Suzuki Closing In On Nissan In Japanese Sales Standing

Right on spot. I knew this would happen once I learned what Suzuki was doing with Daewoos cars. I guess that is what happens when you are in bed with GM.

Correct - no Suzukis sold in Japan have a single strand of Daewoo DNA. In fact, Suzuki has a ton of joint ventures with Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and other automakers. A flow chart of the connections would be a tangled mess. Just a few examples: Suzuki Alto --> Nissan Pixo Suzuki Carry --> Mazda Scrum Suzuki Lapin --> Mazda Spiano Suzuki MR Wagon --> Nissan Moco Suzuki Wagon R --> Mazda AZ Wagon Suzuki Splash --> Opel Agila Suzuki Solio --> Mitsubishi Delica D:2 Suzuki SX4 --> Fiat Sedici Nissan Frontier --> Suzuki Equator Nissan Serena --> Suzuki Landy Suzuki Palette --> Nissan Roox

@philadlj The Carry, the Lapin, and the Wagon R are sold by Mazda under the Autozam sub-brand. The Mazda Scrum, Spiano and AZ Wagon are just badge-engineered 100% Suzuki models. The Suzuki Alto dates back to 1979 and also is a 100% Suzuki car badge-engineered by Nissan. The very same happens to the MR Wagon and the Palette. Also 100% Suzuki products. The Suzuki Splash/Opel Agila are indeed fruits of a joint-venture between Suzuki and Opel. But its predecessor was the Wagon R+, itself a 100% Suzuki project. The Suzuki Solio and the Mitsubishi Delica D:2 are both based on the Wagon R+ as well. The Suzuki SX4/Fiat Sedici are supposed to be jointly-developed, but in reality it is a lot more Suzuki than it is a Fiat - it was produced in Suzuki's hungarian plant. I believe the only Fiat part of it is the Multijet diesel engine. The Equator and the Landy are, in another hand, 100% Nissan products. The thing is, Suzuki is a subcompact car specialist that has to relly on its competitors to have suitable bigger models, and maybe that's why they are about to leave the US. Before the Kizashi, the last biggest 100% Suzuki model was the Baleno/Esteem, itself replaced not by a similarly sized car but by a Swift-derived sedan, the Liana - and, in the US, by the Forenza, itself a rebadged Daewoo Nubira.

@Viquitor: Thanks for the clarifications! I used the term "joint venture" loosely to include any deal Suzuki has with another automaker. My only points were A.), there are no Korean "Daewookis" in Japan, and B.) as automakers go, Suzuki is pretty promiscuous!