Suzuki Ditches Los Angeles and Detroit Motor Shows

The strong yen is eating away profit margins and hurting Japanese carmakers’ sales and as a result, is forcing them to find ways to cut their losses.

Suzuki, which has been hit very hard by the currency exchange rates since it manufactures all of its U.S. market models - sans the Equator pickup truck- in Japan, decided to withdraw from next month’s Los Angeles Motor Show, despite having originally confirmed its participation.

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VW Group Says "Nein" to Suzuki's Request to Return its Shares

The feud between Volkswagen Group and Suzuki Motors Corp. continued on Monday as the German automaker issued a press statement saying that it has no intention to sell its 19.9 percent stake in the Japanese company despite the latter's request to disband their partnership.

The VW Group said it will keep its stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. "unchanged," adding "the discussion between both parties will be exclusively conducted internally" and that "it will not comment on any further speculation."

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VW Stands by its Allegations, Says Suzuki is “Being Theatrical”

After the Saab saga, we now have a new automotive tale that is bound to capture our attention in the coming weeks or perhaps even months: the VW-Suzuki feud, with the former accusing its (supposed) partner of contract breach, and the latter responding in anger.

Although VW sources initially tried to downplay the issue after Osama Suzuki came out last Thursday accusing the German company of insulting his company’s honor and demanding a retraction, its "partner's" response was only a matter of time.

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Suzuki Tells Volkswagen to Take Back Statements on Breached Contract or Else…

Hell hath no fury like a woman Suzuki scorned. On Thursday, the Japanese carmaker's CEO, Osamu Suzuki, sent a letter to his counterpart at VW demanding that the German group retracts its statement about Suzuki breaching their 2009 contract.

The spark that ignited this heated war of words between the two partners was Suzuki’s decision to choose Fiat as a supplier of diesel engines instead of VW. The German group said on September 11 that Suzuki had breached their contract with this decision, while Suzuki vehemently denies it violated the terms of their agreement.

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IAA 2011: Suzuki Reveals the New Swift Sport

A little over month ago, Suzuki released a single photo and gave us some basic information about its new Swift Sport. Now, the Japanese firm's sporty hatchback has made its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Swift Sport looks like a normal Swift that’s been working out. Its front end sports a new grille and larger air intakes but it’s the rear end, with its diffuser and the two exhausts placed on either corner that really makes a difference.

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Suzuki wants to Dissolve Partnership with Volkswagen, but the Germans Say ‘Nein’

In a move more or less anticipated after the recent publication of Volkswagen's internal review that accuses Suzuki of breaking a contract agreement between the two companies by purchasing diesel engines from Fiat, the Japanese carmaker said it will abort its alliance with the German group.

Suzuki's announcement comes almost two years after it forged a partnership with Volkswagen. The German had acquired a 19.9 per cent stake in Suzuki Motor Corp in December 2009 for 225 billion Yen (then, approx US$2.5 billion) while the Japanese automaker agreed to invest up to one half of the amount received from the German automaker into shares of Volkswagen.

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Official: VW Says Suzuki Violated Agreement by Purchasing Diesel Engines from Fiat

It's no secret that Volkswagen's business relationship with Suzuki after the Germans acquired a 19.9 percent of the Japanese manufacture's shares in December 2009 under a strategic cooperation has been a deeply troubled one. However, up until now, the two sides tried to keep the problems "in house".

But today, following recent comments from the Japanese firm's chairman Osamu Suzuki that the two companies "aren't even talking", the Volkswagen Group decided to make these problems public with an official announcement.

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Court Orders Suzuki to Pay $18.5 Million to Kansas Dealer for Negative Publicity

The U.S. division of Suzuki has been ordered by a Jackson County, Missouri court to pay one of its official dealers, Jeremy Franklin Suzuki located in Kansas City, the sum of $18.5 million for negative publicity against its business.

Out of the $18.5 million, $15 million are due to punitive damages caused by Suzuki’s action to the dealership, while the remaining $3.5 million are to be paid as compensation to Jeremy Franklin, president of the dealership.

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Motorcycle Wheelie Goes Terribly Wrong – or Why You Should Always Keep a Distance from Amateur Stunts…

Random stunt displays may capture people's interest but there is a very good reason why organizers at professional events keep the crowd back at a safe distance from the performer(s).

The video you're about to watch shows a motorcyclists attempting a wheelie in what is said to be a Suzuki GSX-R when he suddenly loses control and ends up smashing the bike in the face of two by standers…

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Volkswagen and Suzuki Reportedly “Not Talking to Each Other"

“They are not talking to us, so we have no plans to talk to them”: it could be a high-school argument between two opposing teams, but in this case it involves Volkswagen and Suzuki, and the words came out of the mouth of the Japanese company's chairman, Osamu Suzuki’s, according to a report from Bloomberg news.

It all began in March when a VW report said that it “could significantly influence financial and operating policy decisions” at Suzuki, which it described as an “associate”.

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Mercedes-Benz Tops Secret Shopper Study of U.S. Dealers, Lincoln Places Last in Luxury Segment

Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.

This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.

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VIDEOS: “Monster” Tajima Breaks 10 Min Record at Pikes Peak with 910-hp Suzuki SX4

Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima has broken his own record at this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb, completing the 12.42-mile (19.9 km) “Race to the Clouds” in just 9:51.278, demolishing the 10:1.408 time he set four years ago.

“Monster” Tajima, who has being racing at Pikes Peak every year since 1988, accomplished this extraordinary feat driving an extremely modified Suzuki SX4 with 910-horses. Second fastest was Rhys Millen in the modified Hyundai PM580, with a time of 10:09.242.

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BMW Takes Top Spot Among Automakers and 4th Overall in New Study for the World’s Most Reputable Companies

A recently released study by research-based consulting firm Reputation Institute, found that BMW is considered the world’s most reputable company in the automotive sector and fourth overall behind Google, Apple and the Walt Disney Company. German automakers in general performed well in the study with Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart, ranking 7th overall, while Volkswagen finished in 10th place, followed by Honda (29), Toyota (60), Nissan (61) and Suzuki (63). Read more »

New Suzuki Swift gets a Diesel Option in Britain

If you want to be successful in Europe, diesel options are a must for any carmaker, even more so in the mainstream segments. Following the launch the gasoline powered versions of the new generation of the Swift last summer, Suzuki has now added a diesel option to the supermini’s range. The Swift DDiS features a revised 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine rated at 75-horsepower and 190Nm (80 lb-ft) at 1,750rpm. Read more »

Suzuki Kizashi Apex Turbo Concept Packs More than 275HP

Joining the Kizashi EcoCharge Concept at the New York Auto Show is a second prototype version of Suzuki’s sedan model called the Kizashi Apex Concept. While the EcoCharge hybrid is all about improving fuel economy, the Apex version concentrates purely on the performance aspect of the build while also showcasing the link between Suzuki's automotive division and its championship-winning motorcycles.

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Insane, Tire-Shredding Suzuki Might Boy Mini Ute with LS1-V8 [Video]

Come on, admit it, tire-smoking burnouts are a blast to watch. Even more so when the vehicle in question is a Japanese kei car stuffed with a GM-sourced LS1 V8. Enter the world of the Curupt, a wildly modified Suzuki Might Boy that comes to us from the land of Down Under.

Largely unknown to most of the world, the Suzuki Mighty Boy is a toy-sized pickup truck-style model from the glorious 1980s that was sold in Japan as well as Australia and Cyprus between 1985 and 1988. Despite its promising name, the fact that it was based on the Giugiaro-designed Suzuki Curve kei car meant the Mighty Boy was anything but ‘mighty’ as power came from a puny 0.5-liter three-cylinder engine delivering around 28 ponies.

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Suzuki Tries to “X-ITE” 2011 Swift Buyers with New Line of Sport Accessories

In a move to target buyers looking for a more individual look for their car, Suzuki has developed a new range of factory accessories for its 2011 Swift supermini in Germany. The lineup is marketed under the “X-ITE” brand and includes a variety of styling parts for both the interior and exterior of the new generation Swift.

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Suzuki to Unveil Two New Concept Versions of Kizashi at the New York Auto Show

Suzuki’s stand at this month’s 2011 New York International Auto Show will feature two brand new concepts cars, both based on the Kizashi sedan. In the Japanese automaker’s own words, the first study will be a “stylish and socially-conscious sedan propelled by a newly-developed advanced powertrain”, while the second concept will be a “wildly-schemed and amped up homage to Suzuki’s iconic motorcycle heritage”. Read more »

Honda, Nissan and Toyota Donate $3.75 Million Each for Earthquake Relief in Japan

The massive earthquake followed by the even more devastating tsunami that struck the north-east coasts of Japan last week has brought together the country’s biggest automakers including Honda, Nissan and Toyota, which announced today that they will donate $3.75 million each for relief and recovery efforts in communities affected by the disaster.

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Suzuki Puts a Little 'Special' to its German Market SX4 Crossover

A new special edition model has been added to the range of the Suzuki SX4 in Germany. The SX4 Limited comes with a number of discreet styling changes such as the gunmetal paint for the front grille, 16-inch alloy wheels and roof rails along with the choice of four metallic finishes for the body including "Cosmic Black Pearl Metallic", "Silky Silver Metallic", "Sunlight Copper Pearl Metallic" and "Smoky Green Metallic".

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