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The Suzuki Fronx city SUV will launch in Australia in mid-2025, with the budget-friendly model to slot in where the soon-to-be-discontinued Ignis sits.
The 2025 Suzuki Fronx city SUV has been confirmed for an Australian launch in the middle of the year – and the budget-friendly MG ZS, GWM Haval Jolion and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro are likely in its sights.
It will represent a successor to the four-seat Suzuki Ignis city hatch, which launched in Australia in 2017 and has reached the end of the line due to its lack of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology which becomes mandatory in Australia from Saturday March 1, 2025.
The five-seat Suzuki Fronx was unveiled in India – where it will be built for Australia – in January 2023, with its Australian launch initially expected by the end of 2023, however it has faced a delay until mid-2025.
Suzuki Australia general manager of automotive Michael Pachota told Drive the Fronx is expected to arrive in June or July 2025.
Government approval documents confirm the Fronx will be exclusively offered with a 76kW/137Nm 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine matched to a 12-volt mild-hybrid system with an integrated starter generator allowing the electric motor to start the engine and assist it during acceleration.
It has been approved for sale with 16-inch alloy wheels and a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission as standard.
A circa-$25,000 entry price would see the Fronx become one of Australia's cheapest SUVs to face the GWM Haval Jolion (from $23,990 drive-away), Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (from $23,990 drive-away), and MG ZS (from $26,990 drive-away).
The MG ZS and GWM Haval Jolion are among the best-selling SUVs in Australia – however they are almost half-a-metre longer than the Fronx, with more interior space and available full-hybrid powertrains.
The Fronx will also be a rival for the Hyundai Venue (from $22,750 before on-road costs) and Kia Stonic (from $25,460 before on-road costs) light SUVs, which are closest in size to the four-metre Fronx.
Available equipment includes a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights and tail-lights, single-zone climate control, black and burgundy upholstery, a 360-degree camera, and a flip-up head-up display.
In Japan, the Fronx is fitted with Suzuki's 'dual-sensor' AEB system with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist and intersection detection, along with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and six airbags.
The Fronx meets all current ADRs for newly-introduced vehicles, including the AEB mandate to prevent a rear-end collision with another vehicle – called ADR 98/00 – which has impacted the Jimny three-door, Vitara, S-Cross, Swift Sport and Ignis.
It also meets the ADR 98/01 requirement for autonomous emergency braking detection for pedestrians, which has been mandated for newly-introduced vehicles since August 2024 before it applies to all new vehicles brought into the country from August 2026.
Mild-hybrid versions of the Vitara and S-Cross are due to launch between July and September 2025 with an updated AEB system to meet the new rules, while the Jimny three-door is expected to receive an update in the coming months.
The Swift hatch and Jimny XL five-door – the latter of which is built in India like the Fronx, not Japan – are unaffected by the rule change.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
