First look at Suzuki e-Sky: sub-£20k EV due in UK next year
Suzuki has lifted the wraps on the e-Sky, its new electric city car that is coming to the UK next year as a rival for the Renault Twingo and Honda Super-N.
It is Suzuki’s first electric ‘Kei’ car, meaning it has been developed according to the Japanese class’ strict limits on size. This has manifested in its boxy upright shape, designed to maximise passenger space in a minimal footprint.
Little has changed since the e-Sky was shown in concept form at last year’s Tokyo motor show: most notably, it swaps from the concept’s futuristic LED lighting to more a chunkier and more conventional set-up.
Technical details remain under wraps until Autumn but, in keeping with Kei convention, it is likely to use a single front-mounted motor with an output of 63bhp.
Japanese media has reported a range of 193 miles, which would put the e-Sky ahead of the rival Super-N (128 miles). It should be noted, however, that the Super-N is not actually a Kei car: it is based on the Honda N-One e but modified to suit export markets such as the UK with a more powerful 94bhp motor and a wider, more aggressive body. It remains to be seen whether Suzuki will follow Honda in localising the e-Sky with extra grunt to suit the needs of UK buyers.
Regardless, the model will form a crucial part of the brand’s future plans in the UK. Suzuki UK boss David Kateley previously told Autocar that “the A-segment BEV is vitally important” and that he was “very excited about its prospects”.
To that end, pricing is expected to start at below £20,000 – around the same money as the combustion-engined Suzuki Swift supermini.
The e-Sky is due to arrive next Spring, and its sales will provide the Japanese brand with a useful boost toward its qualification for the UK’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate.
It will be followed a year later by Suzuki’s third EV which, Kateley said, “definitely won’t be an electric Swift”.
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