Will this be Suzuki's first fully electric car for Australia? eVX concept to underpin future production model in 2025, as Suzuki vows to electrify its range

Suzuki has revealed a concept version of what will be its first global electric car in India.

The eVX concept (for, ‘Emotional Versatile Cruiser’) is a mid-size SUV, in a size bracket a little above the current Vitara, which is closer to a small SUV. At 4300mm long, 1800mm wide, and 1600mm tall, it is similar in dimensions to SUV rivals like the Nissan Qashqai, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, and incoming Honda ZR-V.

The eVX will debut an all-new dedicated EV platform, the first of its kind for Suzuki, with a battery capacity of up top 60kWh, which the brand says should grant the SUV an estimated 550km driving range.

The concept also showcases a new design direction for the Suzuki brand, moving away from the squared-off edges of its current range of SUVs (which are hardly unified by a single design language), and toward a more slick and aerodynamic shape, likely a requirement to reduce drag for its incoming electric era.

Other EV-specific highlights include flush light fittings, a coupe-style roofline, and blanked-out wheel designs. More traditional Suzuki elements include a high ground clearance and short overhangs to make it at least somewhat capable off the blacktop.

Suzuki promises ‘class-leading cabin comfort’ thanks to a long wheelbase, as well as ‘connected features’ suggesting online capabilities for the car’s multimedia suite.

President of the Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toshihiro Suzuki, said “I am delighted to unveil the Concept eVX, our first global strategic EV. We plan to bring it to market by 2025.

“We are promoting a range of global measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from our business. One key measure is reducing CO2 emitted by using our products.”

The eVX concept is a mid-size SUV, larger than the current Vitara.

The eVX concept comes just after Suzuki announced it was working with a separate company, Inmotive Inc. on a two-speed transmission for its future electric vehicles. Most electric vehicles use a single-speed reduction gear in place of a transmission, as electric motors are able to run up to extremely high rpms compared to combustion engines. A notable exception is the Porsche Taycan which uses a two-speed transmission to bolster its take-off performance.

Suzuki said an investment in a transmission for an electric vehicle was necessary to reduce costs and extend range by better making use of a small electric motor’s torque. One gear would be for city-speeds, while the other would be used for cruising on the freeway.

Inmotive predicts its transmission can extend the range of an EV by up to 15 per cent, and improve acceleration by 15 per cent.

The Grand Vitara employs an e-CVT similar to Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive system.

Fully electric vehicles are only one part of Suzuki’s strategy to clean up its emissions globally. Most of its range has moved to employing mild-hybrid features in Japan, while the brand is also promising ‘strong’ hybrid (as in, hybrids which can electrically drive the wheels) variants across its global catalogue by 2025.

It also showed off a ‘strong’ hybrid Grand Vitara for the Indian market, which employs an e-CVT similar to Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive system.

Other exciting developments for the Suzuki brand over the coming years include the introduction of a five-door Jimny, and the brand suggesting it may expand its range in Australia by tapping into some of its exciting small car range available in Japan.