VW, Suzuki Deny Breakup Rumors, As Italian Lover Threatens Relationship

Welcome back to ongoing coverage of the latest transcontinental tale of romance and betrayal, in which Volkswagen and Suzuki’s young-but-troubled relationship is put to the test while the world watches. Last time we checked in, a piece of pricey gossip suggested what the rumors had been saying for weeks: VW and Suzuki were headed for Splitsville. But despite the angry blogging outbursts and talk of “ reviewing the relationship,” Volkswagen is standing by its Japanese bride, telling Automotive News Europe [sub] that the latest gossip that the “relationship is headed for dissolution” is “nonsense.” Suzuki joined the show of support, saying it had no plans to leave. But all the while, an Italian temptress is putting even more pressure on this relationship, as Bertel reported last month:

Fiat will supply Suzuki with 20,000 to 30,000 1.6-liter diesel engines per year…This might not make Volkswagen happy, because they think they are the masters of the small diesel universe. Suzuki will likely claim that it had signed a cooperation contract with Fiat in 2005, covering vehicle development and engine production. That was years before Suzuki and Volkswagen tied the knot, and contracts are contracts, no?

Sure, but there is increasing uneasiness in Wolfsburg that the marriage with the Japanese bride has been childless so far, and if the bride continues to play footsie with the beau from Torino, the Germans could get jealous.

And with the AFP [via Google] reporting on “secret” Suzuki-Fiat talks earlier this year, as well as more recent Suzuki comments about the “climate of mutual trust” in its relationship with Fiat, expect tensions to continue to simmer. On the other hand, nothing gets a powerful but dismissive husband’s attention like the threat of being cuckolded, so tales of Suzuki-Fiat canoodling may simply be strategic plants. But hey, nobody ever said long-distance relationships were easy!