Central to the new set-up...
Central to the new set-up is its USB port. Hidden out of the way at the back of the unit, and accessed via an optional flying lead, this allows users to connect their MP3 player and listen to their digital music through the car’s speakers.
Featuring round headlights...
Featuring round headlights and soft, Fifties-style curves, the LC looks as if it"s driven straight out of a Noddy cartoon. And the cute packaging continues in-side, with bright red tartan-checked cloth seating and a retro-look dashboard.
The two-seater minicar is based on a shortened Wagon R platform, and has a 54bhp 660cc three-cylinder petrol engine. Aimed at Tokyo city drivers, it offers a four-speed auto gearbox.
However, Suzuki isn"t only looking back with its future models. The maker is also expected to unveil its concept Ionis at the show. This front-wheel-drive mini-MPV will be powered by a hi-tech fuel-cell and an electric motor.
Measuring 3,395mm in length, it has steering-by-wire and brake-by-wire tech-nology. Conceived as a mobile office, the interior features dark brown leather seats and trim, with distinctive blue lighting. The Ionis can download music from wireless Internet connections and picks up satellite TV stations.
Yet despite all the technology, Suzuki claims the car is more than a pipedream; the styling is said to hint at the Wagon R replacement, due on sale here by 2007.