suzuki awind

Suzuki is planning to double its annual production capacity at its Thai plant to 100,000 units, the Nikkei reports. The Rayong facility, which opened in March last year, currently builds 50,000 units of the Swift in its 1.2 litre guise, and the automaker is reportedly set to invest an additional five billion yen to set up supplementary production facilities for a new compact vehicle.

The report indicates that the vehicle will have a 1.0 litre engine displacement and will offer highly competitive features, superior fuel economy and a low price. Pricing has yet to be announced, but shouldn't veer far from the likes of the Nissan March and Mitsubishi Mirage.

The model in question should be based on the A:Wind Concept that premiered at the 2013 Thai Motor Expo last week. The production version of the A:Wind Concept - which measures 3,600 mm long, 1,600 mm wide and 1,540 mm tall, and which is powered by a 1.0 litre petrol engine mated to a CVT gearbox - is set to debut sometime in 2014, according to the automaker.

The company is also slated to invest around 93 billion yen to expand its assembly capability in Indonesia with a new assembly plant - this will build compact minivans and models that do not overlap with those built in Thailand. It already builds engines at its 1.3 million sq metre engine manufacturing plant located at the outskirts of Jakarta, and assembles around 150,000 vehicles - including the Swift and SX4 - there.