Range Rover

Suzuki and Mitsubishi have inked an agreement today on Christmas eve for the OEM supply of Suzuki’s SOLIO compact MPV for Mitsubishi to rebadge for the Japanese domestic market. Suzuki will supply Mitsubishi about 800 units of the Suzuki SOLIO a month.

Mitsubishi, the seventh largest carmaker in Japan, aims to increase sales by expanding its lineup while Suzuki hopes to cut the production costs per vehicle through increased production. It is the first time the two car-makers have struck a car production deal for the domestic market.

Compact vehicles have gained popularity in Japan because of their fuel efficiency and small size allowing easy driving through narrow Japanese roads.

Suzuki hopes to sell 12,000 units a year, targeting current minicar and minivan owners. Prices start at 1.38 million yen.

via:carscoop

BRIGHT LIGHTS OF LAS VEGAS STRIP SHINE ON SUZUKI DURING 2010 SEMA SHOW

• Record-breaking 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Bonneville Special, Delta Tech Kizashi and ICON Vehicle Dynamics Equator race into Sin City.
• Suzuki SEMA Vehicle Locator: Kizashi Bonneville Special - Pavilion Walkway at the Rio Las Vegas Hotel & Casino; Delta Tech Kizashi - SEMA booth #22912 Main Hall; ICON Vehicle Dynamics Equator - Outside

BREA, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2010) - Fresh off an exciting summer that included an intercontinental journey from Tokyo to Los Angeles (www.suzukiauto.com/allpoints/events/road-trip/) and a record-breaking run at Bonneville (www.suzukiauto.com/allpoints/events/bonneville) with its Kizashi sport sedan, American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) arrives at the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association with an assortment of concept, modified production and specialty vehicles.

2010 Suzuki Kizashi Bonneville Special

Piloting ASMC's modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Bonneville Special, Road & Track's Sam Mitani injected the Kizashi into the record books with his 203.720 mph run at this year's Bonneville Speed Week, exceeding the previous record of 202.301 mph. The 203.720 mph record was achieved by calculating the average of a two-way pass at 8:40 a.m. MT on August 18, 2010.

Beginning with interior safety and instrument modifications, the Kizashi Bonneville Special underwent several refinements to make it salt-ready. Once the work was completed, the build team, Advanced Product Engineering's Richard Holdener, Tom Habrzyk and Scott Bailey, installed an SCTA-approved roll cage, an aluminum bulkhead in the rear, racing seat, seat harnesses and window net. Next, it was time to take a look under the hood. The motor was disassembled to confirm the stock measurements, while the cylinder head was flowed and ported. The Kizashi Bonneville racer benefits from a new intake manifold, a tuned 'long tube' header and forged rods and pistons for high rpm endurance.

With up to 16 pounds of boost from a Turbonetics turbocharger, the Kizashi's increased horsepower required air-to-water intercooling (and snow water/methanol injection) - while its increased output demands a new ACT clutch and pressure plate. A scattershield is added, the oil pan is welded for a new drain fitting and a new 3.5-inch exhaust is fabricated aft of the turbocharger. Additional protection for the high-boost, high-rpm turbo motor is provided by full synthetic 5W-20 racing oil from Lucas Oil.

The Kizashi platform is morphed into a salt-specific recipe with new coilovers, steel wheels seam welded, and speed-specific 15x7-inch Goodyear Front Runner® rubber. An air dam keeps the Kizashi's nose planted, window straps and hood pins ensure the hood and glass stay in place, and a parachute can bring the high speed show to a controlled and shortened stop. Finally, a dual fire system provides the extra assurance so important for Mitani, with more than 500 boosted horses but only a few feet in front of his high-speed capsule.

Delta Tech Engineering Kizashi

Delta Tech Engineering, a specialist in vehicle lighting, started with a gutted - and lightened - Kizashi body shell. While Delta Tech took care of under the hood, with cold air intake and performance exhausts, RK Sport developed a body kit, Katzkin supplied the custom seating, and Koni enhanced the Kizashi's already composed ride with its own coilovers and shocks. Lighting, engineered in house by Delta Tech, is LED and HID. Sound equipment upgrades are provided by a Kenwood head unit and Rockford Fosgate amplification. The Delta Tech Engineering Kizashi is on display in Main Hall #22912.

ICON Vehicle Dynamics Equator

Using Suzuki's award-winning Equator platform as its base, ICON Vehicle Dynamics taps into a variety of Southern California-based suppliers to assemble a more aggressive interpretation of Suzuki's off-road recipe. Under the hood, Doug Thorley long-tube headers and cat-back exhaust amplify the Equator's class-leading 4.0 liter V6. And for off-road exploration, the Equator's suspension is enhanced with ICON's own performance coilovers in front and 2.5-inch piggyback shocks supporting linked to Total Chaos upper control arms. The enhanced power - and capability - is connected to the less-traveled path with Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires mounted to Trail Ready bead-lock wheels; the Equator's bodywork is protected by Bushwacker fender flares. AMP Research bed extender and LightForce lights add to both utility and safety. The ICON Vehicle Dynamics Equator will be displayed in the outside vendor area.

Suzuki wanted me to drive the Kizashi so badly they flew me to North Carolina and fed me salt-and-pepper shrimp fried with the shells on and provided me with 1 GB of files on an 8 GB Sony Walkman.


On paper, the new Kizashi isn't overwhelmingly impressive, offering a 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine putting out 185 HP and 170 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-60 MPH time of just 7.5 seconds, on par with the Accord EX and faster by 0.7 seconds than the Mazda6. Mileage ranges from, at best, 23/31 MPG with the CVT in FWD configuration and just 20/29 in manual FWD mode with the 17-inch or greater-sized wheels.


In a strange twist, the newest Kizashi attempts to be the best value by mimicking the formula abandoned by most automakers. As sedans like the Camry, Altima and Accord have gained in popularity they've increased in terms of size and decreased in terms of enjoyable driving. Even the Mazda6, once nimble and small, has swollen to giant proportions and shed some of its original appeal. The Kizashi is much smaller, 183.1 inches in length, or about ten inches shorter than a Mazda6.


Features and Equipment

Four grades of interior package treatment are available, with even the base S offering a fair complement of standard equipment, including push button start, sport front seats, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, automatic dual-zone climate control, stability control and eight airbags. The SE adds a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT), larger tires on 17-inch alloy wheels, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with 3-position memory, cruise control and leather surfaces on the steering wheel, shift lever and parking brake lever.
more detail. ...

You're Japanese. You have a family. You need a minivan. But minivans are freaking huge, Japan's streets are crowded, and you want something that's a lot smaller and can dart between lumbering dekotora lit up like Vegas. So, you look to a kei minivan because it's teeny tiny. Suzuki's got your back with the Palette, the micro-mini minivan it introduced back in early 2008.


It's totally neat in that way all Japanese kei cars are, as its compact size belies interior storage capacity capable of swallowing up literally hundreds of packs of Dentyne, several vintage Super Famicoms, and that box of priceless Chevy Astro brochures you overpaid some American pack rat for on eBay.


One problem: the regular-edition Palette's a bit vanilla to look at. Suzuki has apparently gotten the memo and spiced things up in the traditional manner: a new fascia and more letters in the nomenclature. Hence, we have the Palette SW, which wears a more mischievous anime face, as apposed to the docile-looking, doe-eyed standard grade Suzuki Palette.


The other change introduced with the SW is a two-stage CVT that allows drivers to manually select lower or higher pre-programmed gear ratios to place an emphasis on either better acceleration or improved fuel economy. That way, they can wring out every last bit of punch or efficiency the little juice box on wheels can offer.
More Photos