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By Jason Woosey 
21h ago
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND – Suzuki’s collaboration with Japanese automaker Suzuki is increasingly looking like the two-way street it should be.
We recently reported that Toyota plans to launch its Suzuki Baleno-based Indian-made Starlet in South Africa, while the Urban Cruiser compact SUV, which is based on Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara, also looks like a potential candidate.
But while Suzuki is building Toyotas for India and Africa, Toyota is doing the same for Suzuki in Europe, with the recently revealed Rav4-based Across SUV now joining a compact pickup called the Swace.
The Swace is closely based on the Toyota Corolla, and has only been revealed in wagon form so far. Interestingly, the vehicle adopts the same front design as the US-spec Corolla, which will help to differentiate it from its Toyota sibling, as the Euro Corolla has a different face.
Inside, the Swace is a Toyota affair, barring the Suzuki insignia on the steering wheel, and the infotainment comes in the form of a 20cm touchscreen system with all modern smartphone mirroring systems.
At this stage, only one engine option is mentioned, and this comes in the form of a hybrid drivetrain that combines Toyota’s normally aspirated 1.8-liter gasoline unit with an electric motor.
However, it remains to be seen whether European buyers will be swayed by what is essentially a Toyota with the Suzuki badge. Why not buy a real one?
At this stage, it seems unlikely that the Suzuki Swace will be launched in South Africa.
IOL Engine
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