No More GM Mills For Suzuki

Suzuki is saying sayonara to plans of hybrid and V6 equipped versions of their new Kizashi sedan. It’s not that they are against those mills. They just don’t like the company that makes them. That company is GM.

Automotive News [sub] points out that “those versions were meant to use technology borrowed from General Motors.” Just in case anybody had forgotten it, AN reminds its readers that GM sold its 20 percent stake in Suzuki in 2008. In December, Volkswagen agreed to become Suzuki’s biggest shareholder by taking a 19.9 percent stake.

Canceling the Kizashi Hybrid and Kizashi V-6 didn’t come easy to Suzuki. If you have a mid-sized sedan, you better have a V6, or a hybrid, or preferably both. Suzuki’s new beau to the rescue.

Suzuki has dispatched a team of engineers to Wolfsburg, to go over VW’s offerings. “We would be happy with a small V6 or a turbo-four,” said Steve Younan, director of product planning at American Suzuki. VW has a dizzying array of V6, and turbo everything engines. Both in their gasoline and diesel variants. How about a blown 3.0 V6 24v TFSI, good for 329 bhp? That would be nice in a Suzuki. Younan says that “the Kizashi suspension is not at its limit. We are trying to be an affordable performance brand.” The guys in Wolfsburg will set you right up.

VW’s hybrid offerings are nothing to write home about (they are working on it,) hence Younan won’t even mention them.

Instead, Younan is driving a hard bargain with his new stockholders in Deutschland: “We are looking at VW’s cost structure and their offerings. We want to keep our cars reachable to mere mortals.” Come on, Steve, this is Volkswagen, the People’s Car Factory, you think they’ll overcharge you?