Archive for Suzuki

After teasing us with the Suzuki SX4 Sedan’s impending introduction with various units placed in shopping malls around the country as part of a contest, Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd has unveiled the Suzuki SX4 Sedan yesterday. The car is a CBU unit fully imported from Japan and two variants are available, both with a 1.6 liter engine and automatic transmission.

The Nissan Latio is no longer alone in its game as a 1.6 liter B-segment sedan. The Suzuki SX4 sedan is powered by the same 1.6 liter VVT engine as its hatchback sibling. It puts out a rather sedate 102 PS at 5,600rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4,000rpm through the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic.

It’s a rather tall sedan with higher than usual ground clearance. The front fascia is actually inspired by a Japanese Kabuki mask, which explains its aggressive look. The addition of a boot onto the hatchback’s body results in a very impressive 515 liter boot space, probably the largest in its class. Also first in class is the inclusion of ISOFIX mounting points for child seats on the rear passenger bench and automatic climate control.

The base model comes standard with a bodykit. It features a standard CD player with MP3 capabilities, mated to an 8-speaker audio system with steering wheel audio controls. In addition to the standard ISOFIX points, there are dual SRS airbags in the front.Wheels are 15 inchers with 195/65R15 tyres and brakes are discs at the front and drums at the rear.

The standard version costs RM88,888 OTR without insurance (RM91,437 with insurance). The premium version will cost you RM96,567.50 OTR inclusive of insurance and adds window tinting, a trunk lid spoiler (the rest of the aerokit is standard), door visors and leather seats. Three colours are available – Silky Silver, Azure Grey and Black Pearl.

Related Posts:
Suzuki SX4 1.6 Hatchback Launched In Malaysia

Only one photo of the Nice Ze-O has been released by electric car manufacturer Nice (No Internal Combustion Engine) so far, but we are able to have a preview of how it will look like by looking at the car it is based on, the Changhe Ideal II, a joint venture development between China’s Jiang Xi Changhe Automobile and Suzuki, Changhe’s partner in China.

The Changhe Ideal was designed by design firm Bertone and launched in 2003, and it received its current looks when it got a minor facelift in 2006. It comes with a choice of a 45hp 1.0, a 64hp 1.1, a 78hp 1.3 or a 90hp 1.4 liter engine but naturally these will be missing in the Nice engineered version as the Ze-O will be powered by an electric motor. The Ideal is sold outside China under various badges like Suzuki and Effa.

More photos of the car found after the jump, including of the interior.

Click here to read the rest of Nice Ze-O is based on the Changhe Ideal II

The Suzuki SX4-FCV is a fuel cell vehicle with a 80kW fuel cell powering a 68kW (91 horsepower) electric motor with a high voltage capacitor that supports brake energy regeneration. Hydrogen is stored on board a 70MPa high pressure hydrogen tank. The SX4-FCV can go up to an estimated range of 250km, and has a top speed of 150km/h.

It has just gotten approval from the Japanese government to test it on public roads, so this makes it Suzuki’s fourth fuel cell test vehicle, with the other three being the Suzuki MR Wagon-FCV, the Suzuki Wagon R-FCV and another updated Suzuki MR Wagon-FCV.

Click to enlarge

A Suzuki SX4 Sedan was spotted in The Curve, Mutiara Damansara displayed as a prize for some contest organised by Metrojaya and Citibank, if I’m not mistaken. Did not particularly pay much attention to the poster near the car as I was too busy snapping photos of the car itself.

The SX4 Sedan is another of those new-fangled small B-segment hatches turned into sedans. This particular execution looks either like a hit or miss depending on what angle you look at. At some angles you start to praise what a good job Suzuki has done tacking on a boot to a hatch, and a very tall one at that, but at some angles the rear starts to look too narrow and tall and that is made worse with the window profile that slopes upwards at a noticeably steep degree of angle.

Expect the Suzuki SX4 Sedan to be making a debut in our local market very very soon since it is already offered as a contest prize. Word is that it will be offered as a CKD.

Look after the jump for more photos with different angles of the Suzuki SX4 Sedan.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki SX4 Sedan spotted in Malaysia!

Remember that aggressive metallic dark silver concept car from Suzuki that we saw at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show this year? It was called the Suzuki A-Star Concept and word is that it previews the next generation Suzuki Alto, an important car for the Indian market.

A forumer at Team-BHP found these photos on the Orkut social network, which depicts a production version of the A-Star Concept on Indian roads.

While the overall shape including headlamp outline and etc stays true to the concept, it has lost much of its aggressiveness, instead taking on a much more cutesy look typical of A-segment cars. The rear end design is also much more realistic than the concept version, which only featured thin Nike logo-shaped slits on each side.

View more spyshots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Next generation Suzuki Alto(?) spotted in India

Suzuki has unveiled a special 500-unit run of the Suzuki SX4 for the German market called the Suzuki SX4 WRC Edition, nevermind that there’s nothing WRC about the special edition other than the stickers on the outside.

The Suzuki SX4 WRC Edition features a bodykit, rally-ish decal stickers, rally-ish 16 inch wheels wrapped with 205/60R16 tyres, and a mesh grille. On the inside you get carbon-lookalike trim, a leather shift knob, and keyless entry and start.

A follow-up post with details on the rear SX4 rally car is coming up, but for the moment view more photos of the Suzuki SX4 WRC Edition after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki SX4 WRC Edition

The Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan has been unveiled in India, and comes with a choice of either a 1.3 liter SOHC petrol engine or a 1.3 liter Multijet DOHC common rail intercooled turbodiesel engine.

The petrol engine produces 87 bhp at 6,000rpm and 113Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, while the oil burner makes 75 horses and 190Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. Both petrol and diesel variants are available only with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Dimension-wise the Swift Dzire sedan is longer than the Swift hatchback of course, but keeps the same wheelbase of 2390mm. The following table lists the differences between the two dimension-wise.

Boot space varies between 440 liters and 464 liters depending on trim level. The larger boot space value is available on the Lxi, Ldi, Vxi and Vdi trims, probably because of the slimmer tyre profile (165/80R14 versus 185/70R14) which means the spare tyre does not take as much space in the boot.

Safety features include ABS brakes, EBD, and dual front SRS airbags, which Maruti Suzuki claims are safety features that are not usually seen in this segment. Not all trim levels have them though. Spec level is relatively high, with some variants getting automatic climate control.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan unveiled in India

This is the third Kizashi Concept to come out of Suzuki’s stables, and it was displayed at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. While the previous two Kizashi Concepts had estate bodies, this version is a sedan. Dimensions are 4650mm long, 1900mm wide, 1450mm tall and it has a wheelbase of 2800mm.

A production version is in the works, but there are no final specs yet, though Suzuki hints at a 3.6 liter DOHC V6 putting out about 300 horses or so. The engine will have plated cylinders which save weight and space, a technique that pays homage to Suzuki’s motorcycle business. The engine will be mounted at the front, and will send power to all four wheels.

See more photos and watch an animated video of the Kizashi 3 after the jump.

Related Posts:
More about the Suzuki Concept Kizashi

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept

The Maruti Suzuki Swift DZiRE is set to hit India’s shores on the 29th of this month, and a teaser site is already up online. The car is essentially a Suzuki Switch hatchback with a boot tacked on. The site has a few preview images depicting a Swift DZiRE shrouded by shadows, or just parts of the car, but look after the jump and you will find some low resolution spyshots captured from a video.

According to Maruti Suzuki, the Swift DZiRE will feature class-leading equipment that have never been offered in an entry-level sedan in India, like an integrated head unit with steering wheel audio, automatic climate control, dual SRS airbags and ABS brakes.

Related Posts:
Suzuki Swift Sedan snapped in India

Click here to read the rest of Maruti Suzuki Swift DZiRE due end-March

The latest principal to enter the Malaysian market with stakeholding is Suzuki Motor, which has just acquired 40% of Suzuki Malaysia Automobile, previously a DRB-Hicom company. Suzuki will pay RM 14 million for the 40% stake, and another 20% stake will be taken up by Japanese trading form Itochu, which will pay RM 7 million. The remaining 40% is held by DRB-Hicom.

“The proposed joint venture displays Suzuki’s strong commitment to strengthen its relationship with DRB-Hicom in the marketing, distribution and assembly of Suzuki vehicles in Malaysia and to widen its product range and models in Malaysia,” said DRB-Hicom in a statement.

The new JV will be complete by end Q1 2008, and will involve subscription of new ordinary shares of RM1.00 each in SMA. SMA will issue and allot a total of 21 million new ordinary shares of RM1.00 each in SMA, through an increase in issued and paid-up capital from RM14 million to RM35 million. DRB-Hicom is expected to realise an estimated gain of RM5.2 million from the Proposed Joint Venture based on SMAs audited financial statement for the financial year ended 31 March 2007.

This could mean faster time to market for new Suzuki products in Malaysia as well as perhaps better allocation of stock to reduce waiting times.

The new Suzuki Equator was unveiled at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and as expected thanks to earlier leaked images and an already established relationship between Nissan and Suzuki, it is revealed that the Equator is essentially a badge-engineered Nissan Frontier, and is even built alongside the Frontier at Nissan’s Smyrna plant.

The Suzuki Equator is aimed at Suzuki bike and ATV lovers, who might want a truck with a matching badge for their vehicles. It will come in both Extended Cab and Crew Cab body styles, and power will go to either the two rear wheels or all four wheels via a selectable 4WD system.

There are no diesel powertrain options, instead you have a 2.5 liter DOHC inline-4 putting out 152 horsepower and 232Nm of torque, or a larger 4.0 liter DOHC V6 engine with 261 horsepower and 381Nm of torque. These are both Nissan engines and they are mated to a 5-speed auto for both engines, or a 5-speed manual for the inline-4 and a 6-speed for the V6.

More shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki Equator based on Nissan Frontier unveiled

Click to enlarge

Suzuki has released an official front three quarter photo of the new Suzuki Equator pick-up truck, a badge reengineered version of the US market mid-sized second generation Nissan Frontier, built on the Nissan F-Alpha platform.

The F-Alpha ladder frame platform can be configured with either a fully independent suspension or with a rear solid axle, but as with the Frontier, the Suzuki Equator will go the solid axle way. Expect it to be powered by the same 265 horsepower 4.0 liter V6 in the Frontier.

Related Posts:
TOKYO Live: 2007 Suzuki X-HEAD Concept
Suzuki Equator: new Frontier-based pickup truck

While it is a common practice these days to turn hatchbacks into sedans, some hatches really shouldn’t be turned into sedans. One such hatch is the Suzuki Swift, which looks really good as a hatch but as these spyshots show, looks as odd as a Chery QQ6 when it is given a notchback sedan body style.

This photo was snapped at Suzuki India… is this the replacement for the Maruti Suzuki Esteem sedan (essentially a sedan based on an older Suzuki Swift)?

The new Suzuki Swift Sedan will hit Indian showrooms in February 2008.

Source

UPDATE: Suzuki SX4 Sedan also available in Malaysia, fully imported from Japan.

The new Suzuki SX4 is now available in Malaysia in 5-door hatchback form, fully imported from Japan. The hatchback version is available with both normal low to the ground hatchback styling as well as a crossover-like design incorporating a SUV-like design language and raised ground clearance.

The one we are getting is the crossover design, and under the hood lies a more sedatedly tuned version of the 1.6 liter in the Suzuki Swift Sport. In this incarnation it makes 100 bhp (75kW) at 5,600rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. This is mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox, and while there are 4X4 versions of the Suzuki SX4 available overseas, we get the 4X2 version which will save some fuel and is more than capable enough for the type of roads this little hatch will tackle anyway. The power steering uses an Electric Power Steering System.

The SX4 ride on MacPherson struts for the front suspension and a torsion beam setup for the rear, and is built on a stretched and modified version of the Suzuki Swift chassis. The large 16 inch wheels with thick profile 205/60R16 tyres complete the crossover look.

Luggage capacity is 270 liters which is not too bad, but fold the seats down and you get 625 liters of capacity. The steering wheel is similiar to the one in the Swift and feature steering wheel audio controls for the MP3/WMA/CD player with 8 speakers. Safety features include dual front SRS airbags, ABS anti lock brakes, EBD, Brake Assist and side impact door beams.

The Suzuki SX4 has acceptable rear legroom – it’s not cramped and you can see a photo of someone sitting in the rear after the jump. For a fully imported unit, it has a very competitive price – RM89,987.50 OTR with insurance for the regular version and RM94,377.50 OTR with insurance if you wish to add leather seats and V-Kool tinting.

With the perceived quality of a Japan import, a decent equipment list, attractive “active” looks, a small and relatively frugal engine and a competitive price, I think the SX4 will definitely fly off the shelves! More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki SX4 1.6 Auto launched in Malaysia!

This is a concept version of Suzuki’s new A-segment global car, which will be shown to the public at the 2008 New Delhi Auto Show in January next year and it is called the Suzuki A-Star Concept. The Suzuki A-Star Concept points to the design direction of the next generation Suzuki Alto, which will make its global debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March.

The small Suzuki Alto compact car is currently the number one car in India in terms of sales and is priced between 2.59 lakh to 3.13 lakh Indian rupees. It sells nearly 18,000 units a month on average.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki A-Star Concept: Suzuki’s Global Car