Suzuki Motor Corp., Japan's second- largest minicar maker, plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid version of its Swift compact car using batteries supplied by Sanyo Electric Co., the automaker said.
Suzuki dealerships in Japan will test 60 units of the car in the second half of this year, the company said in a statement in Tokyo today. The vehicle runs 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) on a fully charged battery and will have a 0.66 liter engine to generate electricity, Suzuki said, without saying when or where the car may go on sale.
The carmaker follows Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. in announcing plans to sell hybrid vehicles that can be recharged at household electrical outlets.
Hamamatsu, Japan- based Suzuki formed an alliance with Volkswagen AG in December that will include cooperation on hybrid and electric cars, and chairman Osamu Suzuki said in January his company planned to introduce electric vehicles in Japan.
Suzuki displayed the Swift plug-in hybrid at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.
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