Archive for Suzuki

Suzuki has so very quickly updated the Alto for the Tokyo Motorshow 2009, though it’s still calling it a “concept” for now.. This update may seem like it’s coming a little too soon considering the Alto has just been launched in India and various other countries.

It could be either one of two things. One is it’s a facelifted model being previewed a little too prematurely. I have a feeling that it could also be not really a new car but a more premium and refined take on the existing car for the Japanese market, and potentially any other market that can accept paying a little more for a compact car.

See in Japan, people don’t exactly buy a really small car because they can’t afford anything better. Alot of the times its more of a choice. It’s a very Japanese thing really. These customers don’t mind paying a little more for extra design finesse and refinement.

Or even a little more uniqueness, which is why you have the Mira and you also have the Mira Custom. Or Move and Move Custom, etc. Even the Alto shares a nameplate in Japan with a different looking vehicle – the Suzuki Alto Lapin. So this is it, an updated Alto for the Tokyo show, and it does look sharper than the original Alto. Look after the jump for 5 shots of the Alto Concept.

Click here to read the rest of Tokyo gets its own Suzuki Alto Concept

Suzuki has officially revealed the 2010 Kizashi mid-sized sedan, that is offered in both front wheel drive and all wheel drive forms. Based on the Kizashi Concept that was previewed two years ago, the mid-size sedan is treated to a large prominent grille up front with curvaceous design lines under the projector beam headlights, which is also evident at the rear end. There are two exhaust tailpipes as well, on each side. The Kizashi also sits on the ground with 18-inch alloy wheels, treated to a multi-spoke design.

Inside, you can choose between cloth or premium leather seats. With the latter, you will get three-stage heating and memory function. Both material options are finished with French seams, hard cover rears and low fatigue foam. More features include, key-less entry (with start/stop button), iPod connectivity, Bluetooth (optional) and a 425-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system (optional). There is also a three-spoke steering wheel, in front of a two-gauge (with chrome outline and light blue lighting) instrument panel, with an LCD display.

Now to what is under the hood. Before I can continue, I must say that Suzuki has neglected to mention official performance figures of the Kizashi, along with the engine output numbers as well. We do know that it is powered by a 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder, mated to either a 6 speed manual or a CVT transmission. With the CVT, buyers will get steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

The engine includes an aluminum block and cylinder heads, aluminum pistons with low tensile force rings, dropped-forged connecting rods, rotating on a forged steel crankshaft and a balancer shaft that delivers improved engine balance and reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

Suspension wise, the Kizashi with a rigid steel unibody features MacPherson struts in the reinforced front suspension, while the rear is treated to a multi-link setup, which is constructed with embedded aluminum to improve handling. As mentioned earlier, the Kizashi is also offered with an all wheel drive system, which is Suzuki’s first for its sedan segment. The system’s torque split remains dependent on several factors, including wheel slippage and throttle input.

Safety wise, it comes with eight airbags, ESP, ABS with EBD and a tire pressure monitoring system. You can also go home with Suzuki’s synergetic vehicle dynamic control, which allows you to have more fun with the car, with minimal intrusion from the ESP. The auto maker also revealed that it is developing a hybrid variant of the Kizashi, and that it will be added into the line-up in the future. Expect the new sedan from Suzuki to hit US showrooms by December. Continue reading to view an image gallery and to watch a half-hour long video.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Suzuki Kizashi officially revealed! Hybrid model coming soon

A German magazine reported last week that Volkswagen is looking to take up a 10% stake in Japanese carmaker Suzuki. Taking up stake and collaborating with the Japanese company in various areas such as network and product collaboration will allow Volkswagen to enter the Indian market with more success than they currently are having. Suzuki currently dominates the Indian market through the local JV, Maruti Suzuki.

The small little cars that Suzuki and Daihatsu are so good at building at seems to be a secret art that no one else can master. Most of the time the cars come out too cramped as there is not very efficient use of space, or they end up being too costly to manufacturer and price at the appropriate price tag that it needs to have.

Suzuki could benefit from Volkswagen’s technologies such as various fuel-saving tech such as FSI, TSI, TDI diesel and even hybrid tech, and Volkswagen could definitely use Suzuki’s access in India, and perhaps its K-car platforms in case it wants to do something smaller than the NSF (the Up! concepts – future Lupo).

Either way, investors seem to think positively of such a deal, as Suzuki shares went up by nearly 7.7% before settling down up 5.5% at 2,195 Japanese Yen.

Changan-Suzuki, Suzuki’s auto arm in China has launched the facelift version of the Suzuki SX4 and SX4 Sedan for the Chinese market.

The facelift consists of a redesigned bumper, revised grille, concave surfaces above the fog light, as well as a new skid-plate at the rear of the hatchback. The facelift also matches the 2010 SX4 for the European market.

The Suzuki SX4 facelift range also comes with a slightly updated interior and a revised GPS navigation system. Please continue reading to view an image gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki SX4 and SX4 Sedan facelift revealed in China

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Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd have updated their Suzuki Swift for the 2009 model year. The locally assembled Swift retails at RM 73,788.00 OTR with insurance and comes in 5 colours, including Bayside Blue, Silver Grey, Supreme Red and Tranquility Black as well as one new colour – Superior White.

Suzuki has basically added 2 features – a keyless entry and start system, and auto-retractable side mirrors with integrated signal indicators. The keyless entry system allows you to open the door via pressing a button on the door handle, and the keyless engine start is not unlike Latio’s where you turn an ignition knob, not as sexy as a start button but it works. Its primarily to allow you to access and start the car without having to take out the key fob from your pocket or in the case of ladies, your handbag.

The rest of the car should remain largely the same – a 1.5 liter DOHC engine with variable valve timing producing 101hp at 6,000rpm and 133Nm of torque at 4,000rpm mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission, good cute but perhaps now dated looks and one of the best handling and fun factor in its class.

Look after the jump for more shots of the Swift.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki Swift now with keyless entry and start

The media blitz about Suzuki canceling its D-segment Suzuki Kizashi earlier this week was fueled by Japanese business daily The Nikkei. Now it appears that the show will go on, and the Kizashi will go on as scheduled to make a production debut at the 2009 New York Auto Show in April 2009! As for when a showroom debut will happen, that will happen at the show in April.

The Nikkei’s sources must have made a mistake somewhere, but they’re not to blame for believing it’s true! During this time where the market is shifting towards smaller and fuel efficient cars, Suzuki who is an expert at building small cars wants to come up with a large car in a segment that it has absolutely no presence in. Will anyone take a chance to buy something so distant and unfamiliar in that range of cars in this time and day?

We have another recession casualty here, this time it’s a Suzuki. Joining the ranks of cancelled projects by car manufacturers such as the recent NSX is the upcoming (not anymore, for now!) Suzuki Kizashi D-segment sedan. Despite what seems to be a properly running full production model running around all sorts of terrain and even the Nurburgring, the large sedan has been canned. Suzuki is an expert at doing small cars, and small cars seem to work best in current times. More and more car manufacturers are moving down the segments, so why would Suzuki move up? Good for them for making this decision!

UPDATE: Suzuki executives have denied the report and said the Suzuki Kizashi is not dead, and will be making a production appearance as scheduled at the New York auto show in April.

Source

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As it doesn’t look like GM is going to receive any federal bailout anytime soon, it’s raising some cash to stay afloat by selling all of its stake in Suzuki – 3% or 16.413 million shares to be exact – back to the Japanese company, who will buy back its own shares at 1,363 yen (RM50.40) a share.

GM originally owned 20% of Suzuki but sold 17% back in 2006 in a transaction worth USD$1.96 billion. With this recent sale, it ceases to have any stake in the Japanese automaker. It also sold its 20% stake in Subaru in 2005, and part of that ex-GM stake is now owned by Toyota.

What’s next to go? Saab? Perhaps Buick will go to a Chinese company, since the brand is rather popular in China, doing even better there than in the US. There was also a story about it trying to flog off Hummer to Tata or Mahindra.

Perhaps at the end of the day Proton can buy GM for US$1

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Suzuki Great Britain is now offering a Clarion 2-DIN multimedia system priced at £1,499 including VAT, excluding installation, which can be specified for the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the Suzuki Swift, Suzuki Swift Sport and the Suzuki SX4. Suzuki claims the unit has been developed specifically for Suzuki, but the wordings on the top right indicate its the MAX973HD, a model that been out since last year!

Features of the new 2-DIN head unit include GPS navigation, CD, DVD and iPod connectivity, and a touch-screen 7 inch LCD interface to select songs, playlists and artists. There is also a CD-ripping function that can store MP3 recorded from CDs onto its on-board 40GB hard drive.

Click the thumbnails above for larger images.

This special GT styling package is currently offered to owners of the Suzuki Splash who want to spice up their little hatchback in certain market regions.

At this price segment these bits of kit probably do not offer any aerodynamic benefits at all, but almost every car looks better with a little diffuser-ish design on the rear bumper to help it look less fat, especially with increasingly strict crash test regulations bloating those bumpers up.

Any European entrepreneur want to develop a similiar styling bodykit for the Suzuki Splash-derived Opel Agila?

One advantage of selling a CBU car in Malaysia is that you can react to model offering changes very quickly. That is why Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd is able to bring in the facelifted Suzuki Grand Vitara so quickly shortly after it was unveiled internationally in early October 2008.

There are very minor changes on the front end – so minor that at first glance you may think that it looks exactly the same. I had trouble spotting the difference, to be honest. The bumper design is almost the same except the foglamps have been moved further away from the center to help the Grand Vitara look wider. There is also a new design for the front grille. From the side view, you will now notice a new 17 inch wheel design.

On the interior, there is a new multi-information display integrated into the meter cluster. The climate control area also has been redesigned. The steering wheel audio switches are now illuminated. Finally, the seat upholstery now has a new design for the fabric.

The facelifted Vitara adds a 2.4 liter engine to the model line-up but in Malaysia we continue to get a 2.0 liter model producing 138hp at 5,900rpm and 183Nm of torque at 4,300rpm, mated to a 4-speed auto with ratios from 2.862 to 0.688. One technical change is the addition of disc brakes at the rear.

The Suzuki Grand Vitara minor facelift retails for RM117,125.90 OTR with insurance (RM113,900 without insurance).

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Here are more details on the Suzuki Alto, which we sort of had a look at earlier in teaser form and also as a rebadged Nissan Pixo. The new compact A-segment hatchback is targeted to sell about 60,000 units a year in Europe following its Spring 2009 launch. It’s also set to be one of the few top sellers in India under the Maruti name.

The new Suzuki Alto measures 3,500mm long, 1,600mm wide and 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,360mm. This means it is shorter, wider but lower than the Viva which has dimensions of 3,575mm x 1,475mm x 1,530mm. As for boot size, the Alto can take 129 liters with the rear bench in place and utilised.

The Alto uses a MacPherson strut suspension design at the front and what Suzuki calls a proprietary 3-link torsion beam at the rear, whatever that means. Under the hood is the inline-3 1.0 liter K10B unit that made its debut with the Suzuki Splash. It produces 68 PS at 6,000rpm and 90Nm of torque at 4,800rpm.

With a kerb weight of 910kg for the high-spec automatic version, it has a power to weight ratio of 13.38kg per PS, compared to the Viva 1.0 Premium automatic’s 13.33kg per PS. This means its performance should be very similiar to the Viva 1.0 Premium, though the VIva’s peak torque of 90Nm kicks in earlier at 3,600rpm.

Look after the jump for 3 more shots of the Alto.

Click here to read the rest of New Suzuki Alto: performance and dimensions

Suzuki has unveiled a facelifted version of the Suzuki Grand Vitara flagship, now available with a new larger 2.4 liter engine.

The new 2.4 liter engine produces 166 PS in the three door body and 169 PS in the five door body. The engine features a balance shaft, a three-stage variable air intake and a tumble control valve for the intake to for the best possible fuel-air mixture.

Other changes include new ventilated discs for the rear brakes, extra shock-absorbing elements at the front to reduce pedestrian injury risk, and ESP is now fitted as standard. Apparently the interior and exterior styling has received minor updates as well but they are probably so minor that other than the new wheels, I can’t seem to detect any.

Look after the jump for a photo of the 3-door body and the new interior.

Click here to read the rest of Facelifted Suzuki Grand Vitara now with 2.4L engine

Suzuki has just unveiled its all-new Suzuki Wagon-R in Japan. It’s essentially the same car and model line-up as the Mazda AZ-Wagon, offering two different styling options, two engines and three choices of gearbox.

The base model is the Suzuki Wagon-R while the more upmarket racy version is the Suzuki Wagon-R Stingray, mirroring Mazda’s AZ-Wagon and AZ-Wagon Custom Style cars. You have the choice of either a 54 PS normally aspirated 660cc engine or a turbocharged 660cc offering 64 PS.

Look after the jump for more photos of the new Suzuki.

Click here to read the rest of Suzuki Wagon-R launched in Japan

Suzuki has unveiled a preview of the next generation Suzuki Alto, which will make its debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The new Alto was shown to us in concept form as the Suzuki A-Star Concept. The new Alto will replace the best-selling Maruti Alto currently sold in Japan, but the Maruti 800 based on an even older Alto will still soldier on, repositioned with less specs and a lower price to compete with the Tata Nano.

As India is the Alto’s biggest market, the world production center for the new Suzuki Alto will be situated in Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant. If Suzuki Malaysia deems the Alto suitable for Malaysian consumption (Hyundai seems to think so with the recently introduced Indian-sourced i10), the Alto we get will most likely come from India.

The recent news of a free trade agreement being discussed between ASEAN and India will be good news for the i10 and the Alto if it is introduced here as it would mean less taxes for Indian imports.

One more photo of the new Suzuki Alto available after the jump, with more details to be revealed as we approach the 2008 Paris show.

Click here to read the rest of New Suzuki Alto images released, details to come