Swift success for cool Suzuki
SUZUKI says it is delighted at the news that its cool Swift has made it to the top three in the world in the Urban category of the 2018 World Car of The Year.
To qualify for the initial judging process, vehicles had to be less than four metres long, suitable in design for everyday use in an urban environment and also on sale across two Continents by the deadline of Spring 2018.
At 3.84 metres in length, the Swift qualified and was shortlisted as a finalist in January of this year.
World Car of The Year Juror, Director and Vice- Chair Mike Rutherford said: ‘ Suzuki has again seen off many rival manufacturers from all corners of the globe to become a 2018 World Car finalist.
‘ This is the second year in a row that Suzuki has won enough votes to become a Top three contender - and deservedly so.
‘As our 80-plus jurors have decided and as I have long suspected, Suzuki builds some of the finest small cars on the market - thus its official position as a finalist from the initial group of five. It’s also worth noting that they had two of their models in the top five last year.
The company may yet go on to lift the 2018 World Urban Car trophy at the New York International Motor Show on March 28.’
Swift is powered by either a 90PS 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine or a 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbocharged petrol engine with the 1.2-litre available with optional ALLGRIP four wheel drive. It also offers optional SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology that lowers CO2 emissions to 97g/km.
Standard equipment for all Swift models is comprehensive and the SZ3 model with 1.2-litre Dualjet engine and manual transmission includes six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, privacy glass, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors and front electric windows.
The SZ5 model offers the latest in safety technology which includes three advanced functions: Dual Sensor Brake Support (DCBS), Lane Departure Warning, and Weaving Alert.
In the Irish market, the Suzuki Swift range starts at €14,995 for the SZ3 variant, rising to €18,995 for the high-tech SZ5. The World Car of the Year judging panel comprises 82 Automotive Industry journalists with eight of these representing the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The World Car Awards ( WCA) is a programme initiated, organised and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world.
The WCA are administered by a not-for-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of distinguished automotive journalists.
It is intended to complement, not compete with existing national and regional COTY awards, which are inherently different in scope. By its nature, WCOTY includes some vehicles that may be unavailable in individual regions, and excludes others whose availability may be limited to those regions.