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Suzuki ramping up production in India – overtaking its Japanese factory production?

June 17, 2010 at 6:55 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

Japanese car manufacturers are streamlining their businesses to keep their heads in the profit-making top of the proverbial water. But it seems that Suzuki who is the 9th largest automotive manufacturer globally doesn’t have such problems. They have announced plans to pump up vehicle production to about 1.45 million vehicles in India, which is Asia’s third largest automobile market, by 2012.

This would mean that they would overtake production numbers at the company’s Japanese factories, which now stand at 1.4 million units annually. Growing production will be accomplished by investments of 2-4 billion yen (21 -43 million dollars) from its Indian arm, Maruti Suzuki, and will be used to upgrade two of its factories. This will increase its production capacity from 1 million units to 1.2 million for the time being.

Maruti Suzuki will also spend 33 billion yen (360 million dollars) to build a third plant which will see an output capacity of 250,000 units. This will be up and running by the mid part of 2012.

The move has been engineered amid Suzuki enjoying growing sales figures within the Indian subcontinent, largely due to inexpensive loans, a variety of new models and a recovery in demand. Models now available within the country include the Swift, the Swift DZire sedan, the A-Star and the SX4. Now you understand why Volkswagen wanted a piece of Suzuki?

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Maruti Suzuki RIII MPV due next year, exports planned

June 11, 2010 at 2:42 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, India, International News, Suzuki

Remember the Maruti Suzuki RIII MPV Concept from the Delhi show earlier this year? Reports are out to say that the production version of that concept will be launched as early as Q1 2011 as India’s market leader has already sent out quotation requests to vendors for components to be used in the manufacturing of the MPV.

The RIII, which sits on the SX4/Swift platform but with an extended wheelbase, is likely to be made at Maruti’s Gurgaon plant before production moves to an expanded Manesar plant. As the main production hub, India could export CBU units or knocked down kits to other markets, with Latin America and Eastern Europe being the possibilities. This smells a lot like an MPV for developing markets that could possibly make its way here.

The reports add that Suzuki wants to bring the RIII to Brazil, where big shareholder Volkswagen has a big presence and production capacity.

The RIII, which will be a seven seater (concept had 2-2-2 seating), is also rumoured to carry diesel engines from VW. Since Suzuki has access to only the Fiat Multijet diesel engine from its lone plant in India (already running at full capacity), it makes sense for Suzuki source TDI units from VW. Indian media speculates that this could be the 105 bhp 1.6-litre common rail diesel from the upcoming Vento (Polo sedan). On the petrol front, Suzuki’s 1.6-litre engine from the SX4 is a possible candidate.

Click here for more on the RIII concept and a gallery.

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New Suzuki Swift unveiled – larger in every dimension!

June 11, 2010 at 1:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki


Click for enlarged image

This is the all new 2011 Suzuki Swift and as you can see a layman would be hard pressed to find the difference between the old and the new car based on a glance at a photo alone.

There’s no doubt that the Swift this new model replaces looks good and it looks like Suzuki has taken a leaf out of BMW MINI’s book here – this new Swift looks like a subtle evolution of the old one just like now the new second generation BMW MINI still looks very much like the generation it replaces.

Under the skin though, wheelbase has grown by as much as 50mm longer, bringing the wheelbase of the new Swift up to 2,430mm. This comes together with an increase of overall length by 90mm. The body is now 5mm wider and 10mm taller. Front and rear track has also been increased by 10mm and 15mm respectively.


Click for enlarged image

So yes, this is a larger car and not merely a rehash of the old Swift.

The new Swift will be available with a 1.2 litre Dual VVT petrol engine with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust, producing an impressive 94 horsepower and 118Nm of torque, of which peak torque kicks in at 4,800rpm.

This petrol engine will be accompanied by a diesel with 1.3 litres of displacement, though no details on the oil burner have been revealed yet.


Click for enlarged image

Only two exterior photos have been released so far but we have something nice for you. Theophilus Chin has whipped up this quick chop of what a 3-door Suzuki Swift Sport could look like, based on these two photos that Suzuki have released. A 3-door body for this new Swift has been confirmed and both the 3-door and 5-door will be launched in the UK in Autumn this year.

We’re still waiting for Suzuki to released more photos of the car, as the first two photos you see in this post are the only they’ve released so far. You can also expect a new Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire to spawn from this new Swift. The Swift Dzire is a really weird looking sedan version of the Swift for the Indian market.

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2011 Suzuki Swift exposes uncovered bum in public!

June 8, 2010 at 4:16 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Spyshots, Suzuki

The current Suzuki Swift has been around since 2004, although it still looks cheeky and youthful six years on. A replacement is very near, and test mules have been caught in action in the snow and at Nurburgring. We previously posted up an image which purportedly shows the dashboard of the 2011 Swift, which will be launched at the Paris Motor Show in October according to reports. Now let’s have a first look at the uncovered exterior.

These images of the Swift on a transporter were taken in Hungary, where Suzuki’s European production base is located. If this is indeed the new Swift, we can see that the changes are evolutionary; perhaps Suzuki didn’t want to alter the winning formula too much. The rear lights are now longer and goes deeper into the car’s sides while the license plate location has shifted upwards. Reminds me a little of the previous generation “big booty” Renault Megane. Cars testing at the ‘Ring also give hints of headlights that are more swept back. Do you like what you see?

According to Autocar, insiders have said that the new car is an evolution of the current model – more grown up, but with the same sort of appeal. The 2011 model is also said to sit on an all new platform and will come with new small engines, with turbo being a possibility.

Take a closer look after the jump!
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Suzuki Swift Plug-In Hybrid to use Sanyo batteries

May 17, 2010 at 10:26 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Suzuki

Suzuki plans to use Sanyo as its battery supplier for an upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the Suzuki Swift. 60 test units of the plug-in hybrid equipped with the Sanyo batteries will be deployed in Suzuki dealerships across Japan in the second half of 2010. Sanyo joins a group of battery supplies engaged to supply batteries for plug-in hybrids including Panasonic for an upcoming plug-in Prius and LG Chem for the Chevrolet Volt.

The Swift Hybrid plug-in car will be a series hybrid much like the Proton EMAS and the Chevrolet Volt. There is a 660cc combustion engine capable of 54 horsepower but its sole function is to run a generator that recharges the Sanyo batteries when needed when the batteries run out of wall socket charged juice. The batteries in turn power a 74 horsepower electric motor.

When the concept version of the car was first displayed at Tokyo 2009, Suzuki said the batteries in that car could go about 20km on full battery capacity before the 660cc engine has to kick in and burn petrol to provide more charge. The latest word from Suzuki has dropped this distance to about 15km.

Look after the jump for a small gallery of the Swift Plug-In Concept.
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Volkswagen and Suzuki to co-develop Thai eco-car?

April 12, 2010 at 12:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki, Volkswagen


Nissan became the first company to launch its eco-car in Thailand with its new March at the recent Bangkok Motor Show. Other Japanese carmakers like Toyota and Honda are expected to follow suit; the latter showed off its New Small Concept at the Thai show. Meanwhile, Volkswagen and Suzuki are likely to help each other develop an eco-car in Thailand, according to an industry source.

Bangkok Post reports that a senior official at Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) confirmed the German and Japanese automakers were negotiating about collaborative possibilities. Small car expert Suzuki is already a certainty, after reaffirming its stand to go ahead with a 7.5-billion-baht eco-car venture in Thailand last year. VW meanwhile, was among seven automakers applying for promotional privileges from the BoI. The state agency approved the proposals of six companies (Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Tata), but asked for additional details from Europe’s biggest carmaker.

The industry source said that Volkswagen had now embarked on a new push and was negotiating with Suzuki about jointly developing the small, fuel-efficient cars in Thailand. It was previously reported that VW planned to invest 27 billion baht for the eco-car project, a sum much higher than the others. This was because VW has no presence in Thailand and needed to start its venture from scratch, including parts sourcing. Suzuki could be the answer to these obstacles.

Suzuki, now 19.9% owned by VW, is commited to build facilities for pressing, welding, painting, assembly and engine production. Its plan is to start producing 1.3-litre eco-cars in 2012, initially at 10,000 units per year. Suzuki majors in small cars and is an established player in India and ASEAN, and these were among the star points Volkswagen saw when it bought into the Hamamatsu based company. Well, it looks like Wolfsburg is getting its first “dividend” with this Thai eco-car scenario.

Malaysian carbuyers could stand to enjoy some spill over effects of these developments in Thailand. To qualify for eco-car duty cuts and tax breaks, 70% of production must be for local consumption, which means eco-car participants can export the rest of these small, fuel sipping cars – and as the region’s biggest passenger car market, I can bet we figure in their plans.

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Suzuki Kizashi Sport unveiled a day before New York show

March 31, 2010 at 2:46 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki


Suzuki couldn’t wait for the New York Auto Show and has revealed its Kizashi Sport a day ahead of the show’s press day. Instead of a unique performance version like the Swift Sport, the “Sport” in the Kizashi’s name denotes a trim level which can be ordered on GTS and SLS variants. It will be available in the US this August.

Suzuki, which is more famous for small cars and compact 4X4s, counts “near-luxury content” and a “Euro-tuned platform” as this D-segment car’s strengths, pitching the Kizashi as an alternative to the Audi A4 and Acura TSX.

The Sport pack adds on a more muscular front fascia (with chrome accents) and lower grille, side sill extensions, lower body side molding (again with chrome), a slim bootlid spoiler, lightweight 18-inch alloys and a 10 mm lower ride height.


Inside, the Kizashi Sport gets a steering wheel with perforated leather grip and contrasting stitching on the leather seats, shifter boot and emergency brake boot. That’s in addition to the standard 425-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo.

The Kizashi is powered by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with 185 bhp and 230 Nm. In the States, AWD is an option but it’s paired solely to a CVT. Front driven Kizashis can be had with a six-speed manual. Gallery is after the jump.
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New Suzuki Swift cabin spied, UK sales to start in Q3

March 18, 2010 at 2:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Spyshots, Suzuki

This is the dashboard of the new Suzuki Swift, which was caught on camera and published by Italian website alvolante.it. According to reports, the new Swift will be launched in UK sometime in the third quarter of 2010, riding on a new platform and featuring evolutionary styling from the current car, which has been a hit worldwide. With Volkswagen as Suzuki’s new stakeholder, will the Swift come with Wolfsburg’s TSI and TDI engines? Not unless VW wants to create another “in-house rival” for the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia, but we’ll see.

From the above image, we can see that the new Swift’s dashboard replaces the simple and basic layout of the current car for a more “sophisticated” flowing look normally found in bigger cars – in fact, much of the dash architecture is similar to Suzuki’s D-segment Kizashi sedan.

The current car’s single line stereo display has grown by quite a bit, and the circular side air con vents are replaced with conventional square units. Also seen here are simple VW-style dials with a silver outline flanking a central LCD display. Look lower and you’ll find a start/stop button. Current keyless entry equipped Swifts require you to twist a knob located at where the ignition normally is.

A bigger copy of the image is after the jump. Swift owners, what do you think?

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Suzuki reaches 20 million domestic milestone

February 19, 2010 at 12:52 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

Suzuki Motor Corp’s domestic car sales recently passed the 20 million unit milestone. This was spurred by strong performance in the small vehicle segment – Suzuki sold a total of 624,723 units in Japan last year to claim a 32.7% market share in the small car segment, an increase of 1.1%.

The company is seeing growth elsewhere too. In 2009, Suzuki made 1,479,231 vehicles outside of Japan; a record for the company and a 5.3% jump over 2008. The majority of these were accounted for by Maruti Suzuki in India where it holds a 54% market share of passenger vehicles sold. A master in developing markets, Magyar Suzuki in Hungary, which supplies Europe with the Swift, Splash and SX4, recently celebrated being the domestic market leader for the thirteenth consecutive year.

Suzuki’s car production began in Hamamatsu in October 1955 with the Suzulight pictured above, which was powered by a 360cc two-stroke engine. The company fast gained reputation as a “small car expert” and introduced the Suzulight Carry Pick-up in 1961 and the Fronte 800 City car in 1967. This was followed in 1970 by the introduction of the Jimny, which Suzuki says is the world’s first compact and lightweight 4X4. The debut of the Alto in 1979 cemented Suzuki’s stronghold in Japan’s mini car segment and provided the perfect product to conquer India.

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2010 Suzuki SX4 gets improved M16A engine

January 26, 2010 at 12:33 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

The Suzuki SX4 compact crossover has been reasonably popular in urban areas such Klang Valley, thanks to its trendy pseudo-SUV looks and competitive pricing for a fully-imported from Japan model. The awkward looking sedan however, has failed to create any impression whatsoever on the Vios/City buyer – it’s truly a rare sight.

For 2010, Suzuki has refreshed the SX4 crossover for Europe. Blink and you’ll miss the redesigned front bumper and grill. Inside, the climate control panel has been revised and now incorporates a display strip and ring lights for the temp and fan knobs. The new instrument cluster comes with a full trip computer while the steering wheel audio buttons are now illuminated. Comfort is said to be improved, thanks to cushioned armrests on the doors, additional sound insulation and new design carpets. Other measures include a larger engine under shield cover together with improved transmission damping and increased rigidity of body parts.

The UK gets two engine options – a 89 bhp/215 Nm Peugeot-sourced 1.6-litre DDiS oil burner and the M16A 1.6-litre which should be familiar to local SX4 owners. However, the petrol engine has been improved for 2010 – it’s now Euro 5 compliant and has a new cylinder head and block for improved cooling and ‘knock’ or detonation control limits. The new max output of 118 bhp is achieved by extending the intake and exhaust valve lift and utilising a variable inlet manifold. The result is improved intake efficiency throughout the rev range. Max torque is 156 Nm at 4,400 rpm.

In comparison, our own Malaysian-spec SX4 has only just recently been upgraded to a 110hp and 150Nm engine in October 2009 up from a previously weaker 101hp and 140Nm engine.

More pictures after the jump.
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