km service plan), providing peace of mind for new buyers. Never mind excellent equipment levels, and the intangible satisfaction derived from how it drives. Combine this trinity and it's easy to understand why it's captured the top spot in South Africa's passenger-car sales charts. The 2025 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT proves that sometimes less really is more. So much more … Model: Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT Engine: 1.2-litre petrol 1.2-litre petrol Transmission: 5-speed manual 5-speed manual Power: 60 kW 60 kW Torque: 112 Nm 112 Nm Performance: 0-100 km/h: 10.35 seconds (tested) 0-100 km/h: 10.35 seconds (tested) Fuel economy: 4.4 l/100 km (claimed) / 5.0 l/100 km (tested) 4.4 l/100 km (claimed) / 5.0 l/100 km (tested) Price: R271 900 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Swift booted as Suzuki finally prices all-new DZire
DZire remains Suzuki's sole sedan, but with an exterior design unique to it and not derived from the Swift. DZire has been styled to completely differ from the new Swift. Image: Suzuki Officially showcased towards the end of last year in India, Suzuki Auto South Africa has now confirmed price and specification details of the all-new DZire for the local market. Unique look Continuing as the effective sedan version of the Swift, the fourth generation DZire once again uses the Heartect platform as its hatchback sibling, but with a dimensional uptake of 10 mm in overall height over its predecessor. ALSO READ: Radically redesigned all-new Suzuki DZire officially revealed ts boot able to accommodate 382-litres versus the Swift 265-litres, the DZire breaks from tradition by debuting a styling language bespoke to it and not derived from the Swift as the previous three generations incorporated Still resplendent with visual hints of its predecessor, and indeed its closest rival, the Honda Amaze, when viewed from the back, the DZire still conforms to India's sub-four metre regulations and, as before, comes with a choice of two trim levels: GA and GL+. Three-cylinders instead of four As with the Swift, a solitary powerunit prevails, albeit this time the new three-cylinder 1.2-litre Z12E petrol produces the same 60kW/112Nm. Rear still has visual traits from the previous DZire as well the current Honda Amaze. Image: Suzuki The standard transmission is once again a five-speed manual, with the option, for the GL+ only, being a CVT in place of the previous five-speed automated manual known as AGS or Automated Gear Shift. Spec On the model side, both grades come standard with LED headlights, a 4.2-inch TFT instrument cluster display, a digital display for the air conditioning, type-C and type-A USB ports, a front armrest, all-around electric windows, and a height adjustable driver's seat. Taking care of safety is six airbags, rear parking sensors, Electronic Stability Programme, Hill Hold Assist and ABS as well as EBD. Depicted GL+ comes fitted as standard with the seven-inch infotainment system not available on the step-down GA. Image: Suzuk Building on the GA, the GL+ swaps the 14-inch steel wheels with plastic covers for 15-inch alloys, and the radio prep for the seven-inch infotainment system with integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Additional standard kit includes chrome exterior detailing, a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control and a reverse camera. Colours and price On the colour front, seven hues have been made available: Arctic White Pearl; Bluish Black Pearl; Magma Grey Metallic; Splendid Silver Pearl Metallic; Nutmeg Brown Pearl Metallic; Alluring Blue Pearl Metallic; Gallant Red Pearl Metallic Now available, the DZire range once again spans three models, with a five-year/200 000 km warranty and a four-year/60 000 km service plan being standard on all. DZire 1.2 GA – R224 900 DZire 1.2 GL+ – R246 900 DZire 1.2 GL+ CVT – R266 900 NOW READ: New Suzuki Swift prime example of why brand's stock keep rising
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Suzuki champions accessible fun at 2025 Simola Hillclimb
From left: Media members Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger, Ernest Page and Sean Nurse competed in three wildcard entries this year. Image: Supplied As a headline sponsor and prolific competitor, Suzuki Auto South Africa has a well-established presence at the prestigious Simola Hillclimb event, held in Knysna each year. Once again, the Japanese brand, which is truly rocking the sales charts in South Africa right now, was out to prove that there is more to this event than just blisteringly fast lap times and beastly modified sports cars. Great as those things are, of course. Each year until now, Suzuki entered a trio of Swift Sport hatchbacks in a bid to prove that motorsport thrills can still be relatively accessible, but this year there was a surprising twist with two wildcard entries. Joining a single yellow third-generation Suzuki Swift Sport driven by Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger of Wiele2Wiele were a Suzuki Jimny and a new-generation Swift 1.2 GLX, also driven by fellow motoring journalists. Sean Nurse of Autotrader took to the wheel of the diminutive 4x4 while Ernest Page of All Things Motoring found himself behind the wheel of the new Swift. All three journos are experienced racing drivers, which would make things even more interesting on the hill. As a guest of Suzuki at the event, I also got to experience first hand the level of camaraderie and passion displayed by Team Suzuki, while my fellow hacks spent hours strategising about how to extract every last split second of hill time out of their weekend race cars. The little SUV that could. Image: Supplied It paid off for Nurse, who managed a podium in Class B9 for SUVs. Granted, there were only three entries. Yet given that this bog-standard Jimny was going up against a heavily modified Nissan Patrol as well as an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q4, Nurse posted some impressive lap times. Having started around the 1 minute 9 second mark during his first practice, the Jimny driver managed to get his times down to 1 min 6.404 sec in his final run, after making it through to the finals. "It's been an awesome weekend, and I had a lot of fun. I think the Jimny surprised a lot of people with the times it's managed up the hill,' Nurse stated after the event. 'I was here to compete against myself and to have a little bit of fun; and to show people that the Jimny is more dynamic than most people probably expect.' Nurse, who drove flat out in third gear for most of the course, added that the Jimny was a lot more stable and predictable than he had expected. He removed the spare wheel and some things inside the car to save weight, and also tried to keep his steering angle in check, in order to prevent activation of the traction control system, which can only be disabled at low speeds. The diminutive SUV also proved to be quite a crowd pleaser, and was widely shared by Jimny fans on social media. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Easily the most economical car at Simola. Image: Supplied The other wildcard entrant, Suzuki's Swift 1.2 GLX, managed a best time of 1 min 04.8 sec on the hill, but if cars were competing with fuel consumption as the main criteria, Ernest Page's average figure of 5.7 litres per 100km on Sunday would surely have beaten the rest. "A fantastic experience, I was smiling the entire time. Overall, I'm happy with the car's performance and we also averaged a consumption of only 5.7 litres per 100km over the entire day. The new Swift GLX is clearly a safe, fast, fun car for the right person," Page enthused. Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger also had a fantastic experience in her Swift Sport, while posting an impressive best qualifying time of 56.538 seconds, leaving her just outside the hotly contested Class Finals. "With a car like this, it is all about the power-to-weight ratio. The Swift Sport's light weight means that it handles and grips extremely well,' Kok-Kritzinger said. 'One thing is certain: I'm having a great deal of fun.' Kok-Kritzinger's sprightly Swift Sport. Image: Supplied
