Suzuki Swift 2011 set for success

But size is not everything in the small-car conflict and the next Swift, revealed for the first time in official pictures from Hungary, looks much like the current car. It will also have similar suspension and engines, although Australia will not get the three-door Swift sold in Australia and local supplies will not arrive until midway through next year. And there is likely to be a price rise.

Few details have yet emerged on the Swift, but already Suzuki Australia is bullish about the car's chances following a Carsguide Car of the Year win for its predecessor and early sales success for its latest mid-sized Kizashi.

"Yes, the Swift is an evolution, not a revolution. But when you see the car it is bolder and stronger than the current car," says Tony Devers, general manager of Suzuki Australia. "It's more fuel efficient, has more performance, and a higher-quality finish inside. It's a more sporty drive. The Swift has always been good, but it's more than a light car now."

The car is nearly 100 millimetres longer and slightly wider, promising more cabin space. The body is also more rigid with more high-strength steel, which points to a better crash-safety performance. The Swift reveal comes from Esztergom in Hungary, where the new Swift is built for Europe at the Magyar Suzuki Corporation factory. There will be another preview at the Paris Motor Show in October and Australian supplies will come from Suzuki's plant at Sagara in Japan.

Devers is reluctant to go into detail on the Swift, but definitely rules out a three-door car - "We will continue with the five-door here" - but pumps up the improvements.

"It's bigger and that's important. The interior and the engine technology are substantially different, and better," he says. "We'll probably have a bigger-capacity engine than Europe, a 1.4 or 1.5 with more performance than it has now, and I'd like to think we will be able to get it with a diesel engine as well."

But he admits the improvements are likely to bump the bottom line. "Yes, it's probably going to be a bit more expensive," he says.

The exact timing for the new Swift is still being set but it will not come in 2010. "It will be in the first half of next year. That's about all we can say for now," Devers says.

The new Swift is likely to join a Thai push into Australia from 2012. That's the year the Japanese maker joins many of its rivals - led by Toyota and Honda - with a factory in Thailand to shortcut import restrictions and tariff barriers in some Asian countries. It also gives Suzuki a free-trade agreement boost as it looks to lift its sales in Australia.

"Once the Thai factory comes online we will get the Swift and probably also the Splash," says Tony Devers. "It's a brand-new factory. Quality will be exactly the same as cars built in Japan. We will have more options available for us. Our plan, with the free- trade agreement, is to source as much product from there as we can".