The SUV-asaurus doesn’t have much of a suspension to speak of, but it is cuddly, squishy, and makes a really nice pillow (or something to squeeze when you awake from terrible nightmares). It also comes equipped with a “Live Large, Drive Small” dog tag. Currently only available in red, the SUV-asaurus comes with sunroof and a smile on its face. Drive one to your bed today!

Thanks to SuzukiAuto on Twitter!

For ages, Suzuki has tried to produce a mid-level sedan. And for ages, they have kinda failed. Well today, with help from 2010’s Kizashi, Suzuki may have finally found their mythical 4-door unicorn. In a world dominated my Chevy’s, Toyota’s and Nissan’s – the life of a Mid-size sedan’s been pretty easy. Well, there’s a new dog n the street ready to fight for you love and the food stains of your 2.5 kids. The 2010 Kizashi starts off with a base $18.5 price tag that will undoubtedly bring in young families to the dealerships. It’s design takes a more advanced look from Suzuki’s lower-level rides. With a Passat-type look, Kizashi’s front end slopes down, giving the grill an intimidating look. A rear flip on its trunk gives it a sportier profile.

Inside, Suzuki uses a sports-sedan dash, with plenty of techno-savvy toys inside: 425-watt Rockford Fosgate system plus integrated USB port, Bluetooth audio for hooking up an iPhone, iPod Touch or other BT digital music player, Bluetooth hands-free calling and optional audible prompts. Under the hood you’ll find a 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder producing 185 horsepower and 170 lb-feet of torque.

Manual six transmission will get drivers 23/31 mpg versus 20/29 with the automatic.

If you’re feeling brave one can upgrade to Kizashi GTS starting at $22,499. We’re going to keep a close eye on Kizashi for 2010 and beyond, as it (hopefully) takes its place amongst the champions of suburban commuting.

Pics Via Autoblog

“The 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara gains some new available features. This compact SUV seats five and has a side-hinged rear cargo door. Grand Vitara is offered with two engines. The first is a 166-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder that teams with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. The other engine is a 230-hp 3.2-liter V6 that has a 5-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive and two all-wheel drive systems are available: Single-mode AWD and Suzuki’s “Four-Mode” AWD that includes a locking differential and hill ascent and descent control. Grand Vitara comes in Base, Premium, Special Edition, XSport, and Limited trim levels. Base, Premium, and Special Edition come only with the 4-cylinder. Xsport and Limited are available with both engines. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the Base, Premium, and 4-cylinder versions of the Xsport and Limited. Single-mode AWD is standard on the Special Edition and available on the Premium and 4-cylinder Limited. V6 versions offer Four-Mode AWD. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, and front side airbags. Newly standard on all models is a navigation system. A wireless cell-phone link is optional. A sunroof, keyless access and engine start, and real-time traffic information for the navigation system are standard on the XSport and Limited. Leather upholstery and heated front seats are standard only on the Limited.”

The Schwinn features 12 speeds, a caramel frame and a cushy leather saddle. – and runs about $18,000 less than the Suzuki SUV.

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker, agreed last month to buy a 19.9 percent stake in Suzuki for 222.5 billion yen ($2.5 billion). “The two companies plan to develop hybrids and electric vehicles together under both car brands, Suzuki said Dec. 9″ according to The Bloomberg.

Suzuki completed the sale of its shares to Volkswagen on Friday, giving the European automaker its 19.9 percent ownership, Suzuki said. Suzuki also plans to introduce electric vehicle throughout Japan in the near future.

“The company has almost half of the market share in the country and aims to boost annual production capacity to 1.5 million vehicles from 1 million now,” according to Chief Executive Officer Shinzo Nakanishi. Maruti, Suzuki’s Indian site, aims to export 130,000 to 140,000 vehicles this fiscal year, including supplying 45,000 vehicles to Nissan.

Suzuki’s R3 has some interesting design angles and one key feature which intrigues us – suicide doors! Rear doors open backwards, allowing passengers to enter and exit this Multi Purpose Vehicle easily. Hopefully this rare deign feature will remain in the car’s final production phase.

As far as the rest of R3’s exterior look is concerned, it is given a somewhat brutish look, with a somewhat boxy shape and bulky rear. At the front, high-intensity lighting is contrasted with, what appears to be, subtle LED accents. LEDs can also be seen in the rear. Dual-exhaust pipes are well incorporated behind each wheel well.

According to WorldCarFans: “it is unclear what engine is used on the car, what fuel it uses, and the performance it delivers. Some reports speculate the car could receive the automaker’s 1.2- and 1.4-liter petrol engines, and a Fiat-built 1.3-liter diesel. The engine appears to be mated to a five-speed manual transmission on the prototype.”

In Easy’ana there isn’t much to do that doesn’t involve crawfish and mud. Well, there’s no shelled creatures in this Suzuki Samurai – but that’s ok. What you will find is a happy & messy driver as they take this Japanese off-roader into the Bayou.

2009 SEMA SHOW SERVES AS BACKDROP FOR SUZUKI DREAMSCAPE

* Road Race Motorsports builds on Suzuki’s track-bred tradition.
* Delta Tech embellishes Kizashi’s premium (without the premium) assets.
* Westside Group enhances Kizashi’s European dynamic with of Europe’s dynamic.
* Import Tuner mods are both under the hood and over the top.
* ICON Vehicle Dynamics builds on Suzuki Equator’s award-winning platform.

BREA, Calif. (October 28, 2009) – While the Concept Kizashi series debuted globally over the past two years, (in Frankfurt, Tokyo and New York), U.S. anticipation for the production Kizashi was met by a number of custom builders – and members of Suzuki management – asking the proverbial “what if?” What if you melded Kizashi’s production underpinnings and artfully-crafted sheet metal with modifications fully appropriate to a concept’s debut? With European sport sedans serving as Kizashi’s inspiration, and Suzuki’s design and engineering team constructing a platform fully appropriate to a global marketplace, the all-new Kizashi serves as the perfect platform for those stylistic and performance mods integral to America’s motoring DNA. The challenge went out and four custom shops responded. The results of those combined efforts are on display next week at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

Road Race Motorsport’s Platinum Edition Kizashi

As one of the first custom builders to recognize the potential of Suzuki’s vehicles, the presence of Road Race at SEMA comes as no surprise. Given the Kizashi platform’s promise – and the fluid, almost organic sheet metal clothing it – Road Race supplies its own very unique take on Kizashi.

SEMA visitors can enjoy Road Race’s Sport Body kit exterior which employs Carbontrix custom bumpers, rear spats and diffuser. Road Race has crafted a custom grill, vented hood and made the Kizashi its own ‘Platinum Edition’ graphics and a blackened roof. These visual modifications are supported by a platform perfectly suited to Las Vegas Motor Speedway or a high-speed drive on I-15 (what happens in Vegas doesn’t have to stay in Vegas…).

Progress Technology provided the sport springs and front and rear sway bars. Road Race installed its own chassis stiffeners, and Rotora brings the custom Kizashi to a stop with 330mm slotted rotors up front, supplemented by Road Race’s own 260mm slotted rotors in the rear. Under the vented hood, the sweetness continues with a proprietary custom intake system, Zeitronix ZT-2 data logging system and Road Race engine management. The modifications are concealed – until ignition – by a painted-to-match engine cover, and announced by Road Race’s own ‘Integrated Sport’ dual exhaust system. The Road Race Kizashi can be seen at the Zeitronix Booth #21212.

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 Kenwood. The Delta Tech Kizashi may be seen at Booth #23526 in the Central Hall.

Westside Auto Group Kizashi Soleil

Integrating vintage European elegance with the high-performance DNA of Suzuki’s Hayabusa, Westside Group’s Kizashi Soleil (French for ‘masculine sun’) incorporates numerous distinct touches, all executed to make an individualistic statement within the unique template supplied by Suzuki’s own execution. Vehicle modifications performed by Westside include custom two-toned paint (Napa Merlot/Bronzed Amber), redesigned front and rear fenders, custom air apertures, fabricated grill, shaved and modified door handles and new front fascia. In back, a redesigned rear deck lid equipped with a GT Super Car spoiler, and a redesigned rear bumper is equipped with custom Yoshimura exhaust. Planting the Soleil to the ground are early-release Bridgestone Potenza mounted on R-Worx 7-spoke wheels. The Westside Group Kizashi will be on display in the show car area adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Import Tuner Kizashi

No outlet speaks better to the ‘tuner’ audience than Import Tuner magazine. With its Kizashi the project build team went for the vehicular jugular, with performance enhancements under the hood, appropriate suspension mods connecting those enhancements to the ground, and cosmetic modifications to provide the appropriate visualization for Import Tuner’s own editorial visualization.

With a nod to both the SEMA Show and its own Los Angeles – based roots, the Import Tuner Kizashi provides a tune-up to an already class-leading sport sedan. The Import Tuner Kizashi will be on display in the show car area adjacent to the Las Vega

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. ICON’s Equator can be seen at SEMA booth #32173.

Also at the Tokyo Motor Show was the Suzuki Alto – another in the auto makers small car line up. The conept, ready for 2011, “the future of the mini vehicle,” the Alto was designed with a slightly redesigned rear end to accommodate more luggage capacity than the standard Alto. Inside, the car features a “highly legible speedometer, an easy-to-use floor-mounted shifter, and user-friendly switches and storage spaces.”

Speaking of room, the concept measures 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide, and 1,535mm high. With a 2,400mm wheelbase, the Alto can accommodate up to four occupants. Other details are limited for now, but we hopee to see Alto hit American streets in a year. Pics via WCF.

Money, as usual, can be blamed as part of the SX4’s delays in production. But fear not, Suzuki & General Motors have it at the ready. The Suzuki SX4 FCV is powered by a rechargeable ion-battery pack. Part of the vehicles recharge comes from brake energy regeneration. The car will be popping up at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show and later this year on a Japanese road near you.

“In developing and naming our newest automotive introduction, the Japanese word ‘Kizashi,’ which tells that something great is coming, seemed appropriate for the vehicle,” said Kevin Saito, president, American Suzuki. “Now that the production model Kizashi has arrived, we expect the name and the product itself to clearly demonstrate the bold statement this company knew it would be making with the debut of this vehicle — while also simultaneously suggesting what will emerge in the Suzuki lineup as we look ahead to the future.”

The Kizashi sport sedan, which originates from the Concept Kizashi series introduced over the last two years, follows a similar design theme and appreciation for performance previously illustrated by the three eye-catching and immaculately designed concept vehicles. The production Kizashi redefines the traditional performance sedan and moves the Suzuki brand upscale. Furthermore, its active and energetic identity, a core component of the Suzuki brand DNA, is tempered by the vehicle’s overall mission to provide a strong, refined urban performance.

Powertrain

Built at Suzuki’s brand-new manufacturing facility in Sagara, Japan, the 2010 Kizashi is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine offering a more potent standard engine than many competitive best-sellers. The engine employs both an aluminum block and cylinder heads, providing a lightweight installation; aluminum pistons with low tensile force rings deliver improved power and efficiency. Dropped-forged connecting rods, rotating on a forged steel crankshaft, contribute to the inline four’s durability, and a balancer shaft delivers improved engine balance and reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

The responsive inline four is connected to a six-speed manual transmission, for heightened performance in the low gears, along with relaxed — and economical — cruising capability in the higher gears. Customers may opt for an available Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that delivers both the driving experience and fuel efficiency today’s consumers demand, while not compromising the character preferred by driving enthusiasts. That character is enhanced with paddle shifters, optimizing driver control regardless of speed or driving environment. With either transmission choice, the Kizashi is engineered to return competitive fuel economy numbers for fuel-conscious consumers.

In addition to this excellent new powertrain, and to even further enhance the Kizashi’s strong efficiency story, Suzuki is developing an even more fuel efficient hybrid version that will be added to the lineup in the future.
Braking and Handling

In order to successfully enter a field already saturated with countless nondescript transportation appliances, Suzuki breaks away from traditional values normally associated with the mainstream, standing firm on Suzuki’s belief in delivering a dynamic and exhilarating driving experience. That driving experience was validated on Germany’s Autobahn, Switzerland’s Alpine twisties, cobblestone roads of rural England and the legendary Nürburgring.

An exceptionally rigid steel unibody — with reinforced front suspension and multi-link rear suspension constructed with embedded aluminum — allows for crisp, nimble handling with excellent stability, sophisticated ride and reduced chassis vibration. Engineered from conception to be all-wheel-drive capable, the Kizashi offers a newly developed advanced all-wheel-drive system with highly advanced controls that evokes and promotes a natural sense of heartfelt driving enthusiasm and safety. Kizashi’s sophisticated braking system offers standard four-wheel disc brakes and includes suppliers such as Akebono, a world-leader in NVH control and analysis and a leading brake supplier for automotive and high-speed rail applications.

Design

Kizashi’s thoughtfully crafted exterior design is best described as the seamless melding of European style and Japanese craftsmanship. Tailored for the driving enthusiast, Kizashi’s bold and aggressive stance is complemented by available 18-inch alloy wheels; contemporary styling — with its lean proportion and minimal front overhang — injects the sophistication appropriate to a performance-oriented sport sedan. As with the Concept Kizashi series, the front end of the production Kizashi expresses both strength and style, while the vehicle’s impeccably engineered body reflects Kizashi’s underlying strength and distinctive combination of capability and refinement.

At Kizashi’s rear, the architecture accentuates the ‘sport’ aspect of Suzuki’s sport sedan. The visual dynamic is enhanced with the addition of an integrated dual sport exhaust, communicating — both visually and aurally — the Kizashi’s performance-imbued spirit.

Interior

Suzuki has taken advantage of its expertise in the compact car segment to efficiently execute larger — yet still tidy — proportions that afford comfort and practicality without the wasted space. Along with cabin proportions that reward Kizashi drivers and passengers with comfort and roominess, Suzuki pursues a contemporary, upscale interior feel — such as standard sport seats — in line with the vehicle’s on-road performance characteristics. Driving enthusiasts will appreciate Kizashi’s sporty and elegant instrument panel, while consumers seeking a luxury sedan will be pleased with the vehicle’s available leather seating, featuring high-density foam and premium quality materials rivaling upscale competitors.

The available premium leather is supplemented by three-stage heated seats and a three-position memory program. In addition, both cloth and leather seats benefit from Suzuki’s attention to detail: French seams, hard cover rears and low fatigue foam.

For those wanting high-tech beyond the engine compartment, the Kizashi’s interior delivers by the megabyte. Beginning with standard keyless push start system, Kizashi also offers iPod®1 connectivity and optional streaming audio via Bluetooth®2. For your advanced listening pleasure, Rockford Fosgate®3 provides an optional listening experience boosted by 425 watts of power.