Whoa.. companies still use 4-speed automatics?

I agree. Small cars can be fun to drive with a stick shift. They are dogs with an automatic.

This will probably a semi-automatic gearbox, which does not introduce the losses related to a torque converter.

I can't wait to see more specific details even though it won't come to the USA for the forseable future. Is it known if the fuel economy figures are from the Euro drive cycle or Japanese?

Sounds almost like they could be using an adaptation of one of their motorcycle engines.

65mpg US sounds a bit far-fetched. Consider that that's better than the Honda Insight, which is a hybrid with an even smaller engine than this. Is this number really plausible?

Eh, I think it's doable provided it's lighter and smaller with a taller od gear. A change in disp of .2L isn't much.

65 mpg US should be entirely possible. Remember the early 90's Honda Civic VX? EPA ratings in the low 50s for highway, and they still, as 10 to 12 year old cars, get 55+ on the highway with out trying hard. A smaller car, with improved electronics to control the engine, fuel, etc., should easily get 65+mpg. I think they should be making cars that get better than that now, without going to hybrid technology.

That 65mpg figure was for the combined cycle, I believe, not highway alone. Good highway mileage doesn't seem that difficult, I agree, it's the city driving that's a killer.

Hello... Toyota Aygo / Peugoet 107 / Citroen C1... 1.0 litre = 61.4mpg (Combined Euro cycle, not Japanese). Been available for over a year in Europe.
If the Suzuki didn't get 65mpg then the designers wouldn't have even been trying.

Oh I see... 78mpg combined...
Still, give up a few hp or use taller gears... very possible

Talk about adding insult to injury... we don't even get the 'world platform' proper Suzuki Swift here in Canada (even the Aussie's do...) and already there's another model that will probably go into production that we still won't get.
I wonder what P.O.S. GM they could re-badge instead of this one!! (read Aveo 1.6 26mpg city... good god)

"Hello... Toyota Aygo / Peugoet 107 / Citroen C1... 1.0 litre = 61.4mpg (Combined Euro cycle, not Japanese). Been available for over a year in Europe."

Wrong : the petrol/gasoline version gets 51 mpg for combined Euro cycle (US gallons). The Diesel gets 57 mpg but since there's more energy per volume than in gasoline there's no miracle at all... both versions get EXACTLY the same CO2 emissions. Diesel is a pure nonsense for this kind of small city cars, since there's no greenhouse gas benefit and they are much dirtier then their Otto equivalent (no PM filter of course, too expensive, and MUCH more NOx emissions : 24 times in this case !).

worse - why would GM and the oil industries back/allow such an innovative thing. it would cut into the bottom line.

With due respect to everyone, we could reduce confusion by giving fuel consumption in Km per Liter or (Km/L) and energy consumption for BEVs in (Km/Kwh). Japan and many other countries are using it, why not us.

US gallons, Imperial gallons and miles may have outlived their usefullness.

Sorry, not impressed. What percentage of the car market is mini-car? Two percent? And automaton afficionados, as always, are demanding a sports car to spread body lotion on and wriggle with. This car has no electric drive, and is therefore obsolete. Period. I hate Suzuki.

My '86 Chevrolet Sprint ER (3cylender4Speed)Got 55 M/G for 20 years driving in L.A.California. With Fuel injection and beter electronic control or or a CV tran I don't see why it couldn't go to 65mi/gal. but GM claimed it lost $15oo. a car. That is a premium I would have loved to have paid for a real high M/G if I could have bought one.

What percentage of the car market are superminis (which is actually what it is and seats 4 comfortably)?

Open your eyes buddy!! There is a world outside your borders where a tankful of fuel is not given away with every pack of peanuts. In pretty much the whole of Europe, SE Asia and Japan, these cars are replacing family saloons (even if it is the second car)... heck India & China with it's billion populations will buy more of these small cars than anything else.

Just because the segment has been completely overlooked until last year in N.America doesn't mean these cars are not worth developing. The CO2 savings of driving 65mpg cars would be immense with technology like this.

Harvey, people cant even agree to use decimal point or decimal comma, it will be hundreds if not thousands of years to agree on a unified measurement system. Human nature involves much stubborness...

what the heck is a decimal comma ?

To anyone comparing old cars that get high mpg values vs the new stuff getting much the same..
Old school stuff got you a metal box with an engine.
Remember all new stuff is generally heavier due to excess rigidity, airbags, aircon units and all the fancy luxuries people expect as standard in a modern vehicle such as electrics and power everything.

So of course the improvemets in engine tech for economy don't show mind bogling values.
Strip it all off, like a Lotus Exige and make the car carbon fibre to drop the overall package to 700 Kg then you'll see your 75-80 mpg. Bet you the car would be horible to live with and even the most dedicated hippy would eventually go for something more practical.

This is going to be the replacement for the Suzuki Wagon R and Opel/Vauxhall Agila which are cheap and cheerful superminis, sold globally. The new one can only improve on what is a good, albeit basic, vehicle.