Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Larger SX4 to lead raft of new or revised Suzuki models

A few weeks ago, we showed you what is likely in store for the next-generation Suzuki SX4, but What Car? now has some insider info of what might be in store for other products in the aging Suzuki lineup... at least in the UK.

When the official design sketch of the Suzuki S-Cross concept was released, Suzuki said that the concept car would be a C-segment crossover, closer in size to the Grand Vitara, and going up against some higher-volume rivals like the Ford Kuga (Escape) and Nissan Qashqai (similar to our Rogue). The Suzuki Grand Vitara is also due for a redesign, and both models will likely be on showroom floors together, with the Grand Vitara acting as the more rugged alternative to the hatchback-like SX4 replacement. Not much is known about the new Grand Vitara, but a new satellite navigation system is expected to debut in the SUV and eventually spread into other Suzuki models.

Suzuki will start selling the new SX4 and Grand Vitara in the United States this fall, and these two new crossovers should be a welcome addition to the company's diminutive U.S. dealer network that has been starved of product since the early 2000s. Automotive News adds a little gloom to this topic by pointing out that, after the introduction of the new SX4 and Grand Vitara this fall, American Suzuki has no new products planned through the 2015 model year. Suzuki dealers in Europe are more fortunate, as a refreshed version of the Jimny (formerly known as the Samurai here in the States) and an all-new Alto will both be joining the lineup.

The SX4 replacement, Grand Vitara and updated Jimny are all expected to debut next month at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/30/l...suzuki-models/

Bdubs

surprised they are still around

mmarshall

if Suzuki wants to sell vehicles here in the U.S., they have got to start getting their dealer-network back....this is critical. The current lack of Suzuki automobile-dealerships is nothing short of ludicrous....although the motorcycle-shops are a little miore plentiful. Still, you can't sell cars without retail-outlets....especially when they aren't built in American plants. At one time, several years ago, there were four or five Suzuki automobile-shops within reasonable driving distance of my house....now there is barely one, although another one is right at a subway station, which helps.

And even that's in D.C.'s huge new-car market (one of the largest in the country outside of SoCal). In small-town or rural places, you might have to travel hundreds of miles to find a Suzuki auto-store.

100plus

The Suzuki Swift should be sold here.

mmarshall

They did sell the Swift here for several years, but it was not particularly successful. It sold much better under its Chevy/Geo Metro twin. The Metro was actually a rebadged Swift, and, in some versions, was tuned for ultra-high MPG. That role has (now) been assumed by the all-new GM-designed Chevy Spark.