Archive for Suzuki

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

Suzuki is planning to unveil a new mid-sized pick up truck at the Chicago International Auto Show in February next year. Suzuki management believes this product makes sense as they believe buyers of Suzuki’s popular motorcycles and ATVs will want a truck to haul their big boy toys around with.

We saw a pick up truck concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show called the Suzuki X-HEAD Concept, but the new mid-sized will not be based off it, instead it will be essentially be a reengineered Nissan Frontier as Suzuki and Nissan already have a cross-rebadging partnership.

The truck might be called the Suzuki Equator as the name was recently registered as a trademark in the US on the 5th of November 2007.

Suzuki produced two concept kitted up cars for the 2007 SEMA aftermarket parts show - one is the Suzuki SX4 Sedan “Street Sport” concept shown in Dark Blue above, and the other is the Suzuki SX4 Sedan “touring” concept, which is dressed in Dark Red above.

The SX4 Street Sport concept is powered by a 143 horsepower 2.0 liter DOHC engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Coupled with a rigid body and a sports suspension, it should prove to be interesting to drive considering Suzuki’s experience with making fun to drive cars like the Suzuki Swift. Completing the sporty look are 18 inch alloy wheels wrapped with performance-oriented Yokohama tyres in 215/40R18 size.

The other “touring” version is nothing more than a cosmetic dress up, fitted with a bodykit and 17 inch wheels.

Click to enlarge

The new Suzuki Kizashi 2 Concept (done up in white) shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show is an evolution of the Suzuki Kizashi Concept (this is the red-coloured car) shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

While the Kizashi had a 2.0 liter turbodiesel under the hood, very apt for its European motor show unveiling, the new Kizashi 2 concept uses a more Japanese-oriented 3.6 liter V6, the largest Suzuki has ever put in a car, mated to a six-speed auto.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
More about the Suzuki Concept Kizashi

Click here to read the rest of TOKYO LIVE 2007: Suzuki Kizashi 2 Concept

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The Suzuki X-HEAD Concept looks like it could be one of the Constructicons from an upcoming Transformers Movie sequel, and Suzuki has given the concept SUV decent off-road and load carrying capacity.

The rear bed can be configured a few ways. One configuration holds a unit called the Camper, which provides sleeping space for 2 adults. The other is called Fashion - I’m not exactly sure what this is but Suzuki says it “provides stylish urban mobility” - I think it’s nothing more than some sort of stylish cover for the rear. Finally, there is Rescue, which includes basic excavator capabilities.

Of course, the rear bed can also be left like a normal pickup bed, which is the version you see in these live photos. There is a little scrambler bike loaded at the back.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of TOKYO LIVE 2007: Suzuki X-HEAD Concept

The Suzuki Swift Sport has been officially priced - RM97,593.50 for a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 Manual and RM102,723.50 for a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 Automatic. These prices are on the road with insurance.

Specs include 6 SRS airbags, antilock brakes with EBD and brake assist, a 6 speaker system with a CD tuner that supports MP3 and WMA which you can control via integrated audio controls on the Swift Sport’s leather steering wheel.

Wheels are 16 inch alloy wheels, and the interior is done up in black and red. The suspension system uses MacPherson struts and coil springs at the front and a torsion beam with coil spring setup at the rear.

The spec sheet for the car indicates the 1.6 liter engine puts out 125 horsepower at 6,800rpm and 148Nm of torque at 4,800rpm - rather low for a modern 1.6 liter unit with variable valve timing actually - but requires RON98 fuel so be sure to only feed the best fuel you can get into it if you want maximum output - the closest to RON98 here is Shell V-Power Racing I suppose.

Kerb weight is 1,090kg for the manual and 1,100kg for the auto. The manual goes from 0 to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds, hardly enough to knock you back into your seats, while the auto is much slower at 11.4 seconds, probably because of the auto’s gearing.

Should be a car modification kaki’s dream though, just look at the long list of parts you can bling up your Swift Sport with!

More shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Official price and specifications for the Suzuki Swift Sport in Malaysia

Suzuki’s Concept Kizashi is a preview of it’s upcoming large D-segment sedan, and it marks the third phase of Suzuki’s new world strategy that began with the Suzuki Swift. The Suzuki Swift started the whole revival of Suzuki and reflected the first phase’s theme of sportiness. The second phase began with the Grand Vitara and the SX4, and the theme was families.

This third phase is status. Up until now, Suzuki owners who have moved up the brand from A segment to B, then up to C segment have had nothing to move up to when they decide it’s time for a D-segment car. The production version of the Suzuki Concept Kizashi is supposed to be an answer to that desire.

In their studies, Suzuki realised that there are two types of D-segment cars: family-oriented cars that are relatively large and reflect an emphasis on cabin roominess (USDM and Asian Honda Accord, for example), and the other which are “entry luxury” cars that reflect an emphasis on performance, are relatively compact, and offer relatively high levels of quality and prestige (the Accord Euro, for example).

Suzuki boldly says it’s new D-segment car will not belong to either group. Suzuki is targeting emotional appeal as a way to deliver a level of customer satisfaction higher than what might be expected from what you pay for the car.

The new D-segment Suzuki will definitely be a sporty drive, and will have all-wheel drive technology, but Suzuki did not say whether this would be standard or an option. The concept photos here rather reminds me of the Toyota Caldina.

While the final powertrain line-up of the production sedan is not revealed at this point, the Suzuki Concept Kizashi is powered by a newly developed 2.0 liter 16-valve turbodiesel engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox. It is 4,650mm long, 1,950mm wide, 1,400mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,850mm.

A few more photos are available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of More about the Suzuki Concept Kizashi

Earlier this year, Suzuki did the done thing and finally CKD-ed their entry-level model. When I drove it in CBU form, it was pretty fun. Slightly nasty with its slapped together interior and screamy engine noise… but fun.

The thing is, nothing much has changed except that the ride in the rear has been improved somewhat. Oh, and the small matter of price, of course. This used to cost RM87,279 after the NAP hit CBU units hard. With its previous price coming in at RM79,800, it was clear that Suzuki Malaysia had to do something about it.

Shannon Teoh discovered what’s new (or not) with the Suzuki Swift during a short media drive to the assembly plant in Pekan some months back. Details after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Locally assembled Suzuki Swift test drive