BREA, Calif. (June 2, 2004) - American Suzuki Motor Corporation continues to take significant steps toward reaching its sales growth goals by achieving 42

percent increase in May sales compared to the same month last year and a 25 percent increase in year-to-date sales, selling a total of 8,020 vehicles in May and

32,322 total vehicles this year. This is ASMC's best-ever May retail sales and its fifth best overall month ever.



"We are very pleased with the strides that ASMC continues to make this year, and the sales, product, marketing and customer service milestones we have

reached since the launch of our 357 Plan," says Koichi Suzuki, president of American Suzuki's Automotive Operations. "We anticipate continued success with new

product introductions, aggressive advertising and promotions, the increasing number of Suzuki Square dealerships in operation and those planned, and continued

customer service and satisfaction programs."



Along with growing sales, American Suzuki has also experienced growth in its automotive dealer network, recently reaching a total of 500 dealers. Pushing

forward, ASMC plans to add another hundred automotive dealers - 600 total - by the end of 2005.



The linchpin of ASMC's growth plan is the rapid introduction of value- packed new vehicles into its product line, a total of nine new vehicles will be launched by

2007. The first new vehicles appeared in U.S. showrooms late last year, the top-selling Suzuki Verona and Forenza combine Italian styling with the performance,

power, passenger room and standard features usually associated with considerably higher-priced models. Closely following is the five-door compact Suzuki Reno

and the newly débuted Forenza Wagon, both slated to go on sale in the fall.



VEHICLE:  MAY 2004 MAY 2003 %CHANGE



VITARA:   336  458  -24%

GRAND VITARA:  328  910   -63%

XL-7: 1,854  2,768  -30%

AERIO: 1,014  1,707  -38%

FORENZA: 2,731  0  NA

VERONA: 1,757 0  NA



TOTAL: 8,020  5,862  42%





+++++++++++++++++++++

*Hopes for new or updated 4x4*  

*Hopes for new or updated 4x4*  

not holding my breath

they're losing sales in 4x4's and increasing sales with cars. now i've heard rumours about a new 4x4 quite  while ago, but nothing has been mention in there press releases.

my trackers has many years of life left in it, so if they don't introduce a new 4x4 anytime soon, it won't bother me too much.

I still have faith.  It takes them awhile to introduce an updated 4x4.... like 10 years in between, no?  That's been the trend for the past 40 years from what I can see.

Ya?? so there might be some hope, but will
we like it?? Or will it be another CRV  
I think if they would make a kick ass, for lack
of a better word (wash my mouth out) Rubicon
type of wheeler, sales might pick up with the
small 4x4 buyers

Brea isn't too far, I wonder if I could get in and
talk to somebody ??

:-/

Wild

Ya?? so there might be some hope, but will
we like it?? Or will it be another CRV  
I think if they would make a kick ass, for lack
of a better word (wash my mouth out) Rubicon
type of wheeler, sales might pick up with the
small 4x4 buyers

Brea isn't too far, I wonder if I could get in and
talk to somebody ??

:-/

Wild

Of course it wouldn't be a CRV unibody joke-machine.  Eric has posted in the past that Suzuki Japan has stated that they will stay with the bod of frame design.   That's what I'm basing my hope on.. But I know what you're saying, a more aggresive 4x4 would be nice...Rubicon style.

*Hopes for new or updated 4x4*  

From the looks of those numbers, we will never see another Suzuki 4x4.  Looks like sales dropped by almost half from 2003 to 2004.      And for 2004, they discontinued all the 2 door models.  Sadly, I think Suzuki is turning away from 4x4's.

I don't think so.  Am I the only optimist on this web site???  

i don't know  
seems to me that GM is hyping the new Equinox as their "tracker replacement" so Suzuki being the GM whipping boys they are, i could very easily see them forced to sell a Suzuki version of the equinox...which is a "car based" uni-body "fake" SUV.

Posted by Eric late last year:

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


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Why, though, are they releasing 2-3 new cars every year and gradually dropping the 4x4's?  Do they have a new 4x4 in the works to replace the Vitara?

you can all come to okinawa. i bet there is at least 3 Jimny/Sierras to every one 1 person here.  

anyway, what does everyone think of the new Reno?
www.suzukireno.com
maybe give the civic some competition?
but whats up with the cast iron engine? why not aluminium?

Talk about a cliff hanger, I can't
wait for the next update   :-/

Wild

Why, though, are they releasing 2-3 new cars every year and gradually dropping the 4x4's?  Do they have a new 4x4 in the works to replace the Vitara?

What do you mean "gradually" dropping the 4x4's?  They've only ever had one 4x4 at a time.  They only dropped the 2-door...which sucks big time...but maybe they're going to replace with something else.