It is always with great anticipation that we look forward to the next version of a vehicle, regardless of the vehicle manufacturer’s country of origin. Suzuki of Japan has not been embroiled in any kind of emissions scandal -- and that is definitely a good sign to check out their upcoming 2017 Suzuki Swift. Revealed in Japan earlier this week, the 2017 Suzuki Swift is being prepared for a global release next year, as evident by its model year. This will still remain a small vehicle in the hatchback segment, but you can be sure that Suzuki has ensured its innards would have received more than a fair number of upgrades in order to make it more appealing to the masses -- never mind where you reside.

From what we know so far, the Suzuki Swift has proven itself to be a best-seller for the Japanese company, and this has turned out to be a rather iconic model. The design of the 2017 Suzuki Swift will continue from where its predecessors left off, which would mean you will not end up with a sedan all of a sudden, but apart from the rather cute look, there will be revisions made which will certainly help tilt your impression of the car in its favor. The 2017 Suzuki Swift that you see here will most probably be the same as anywhere else in the world when it launches officially at the Geneva Motor Show in March next year.

You will find that this brand new Swift will be based on a more rigid, lighter new platform, and it will arrive in Japan with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol ‘BoosterJet’ engine that hails from the Baleno. This would mean a totally new engine, and it would also see off the outgoing atmo engine that hums underneath the hood of the existing Swift models. With the 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit, it is capable of delivering 75kW at 5500rpm and 150Nm from just 1700rpm, which would mean a whole lot of punch that makes it perfect for traveling through a city. Those figures can be attributed to the larger Baleno’s 82kW/160Nm outputs.

Not only that, the 2017 Suzuki Swift will arrive with a new six-speed automatic transmission option with paddles. This does not mean those who love to drive stick are unable to enjoy such a luxury, since there will also be a revised five-speed manual that will be on sale as well. To keep up with the times, Suzuki has thrown in the likes of LED headlights and additional safety features on majority of the variants, ranging from low-speed autonomous brakes to a lane departure warning system as well as an integrated camera to take in all of the happenings that is going on around the car in order for it to react better just in case of an emergency.

You will find that the 2017 Suzuki Swift arrives with the entire complement of airbags for the cabin as well as rear ISOFIX points, and this is clearly an effort at winning a five-star NCAP rating. With European-tuned suspension in its springs and dampers as well as electric-assisted steering, the 2017 Suzuki Swift certainly looks like a winner.

It looks set to roll out in Australia next May, and should be priced at approximately $15,000 thereabouts for the entry level model.