You might have noticed a somewhat depressing tone in car news lately. Keith Crain has, and by the tone of his latest column at Automotive News [sub], it sounds like he’s ready for a refill of his favorite SSRI. But while Crain’s beloved Detroit firms may have a monopoly on federal bailout money, they certainly aren’t the only ones suffering. In addition to shelving overseas factory plans, Suzuki has announced that their entry into the “large car” market is now on hold according to Automotive News Europe [sub]. That means the sedan based on the Kizashi 3 Concept pictured above (spy shots here) won’t be hitting markets in 2010. For what it’s worth, the concept had a 300 hp 3.6 liter V6 mated to an AWD drivetrain. If the SX-4 strategy is anything to go on, the production model could have offered a decent entry-level AWD sports sedan at a truly competitive price point. But could Suzuki really do to the A4 what Hyundai is trying to do to the Lexus LS? I suppose we’ll never know now. And even amidst all the big bad news right now, I think that’s just a bit depressing.
9 Comments on “Kizashi Samurai Slashed: Depressing Or Not?...”
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I sat in the SX4 at a recent auto show. Nice specs on paper, but wasn’t impressed. If Suzuki left the US market, I wouldn’t notice.
Smart move, Suzuki-san.
Next Gen Swift, in time for the oil price re-set.
That motor sure sounds like the GM direct-injection mill. And GM/Suzuki have shared parts/platforms in the past.
Perhaps the car died not because of internal strife, but because GM turned off the supply chain?
mtypex: You have to look at the pricing sheet if you want to be impressed.
Sajeev: A definite possibility. The Kizashi was also supposed to be based on Epsilon II. So, I guess the real question is when will GM offer a decent-looking AWD sports sedan for a bargain price?
Maybe Suzuki could sell the designs to Acura as the basis for the next RL.
I thought that some of the recent Suzuki concepts were promising, too bad, I would like to see them grow in the US.
If this thing had 400 HP, and was large enough, I’d give it serious consideration. Otherwise, I’d never find myself dead in a Suzuki.
“But while Crain’s beloved Detroit firms may have a monopoly on federal bailout money”…let’s see’ should the american government provide bailouts to foreign firms doing business in the US? are you under the impression that american firms are getting bailouts in other countries? and as you well know being paid to cover this stuff, other countries including japan are in fact providing money to auto companies. american auto biz deserves plenty of heat, but the constant crap you guys spew in their direction is often less than thoughtful or insightful. kicking things when down is easy. come lay at my feet and i’ll give you a taste.
“are you under the impression that american firms are getting bailouts in other countries? ”
As a matter of fact, GM is receiving money from at least: Canada, Austrailia, Germany, and Sweden.