Suzuki will discontinue the Ignis, Jimny LCV, Swace and Swift Sport in the UK in the coming months as the brand prepares to launch its first electric car.
It has attributed the decision to the UK’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which will force manufacturers to sell an increasing share of electric vehicles over the next decade.
This starts at 22% in 2024 and rises to 28% in 2025 and 80% in 2030. Manufacturers will be fined £15,000 for every ICE car sold above the permitted percentage.
Dale Wyatt, Suzuki UK Managing Director, said: “The departure of these models makes room for EVs and allows us to compete at a time when our sales ratio of hybrid versus EV products will drive our business.
“We are leaving the ICE era with a focus on SUVs and the new Swift, and from the second half of 2025 we will enter a period of EV growth.”
His comments indicate that the Swift Sport hot hatch, which has been on the market in various versions since 2006, will not return in this model generation.
Suzuki UK added that the models being axed from showrooms could disappear “earlier than early 2025 if dealer stock runs out”.
The changes mean the only petrol-powered cars left in the Japanese brand’s UK range are the Swift, Vitara, S-Cross and Across.
It forecasts a similar sales total for this year as in 2023. It sold 26,574 cars last year, up from 17,378 in 2022, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Suzuki has already given a first look at its first electric car with the eVX concept, which sits somewhere between the S-Cross and Vitara. It has a 60kWh battery that is said to give it a range of 542 miles.