Suzuki set for big 2024 as it targets MG3 with new Swift hatch - and Mazda CX-3 with fresh Fronx SUV

Is Suzuki ready to step out of the shadows in 2024?

The Japanese brand has always tended to fly under the radar, having solid but unspectacular sales of its sensible and affordable small cars. But that could be about to change, with Suzuki set to roll out one of its most comprehensive showroom overhauls in its history. The success or otherwise of several key models incoming in 2024 could prove a make or break point for the brand.

It comes at the right time too, with the brand having headed into the last month of 2023 with its sales tracking down more than 20 per cent, largely due to loss of the Baleno and huge decline in Vitara. Thankfully, not only is the Baleno getting a replacement in '24, there's a lot more coming to freshen up the appeal.

Still riding high on the runaway success of its most high-profile model, the Jimny, the brand launched the five-door Jimny XL in late '23. That will likely have a significant impact on its sales fortunes in '24, if the continued popularity of the three-door model is an indication.

But Suzuki needs more than the Jimny to surge up the sales charts. Thankfully, that's coming in the form of a new-generation Swift hatchback and the arrival of the Fronx compact SUV, both of which are due in showrooms next year.

The new Swift, which debuted as a thinly disguised concept at the 2023 Japanese Mobility Show, features the brand's new electrified powertrain, a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a mild-hybrid system. While this will add some much-needed technology to Suzuki's range, a non-hybrid version of the 1.2-litre engine will stick around to ensure the Swift remains a price leader in the light-car market.

While sales of light cars continue to decline, the Swift has remained popular and is actually on course to record more than 60 per cent sales growth in '23. It's the second best-selling light car, beaten only by the cut-price MG3.

One of the big problems for Suzuki in '23 was the loss of the Baleno, which was a solid sales performer. The good news is not only will the Baleno get replaced next year, but its replacement will be the Fronx, a compact SUV that will likely have more appeal than the outgoing hatchback.

Local details of the Indian-sourced Fronx have not been confirmed, but in overseas markets it has the choice of a 66kW/130Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine or a 74kW/148Nm 1.0-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid system.

Adding the Fronx will expand the brand's range of small SUVs, which are still growing segments of the market, giving Suzuki an expansive line-up that also includes the Ignis, S-Cross, Vitara and the Jimny.