Suzuki ‘Waku Spo’ concept

Gorgeous retro-look mini cars on Suzuki’s Tokyo Motor Show stand.

That's it folks, Suzuki has already won the 2019 Tokyo motor show. The rest of you can all go home now. Nothing is going to be cuter than the Waku Spo concept.

Cute saloon

Looking very much like a compact 1960s saloon, maybe even a coupe, the Waku Spo (Waku means to get excited in Japanese) is just gorgeous. Suzuki hasn't said what kind of engine or electric power it might use (we only know that it's a plug-in hybrid), nor even a vague whiff of a price tag, but we already want one.

It does seem to be rather high tech, with some kind of switchable body panels and interior design. We're not quite sure how this works, but Suzuki says: "A 'WAKU WAKU' switch is installed to switch its body shape, front mask, and content shown on the dashboard. It proposes a sharable future small car that can transform to meet each and everyone's fun and excitement.'

Autonomous mobile lounge

Before you get hung up on the Waku Spo though, let us introduce you to the Hanare wagon. Hanare, says Suzuki, "prioritises human values of personal connection and personal preferences." As far as what that means for a vehicle is concerned, it means a bluff-fronted van, with a one-box shape (faint hints of the original Chevrolet Chevy-Van about its styling?) that's fully autonomous and designed to haul you can your friends around in maximum comfort. In fact, Hanare means 'detached cottage' in Japanese, so clearly there's a 'space is the ultimate luxury' thing going on here. Again, it's gorgeous, we want one.

Mini-Jimny

There's also a more simple concept car, using a petrol engine, called The Hustler (not sure about the name - are we talking about the Paul Newman film, the nuclear bomber, or the - ahem - adult publication?) which is a tiny Kei-car that looks like the mutant offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and Suzuki's own Jimny and Wagno R+. And we mean that in a good way.

Suzuki will also show off a small Kei-car MPV called the Every Combi concept, which is designed to provide mobile space for things ordinary (baby changing, even breastfeeding) or extraordinary (shelter in case of natural disasters).

Published on: October 3, 2019