Cheap hot hatch thrills are back on the table! 2025 Suzuki Swift Sport release looking likely as cut-price Volkswagen Polo GTI and Hyundai i20 N rival may be revived: report

Despite reports out of the United Kingdom that the Suzuki Swift Sport’s end is nigh, in Japan it sounds like the cheap hot hatch might live another generation. Good news for Australians.

Japanese publication BestCar is known for its insider sources and this week it reported a new generation Swift Sport is on the way using an updated version of the 1.4-litre turbo with mild-hybrid boost. 

The 2025 Suzuki Swift Sport is expected to debut in the Japanese Autumn (Australian spring) with renders provided for visual context. They take the hatch’s basic shape and apply more angular, aggressive styling to the front bumper for a shrunken R35 Nissan GT-R look.

Larger alloy wheels painted black, pronounced twin-exit exhaust pipes and lifted rear roof spoiler finish off the Sport treatment. 

The Swift Sport’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder currently develops 103kW/240Nm and BestCar estimates that could potentially jump to 112kW. A 48-volt electrical system is likely to drive a more powerful 10kW ISG motor (the non Sport’s is a 2.3kW item). 

All signs point to both manual and automatic transmissions as Suzuki offers both on the Swift mild-hybrid.

2025 Suzuki Swift Sport render (image: BestCar)

Weight-wise, the Swift climbed about 50kg for the new generation so expect a similar increase from the Sport. That would bring it above 1000kg for the manual (currently 990kg), though that’s still plenty light for a modern hatchback.

Pricing will naturally go up, the Swift Sport is just 2,164,800 yen (about A$22,000) in Japan, though it is $29,990 locally. We’d expect a small lift, to the tune of about $2000, for the new model. That would still keep it firmly below the Hyundai i20 N and Volkswagen Polo GTI. 

As for Australian plans, Suzuki Australia General Manager Michael Pachota told CarsGuide that he is hopeful for another generation of the iconic hot hatch earlier this month.

Current Suzuki Swift Sport (image: Peter Anderson)

“At this stage, we haven’t been told if there’s going to be a vehicle that replaces Swift Sport down the track in the current guise,” he admitted. The current Swift Sport is still in production being sold alongside the new model.

“And I’ll do that as long as I can. We’re still manufacturing it so we’re still getting cars. And it will definitely continue into 2025,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Swift Sport has been discontinued in the UK due to incoming emissions regulations. It is not yet clear whether a new generation model would make it to the fellow right-hand-drive market, even with a hybrid system.