Suzuki Australia Chef says brand loyalists are “always” asking for larger vehicles, which could open up an opportunity for the Toyota RAV4-based Over Plug-in hybrid SUV (PHEV).
In conversation with Daily SparkzGeneral Manager of Suzuki Australia, Michael Pachota, hasn’t closed the door on the recently launched new generation Suzuki Across, which will soon make its way to Europe and the UK.
“Look, consumers are always asking if there are bigger cars and other options in our range because we have a lot of followers of our brand. Obviously we have built this with history and a legacy of reliability,” Mr Pachota said.
“A lot of customers (ask) ‘What’s next for Suzuki?’ and ‘These models are available abroad’ – we’ve seen that, our dealers also get a lot of that feedback, they give it back to us, we give it back to Japan.”
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“To date there has been no discussion with us about launching (the Across or Swace) in Australia based on our current plan. With that in mind, I think things could change,” Mr Pachota continued.
“But we have never had the opportunity to bring these products to Australia before.”
Mr Pachota’s comments are not as clear-cut as previous comments made by Suzuki Australia in the past.
When the new Across generation was first introduced last month, a spokesman for the brand’s local branch said: “The Across is exclusively a European model and is not offered here.”
Unveiled for Europe and the UK in February, the 2026 Suzuki Across is effectively a rebadged Toyota RAV4 “Edge” or “Adventure” with a 2.5-liter plug-in hybrid powertrain (PHEV) and all-wheel drive.
It’s the Japanese brand’s flagship model in Europe and the UK and costs just £49,679 ($93,640).
Although that price seems wild when converted directly, if it landed Down Under it would likely be closer to the new Toyota RAV4 on which it is based – the cheapest RAV4 PHEV AWD starts at $63,340 plus on-road costs in Australia.
Suzuki also offers the Swace in Europe, a revised version of the Toyota Corolla Sports Touring hybrid station wagon. It appears this model has been discontinued in the UK.
Such models would be very helpful for the Japanese brand in complying with the increasingly strict emission limits under the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
From January 1, 2026, the CO2 limit for Type 1 vehicles or passenger cars is 117g/km, and in Suzuki Australia’s range only the 24V Swift and Fronx hybrids are below this limit – at least until the all-electric e Vitara comes to market.
With the popular Jimny 4WD and Vitara SUV combined accounting for more than double the sales of Swift and Fronx, according to VFACTS sales data for 2025, the brand’s local branch still has work to do to avoid risking financial penalties.
Suzuki managed to avoid penalty units in 2025, albeit with higher CO2 caps – 141g/km for Type 1 vehicles.
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