No Swift for the US Yet

Suzuki's plans to launch the new Swift on the American market have been postponed until at least 2011, as the result of... currency issues. The strengthening yen, who keeps on gaining ground on the American dollar, has forced the Japanese manufacturer to cut its marketing budget in the US and with it the awaited return of the Swift.

According to Autoweek, the model is still in Suzuki's plans for the US, but only from next year onwards. The model is almost ready in terms of engineering changes which will make it capable of meeting US regulations, but will likely get hit by the currency problems when it comes to its price.

The increase in price for the model is however not an option to be considered for Suzuki, who now expects if not to lose, then at least not to earn as much as it would have liked.

"At the moment, if the exchange rate continues like it is, we couldn't expect very much profit," spokesman Takuma Mizuyoshi was quoted as saying by Autoweek. "So that's a concern right now. "If we had to raise our prices, it would be obscene.”

In Europe, the model will become available with a new 1.2l petrol engine producing 94 horsepower and a 1.3l diesel engine which will be added at a later date.

Suzuki will be bringing the model at the Paris Auto Show in October. An autoevolution team will be at the event, so stay tuned for live photos and information about the Swift and many other models.