One of the purest hot hatches of the 21st century is no more. With the arrival of the new Suzuki Swift earlier this year, the second-generation naturally-aspirated Swift Sport can no longer be bought brand new – save a handful of ex demo examples sprinkled around the country.
To perk us up after this devastating news, Suzuki recently revealed there's definitely going to be a successor to the characterful Japanese warm hatch. It'll be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show and, although Suzuki still has yet to release official specifications about the new car, it has followed this announcement up by releasing more images of the new junior hot hatch.
These show more details of the new car, confirming its trademark dual exit exhausts are to remain, for example, although it's keeping other things close to its chest: the firm has, for example, disguised the size of the tyres in the close-up of the wheel...
We now have our first look at the interior, showing off new features such as a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel, a six-speed gearbox and some smart-looking red dash trim inserts. The red rev counter is also stylish, although the stratosphetic red line of the revvy old model has, alas, gone.
This adds further weight to the assumption Suzuki's new Swift Sport will follow in the footsteps of the Ford Fiesta ST, with power likely coming from a turbocharged unit rather than a high-revving non-turbo motor. The car manufacturer uses a 1.4-litre turbocharged BoosterJet engine in the Vitara S. As this four-cylinder motor produces 140hp – just 4hp more than the outgoing Swift Sport – we wouldn't be surprised to see it in the new Swift.
That doesn't sound like an awful lot of power, admittedly. But the Swift Sport has never been about outright power or performance – and the standard Swift's ultra light kerb weight could mean the sporty model comes in at less than 1,000kg.
As for prices, expect it to come in at around £15,000 when order books open at the end of the year. We'll be reporting live from the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 12th when Suzuki takes the cover off its Swift Sport.
Gallery: 2018 Suzuki Swift Sport