Automotive News - August 11, 2008 - (Page 25) AUGUST 11, 2008 • 25 FUTURE PRODUCT SERIES JAPAN BRANDSM JAPAN BRANDS Suzuki adds models, features and Nissan; drops Daewoo Kathy Jackson kjackson@crain.com LOS ANGELES — This fall, Suzuki drops its alliance with Daewoo and turns to Nissan. Suzuki will add a Nissan-built pickup for 2009 and will drop the Forenza and Reno, both from GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. in Korea. But Suzuki executives aren’t ruling out something new from Daewoo down the road. Also, a new mid-sized sporty sedan will be added in late 2009, and the Swift subcompact will return to the United States in late 2010. Suzuki thinks it has the right products to woo buyers looking for surprise-and-delight standard features at a value price. The automaker will offer unexpected standard features, such as a navigation system in the SX4, says Steven Younan, product planning director at American Suzuki Motor Corp. “We want every vehicle to have a unique selling point,” he says. “We’re the underdog. We’re trying to get people to look at us.” Swift: The subcompact was last sold here in 2002. The redesigned model will debut here as a 2011 hatchback. A hybrid sedan may be available for the 2012 model year. Reno: It has been dropped. SX4: Suzuki hopes to woo lowprice shoppers with a standard navigation system in the sedan and frontdrive versions of the hatchback. The system, developed by Garmin Ltd., includes Bluetooth and hands-free technology that can receive and play text messages audibly. A less-expensive base sedan will debut later in the 2009 model year. Forenza: It has been dropped. Kizashi 3: The stylish mid-sized sport sedan will debut as a 2010 model. The concept version boasted a 300-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine combined with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The vehicle will not come to market with the V-6, but Suzuki says the fiveseat sedan will be better equipped than a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, its target vehicles. Equator: Suzuki’s first pickup goes on sale this fall as a 2009 model. Nissan is assembling the truck — essentially a reskinned Frontier pickup. Four- and six-cylinder engines are planned, as are extended- and crewcab versions. Grand Vitara: Most of the news for the 2009 model year is about powertrains. The Grand Vitara line gets a new 166-hp, four-cylinder engine and a 230-hp, 3.2-liter V-6. The new V-6 gets 2 mpg highway more than the previous 2.7-liter V-6. The front grille and bumper are freshened. The Grand Vitara is due for a redesign around the 2011 model year, when a hybrid may be offered. XL7: A six-speed automatic transmission is being added for the 2009 model year, providing a 2 mpg city/highway increase over the fivespeed. Only one model will be offered for the 2009 model year: the seven-passenger XL7. The five-passenger model has been dropped. The XL7’s future is under review. Some Suzuki sources say the vehicle will be redesigned around the 2011 model year, but other sources say the vehicle may be dropped then. c The Suzuki Equator, a Nissan-built pickup, goes on sale this fall as a 2009 model. The Kizashi 3 concept, above, inspired the mid-sized sport sedan. http://www.protective.com/dealerservices http://www.protective.com/dealerservices
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