ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: ebewley on November 18, 2003, 05:09:23 AM
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By Yuzo Yamaguchi
Automotive News / November 17, 2003
TOKYO -- Suzuki Motor Corp. is happy to rebadge cars made by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., but it draws the line at SUVs.
Suzuki will continue to rely on its engineering for compact SUVs, which are the foundation of its brand identity, president Hiroshi Tsuda says. The automaker owns a 14.9 percent stake in GM Daewoo, which builds cars for Suzuki to sell in the United States, Canada and Japan. GM owns 20 percent of Suzuki.
"We'll keep sticking to our strong SUV concept, based on a ladder frame," Tsuda said in an interview last week for the Automotive News Talk from the Top series. "We won't simply share a platform with others."
Suzuki hopes to nearly triple its U.S. sales to 200,000 annually by 2007, and small SUVs are central to that plan. The automaker will redesign its Vitara compact SUV in 2005 and replace the XL-7 in 2006 with a new seven-seat model.
GM rebadges the Vitara as the Chevrolet Tracker but is replacing it with the Saturn Vue-based Equinox. Because of that, Suzuki will build the Vitara replacement on a unique platform, Tsuda said.
Tsuda said he expects to sell about 50,000 units annually of the seven-seat vehicle, which will be all-wheel drive and powered by an engine larger than 2.5 liters.
"We have to make it competitive because compact SUVs from Japanese automakers have been in fierce competition," he said.
Suzuki also will reorganize its U.S. sales unit to give sales a shot in the arm.
After the company lost about $30 million in North America for the fiscal first half ended on Sept. 30, Tsuda is thinking of splitting operations at American Suzuki Motor Corp. into two divisions - motorcycle and automobile. Each will have full profit-and-loss responsibility.
"We've been covering a vast area in the United States with small operations for a long time," Tsuda said. "But it was hard for one top manager to oversee everything."
Managers will be named to head each operation early next year
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I love Suzuki! Never a sheep. ;D
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you like sheep click on number 13http://www.twistedtunes.com/store/store_detail.asp?ProductID=16
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By Yuzo Yamaguchi
Automotive News / November 17, 2003
"We'll keep sticking to our strong SUV concept, based on a ladder frame," Tsuda said in an interview last week...The automaker will redesign its Vitara compact SUV in 2005 ... Suzuki will build the Vitara replacement on a unique platform...
...It will be named the Katana..Suzuki is building this new SUV to ward off threats of serious bee-otch slapping by a fanatical Suzuki owner know only as Yankee Tim...
You Wanna Katana? ;D
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That's pretty funny stuff, Mr. Fuelish.
But in all seriousness, I'm very happy to hear Suzuki Motor Company taking a strong stance in it's business plan. Stick it to the man!
Box Ladder Frame FOREVER!
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Frames YES! ;D
Unibody NO! >:(
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...It will be named the Katana..Suzuki is building this new SUV to ward off threats of serious bee-otch slapping by a fanatical Suzuki owner know only as Yankee Tim...
You Wanna Katana? ;D
Great job with the threats. Now get them to produce stronger half shafts ;D
Zig
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Good for them, I'm glad they're making a stand, especailly for keeping their OWN line of SUV's going. ;DAnd for keeping a real frame under there ;D
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Some decent sized wheelwells with centered wheels wouldn't go astray either. Oh yeah and decent sized rubber as well. Rear discs? 2.7 V6? A decent low ratio? Suzuki go look at a Rubicon and create an image builder. I'm getting excited or will I wake up disappointed.
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All the good stuff is out there, it just needs to be put
into a format that is a Rubicon killer.
I must be a pureist, I don't want Toyota axles in my
Zuke, I don't want a Toy engine, or a GM either, if
it has been modified to the point of motor, trans, axle
swaps, it's not really a Zuke, if you know what I mean ???
I find it hypocritical to say I love my zuke, and drop in
another makers components, I love it so much I replaced
one of it's key components with another brand ??? Do I
make sence here or is it just the body thats important
to you guys that makes it a zuke ???
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I know that this is going to sound like a waste of time-BUT I think we should e-mail Suzuki and let them know how we feel. If enough people really badger them about building a nice kick a s s 4x4, maybe they'll pull through for us.
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This is a timely article. I was (am still, really) wondering what Suzuki's future is. I'm really disappointed they dropped the 2-door model, abandoning that segment completely to Kia and the Rav-4 (!). Oh, and Jeep Wrangler, I guess. What's up with that? I want the two-door drop-top!
By the way, is it really all that bad to have a unibody structure? The Jeep Cherokee proved to be a really good vehicle on and off-road.
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UNIBODY !!!!!!!!!!! Get the soap !!, Wash his mouth out >:(
How you gonna lift the body ...... Huh ???
No way to get bigger tires on a unibody once the max point
has been reached, Ladder Boxed Frame all the way, Strongest
made frame you can have under a vehicle.
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I must be a pureist, I don't want Toyota axles in my Zuke, I don't want a Toy engine, or a GM either, if it has been modified to the point of motor, trans, axle swaps, it's not really a Zuke, if you know what I mean ???
I find it hypocritical to say I love my zuke, and drop in
another makers components, I love it so much I replaced
one of it's key components with another brand ??? Do I
make sence here or is it just the body thats important
to you guys that makes it a zuke ???
Makes perfect sense to me. I had Ford shock towers on once. Made me lose sleep. Slept better once they were plasma'd off and custom one installed.
The only thing that will now be non-Zook on my Sammy (other than custom stuff for the Zook) will be the AISIN master cylinder from a Subaru. It's a safety issue. But it is AISIN, and therefore "OEM" and somewhat passable to my sniff test.
I can't wait for NeUROC nxt year. My rig might not win, but it will be all Suzuki.
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If enough people really badger them about building a nice kick a s s 4x4, maybe they'll pull through for us.
Re-read the PR. It says 2005. That's exactly 1 year away, being 2004s are hitting the floor now.
Whatever ASMC is going to release, it is already designed and being finalized now. I would suspect they have test trucks now for road and crash tests.
Hmmmm, ERIC!!!! You know, a little sweet talk to Brea and maybe you could stir up a "spy" pic? You know, the type where the auto is covered in silly black vinyl cladding to hide the looks.
Otherwise, don't get yer knickers in a twist. I doubt it will be anything than a larger, faster, IFS zook. I would be highly surprised if they built a Katana, let alone a Rubicon killer.
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Zuke frames are also boxed, not open c channel and that makes a much stronger frame than what is typicalyused.
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Re-read the PR.  It says 2005.  That's exactly 1 year away, being 2004s are hitting the floor now.
Whatever ASMC is going to release, it is already designed and being finalized now.  I would suspect they have test trucks now for road and crash tests.
Hmmmm, ERIC!!!!  You know, a little sweet talk to Brea and maybe you could stir up a "spy" pic?  You know, the type where the auto is covered in silly black vinyl cladding to hide the looks.
Otherwise, don't get yer knickers in a twist.  I doubt it will be anything than a larger, faster, IFS zook.  I would be highly surprised if they built a Katana, let alone a Rubicon killer.
Yeah you're right, dude... I should have known that.
Are there 2 door KIAs and RAV4s in the States? I know that Toyota Canada put out the 2 door RAV4 for a while here in the late 90's but they stopped real quick cause no one was buying them.
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I doubt it will be anything than a larger, faster, IFS zook. I would be highly surprised if they built a Katana, let alone a Rubicon killer.
Watch it buddy, Ill take on a Heep Pubicon any day! I like my IFS and it aint going anywhere. Problem is will suzuki build the IFS right. By that I mean on AND (more importantly) off road freindly.
Mike