Suzuki has revealed its tiny electric e-Sky kei car and confirms its arrival in the United Kingdom, opening the door to its possible arrival in Australia to rival the Honda Super- One EV.
The Suzuki e-Sky was first shown in concept form at last year's Tokyo Motor Show and the production version has barely changed apart from the LED lighting across the front of the car.
Suzuki hasn't fully revealed the e-Sky's specifications yet but Japanese media are reporting it will have a single electric motor and a range of up to 310km.
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At just 3395mm end to end the four-door e-Sky is Suzuki's first electric kei car.
What is a Kei car?
Japan's kei cars have a passionate global cult following. Loved for being so little, cute and boxy, kei cars have their diminutive proportion due to Japan's push for low-cost, space efficient transportation after World War II.
Now these tiny vehicles are given tax exemptions in Japan as long as they meet size and power output regulations. The maximum length of a kei can be 3.4m long, and so the Suzuki e-Sky just qualifies. Honda's Super-One, however, is 3580mm in length and so isn't technically a kei car, although the brand says it is "kei-car inspired."
Will the e-Sky come to Australia and how much would it cost?
The Suzuki e-Sky has been confirmed for the UK and will arrive there next year. This is a good sign for Australia because it confirms right-hand drive markets outside of just Japan.
However, Australia is not a big consumer of tiny cars and not even as much of a fan of just small cars as the UK is and while there's a healthy fanbase here in Australia for kei-cars such as the Honda N-Box, most are imported privately.
Still CarsGuide has put in a call to Suzuki Australia to see if the e-sky might be considered for local release. Suzuki Australia has yet to respond to our inquiry.
As for how much it would cost? Well in the UK the e-Sky is expected to come in under A$40,000, although most cars sold in both Australia and the UK are more affordable here.
In Australia one of the smallest and cheapest electric cars is the BYD Atto 1 which is 3.99m long and lists for $23,990, while the Honda Super-One which is set to arrive in Australia imminently and is more direct competition for the Suzuki is priced from $36,900 drive-away.
Suzuki has just one electric car in its Australian range - the e Vitara. The e Vitara is a battery electric version of Suzuki's popular small SUV and starts from $49,990 drive-away.