Photo: suzukifan.com
Those of you who haven't read our "History of the Japanese Kei Car" coverstory will probably not know what the Suzuki Cappuccino is. No, it's not a coffee machine made from the bones of the crushed American business, it's a small car built for the Japanese market.
How small? Smaller than a Fiat 500 and powered by a 660cc engine. Born from the necessity for lower taxation and insurance, the kei car was shoehorned into a sportscar role. The original Cappuccino was powered by a 660 cc, 3-cylinder, DOHC 12-valve engine with turbocharging and the maximum output of 64 hp. Just over a thousand of them were even brought to the UK and some made it as far as Germany, though still fitted with the wheel on the wrong side.
Production stopped in 1997 and since then Suzuki hasn't made a car like it. Suzukifan.com recently scooped an article from a Japanese print magazine which seems to suggest the Cappuccino is coming back. The reports say Suzuki might partner with another car company to make the 2-seater because shouldering the burden of developing JDM-car would be too hard.
We don't know if this report can be taken seriously, especially since kei cars are limited in power and emissions to certain low levels.
Production stopped in 1997 and since then Suzuki hasn't made a car like it. Suzukifan.com recently scooped an article from a Japanese print magazine which seems to suggest the Cappuccino is coming back. The reports say Suzuki might partner with another car company to make the 2-seater because shouldering the burden of developing JDM-car would be too hard.
We don't know if this report can be taken seriously, especially since kei cars are limited in power and emissions to certain low levels.
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