British sportscar manufacturer Caterham has announced that its upcoming entry-level vehicle will be powered by a Suzuki engine. As weird as it may sound, the new powertrain provided by the Japanese company will consist of a turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder unit and a five-speed gearbox.
This will be the smallest and most efficient mill ever installed in a Caterham Seven and the automaker claims that the ultra-efficient engine will “add lightness like no other Seven in recent times.” As one would expect, the Suzuki-developed unit has been adapted by Caterham’s engineers, but no other details or specs have yet to be released.
“It is not engine size that matters, it is the grin factor that is our barometer and we believe we have got the formula for our new entry-level vehicle just right. Suzuki is a leader in producing compact vehicles with extremely efficient engines and that is clearly a shared passion. We needed a particularly light powertrain but it had to be a unit that suited the characteristics inherent to all Sevens – thankfully, after lots of hard work, we have a package that works brilliantly,” said Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald.
The new entry-level Caterham will arrive in dealerships at the end of the year with a price tag of “under £17,000”.
“It is not engine size that matters, it is the grin factor that is our barometer and we believe we have got the formula for our new entry-level vehicle just right. Suzuki is a leader in producing compact vehicles with extremely efficient engines and that is clearly a shared passion. We needed a particularly light powertrain but it had to be a unit that suited the characteristics inherent to all Sevens – thankfully, after lots of hard work, we have a package that works brilliantly,” said Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald.
The new entry-level Caterham will arrive in dealerships at the end of the year with a price tag of “under £17,000”.