Topic: Suzuki Tidbits

[Scaerio]

IS that Avt 's YARIS.........................

The Yaris is like the Mona Lisa compared to this.  What is Suzuki up to?  They release three nice looking vehicles - the SX4 hatch, the real Swift, and the new GV, and over the more or less same timeframe unleash the new XL7 with its junkie eyes, and this sorry little sedan.  Are people really that into lots of "junk in the trunk?"

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Could this spell the end of the road for the Chevy Optra and Optra5 here?

Suzuki's Forenza, Reno on their way out
Kathy Jackson
Automotive News
August 20, 2007 - 12:01 am EST
 
LOS ANGELES - American Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to end the short lives of its Forenza and Reno models in the United States after the 2008 model year.

The small Forenza sedan and its sibling, the five-door Reno hatchback, are Suzuki's top sellers in this country. But company executives believe the new SX4 can better fill the niche.

Suzuki introduced the SX4 all-wheel-drive hatchback for the 2007 model year. A sedan version goes on sale in October as a 2008 model. Later, the company will introduce a front-drive SX4 hatchback to replace the Reno, says a Suzuki insider who asked not to be named. The new hatchback is expected in the 2009 model year.

"We will bring in a lot of variations of the SX4," the source says. "We believe we can get a lot of volume from the SX4."

The Forenza, which debuted as a 2004 model, was developed by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. in Korea. The Reno was added a year later. This year, dealers sold 28,259 units of the Forenza and Reno through July, down 6.8 percent from the same period in 2006.

Suzuki sold 9,246 SX4s through July, up 35.1 percent from the same period in 2006. But capacity constraints have limited the number of SX4s available for U.S. dealers. A new SX4 plant will open in Japan next year.

The SX4 will be Suzuki's smallest vehicle in this country until the company brings in the Swift for the 2010 model year. The insider says the Swift may be more performance-oriented than the SX4 and may be offered in a convertible version. 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Suzuki adds SX4 sedan to attract young men
Kathy Jackson
Automotive News
September 3, 2007 - 12:01 am EST


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How SX4 stacks up
  2008 SX4 Sport 2008 Mazda3
Wheelbase 98.4 in. 103.9 in.
Length 177.6 in. 177.4 in.
Width 68.1 in. 69.1 in.
Height 60.8 in. 57.7 in.
Curb weight 2,745 lbs. 2,780 lbs.
Base engine 2.0-liter inline-4 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Horsepower 143 @ 5,800 rpm 148 @ 6,500 rpm
Torque 136 lbs.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm 135 lbs.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm
Base price $15,395* $14,490*
*Includes shipping 

OJAI, Calif. -- Suzuki is taking back more control of its product lineup in the United States, and its dealers like that a lot.

The SX4 Sport sedan that will be introduced in October was designed and built by Suzuki Motor Co. in Japan, rather than GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. in Korea. The SX4 five-seat hatchback went on sale as a 2007 model.

The SX4 lineup eventually will replace the small Forenza sedan and Reno hatchback, which were built and developed by GM Daewoo. The Forenza and Reno are Suzuki's top sellers in this country, but dealers say they think the Japanese company can build a better-quality vehicle than GM Daewoo.

"The dealers have told Suzuki that we want more Suzuki-built vehicles," says Gary Linam, owner of Suzuki of Huntsville in Alabama and a member of the Suzuki Dealer Council.

The basics: The sedan is powered by the same 2.0-liter, 143-hp, inline-four engine as the hatchback and sits on the same wheelbase. But the sedan has a front-drive drivetrain vs. the standard all-wheel drive on the hatchback.

A five-speed manual is standard; a four-speed automatic transmission is available on all trims. The sedan comes in three trim lines. The base model is loaded with standard equipment such as antilock brakes and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The SX4 Sport has a more powerful engine and more standard equipment than the Forenza. And its base price of $15,395 including shipping is only $771 more than the Forenza.

Notable features: Lots of standard equipment comes with this budget car: four-wheel disc antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, side curtain airbags, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry and a four-speaker audio system with MP3 player. The seating is higher than most other sedans in this class.

For $16,895 including shipping, the best-equipped trim line adds a nine-speaker, six-disc CD player; fog lamps; rear spoiler; and electronic stability control and traction control.

What Suzuki says: "We want the SX4 Sport to deliver a level of fun to drive like Mazda, but our price will be lower," said Steve Younan, director of product planning for American Suzuki Motor Co., at a press event in Ojai, Calif.

He said the suspension, steering and design were heavily influenced by the Suzuki Swift small car, which will not be sold in this country until the 2010 model year.

"If the Swift is not here in body, it can come here in spirit," Younan said.

Shortcomings and compromises: The interiors are not as fun, colorful and youthful-looking as some of the competition.

The market: The market is crowded with big names such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra.

The average age for the SX4 hatchback buyer is 49. For the sedan, Suzuki is targeting 25- to 35-year-old single males with an annual household income of $50,000 to $65,000.

"We're going for young males like the Mazda3," Younan said.

Although the base-level Mazda3 sells for less than the base SX4 Sport, the Mazda has only 15-inch wheels and does not include equipment such as ABS, side curtain airbags and remote keyless entry. Mazda3 buyers would have to spend more than $19,000 to get the same equipment found on the most uplevel SX4 Sport.

The base Civic sedan, on the other hand, is $250 more than the base SX4. The base Civic has a less powerful engine and does not include equipment such as air conditioning, power door locks, keyless entry or MP3.

The skinny: The SX4 hatchback and the redesigned XL7 and Grand Vitara SUVs have brought new customers into Suzuki showrooms, but the brand still has a way to go in this country. With its value story, good warranty and sporty looks, the SX4 Sport should help put Suzuki on the right track.

[Mitlov]

That article fails to mention the SX4's truly lackluster fuel economy, which will hurt it in comparisons with other compact sedans.

Aesthetically, it leaves something to be desired.  It looks squashed, like someone compressed the front and the rear and the car had nowhere to go but up.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Suzuki raises full-year profit forecast on brisk sales

Hans Greimel
Automotive News
November 1, 2007 - 12:53 pm ET   
 
TOKYO -- Suzuki Motor Corp. raised its full-year profit forecast after second-quarter sales jumped 16 percent on brisk overseas demand and a weaker exchange rate for the yen.

Unit sales in North America climbed 13 percent to 26,000 vehicles in the July-September period, from 23,000 in the same period of the previous fiscal year, Suzuki said Wednesday, Oct. 31.

North American revenue totaled ¥61.5 billion ($516.8 million), up 12 percent.

The regional results were broadly in line with Suzuki’s overall upbeat performance.

Operating profit increased 13 percent to $321.0 million in the second quarter. Revenue rose 16 percent to $7.01 billion.

Global revenues were driven higher partly by the yen’s decline against the euro and dollar, which helped spur overseas demand for Suzuki exports.

Looking ahead, Suzuki lifted its annual operating profit forecast to $1.22 billion for the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2008. It had earlier predicted operating profit of $1.13 billion.

Suzuki also said full-year net income is expected to rise to $689.1 million, higher than its previous outlook for net income of $638.7 million.

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Suzuki Motor Q3 beats estimates as small cars shine

Reuters
January 31, 2008 - 3:30 am ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. booked a better-than-expected 23 percent jump in quarterly profit as its Swift, SX4 and other compact cars powered a robust global sales growth amid record-high fuel prices.

Suzuki, valued at $13.6 billion -- just shy of Ford Motor Co.'s market capitalization -- made an operating profit of 38.3 billion yen ($360 million) in October-December, according to calculations by Reuters based on its announcement of nine-month results on Thursday.

That handily beat an average estimate of 36.1 billion in a Reuters Estimates poll of six brokerages. Net profit for the third quarter climbed 20 percent to 21.62 billion yen, on a 12 percent rise in revenue to 849.92 billion yen.

Suzuki has been expanding at the fastest clip among Japan's healthy automakers, largely helped by its lead in the fast-growing Indian market. Its local subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., this week also beat expectations with a 24 percent rise in quarterly net profit helped by solid sales of more profitable cars such as the Swift hatchback and SX4 sedan.

To keep up with demand, which is also speeding ahead in Europe, Suzuki has been expanding its production facilities around the world including in Hungary, India and Japan.

In the third quarter, its global production rose 9.9 percent to 680,000 cars, with output increasing 6.1 percent in Japan and 18 percent in the rest of Asia also thanks to a recovery in the Indonesian car market.

In Hungary, it manufactured 7.3 percent more cars to feed growing demand in both Western and Eastern Europe.

Suzuki, which has a relatively small exposure to the U.S. market, and hence the dollar, enjoyed currency gains of 4.7 billion yen in the quarter as the yen weakened favorably against the euro, Indian rupee and other currencies.

A rise in raw materials costs was a drag, but the company managed a net gain from cost reduction efforts of 6.7 billion yen. Improved vehicle sales contributed 13.9 billion yen to the rise in operating profit.

Suzuki, which is known for its ultra-cautious projections, left its annual forecasts unchanged at 145 billion yen for operating profit and 82 billion yen at the net level.

A day earlier, fellow Japanese car and motorcycle maker Honda Motor Co. reported a stronger-than-expected 38 percent surge in three-month net profit as it shrugged off soft U.S. demand with brisk overseas sales growth. A weak yen against currencies other than the dollar also helped, prompting it to raise its full-year profit forecasts.

As with Honda, Suzuki's motorcycle sales in the United States suffered as consumers pulled back purchases of leisure products amid the sub-prime credit woes, a spokesman said.

Suzuki's shares lost 23 percent in the past 12 months, largely in line with the Tokyo market but better than a 26 percent fall in the transport sector subindex.

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Suzuki cuts U.S. staff by 15% as Q1 sales plunge

Donna Harris
Automotive News
April 2, 2009 - 10:56 am ET

American Suzuki Motor Corp., reeling from a first-quarter sales decline of 43 percent, terminated more than 15 percent of its staff across the board at its Brea, Calif., headquarters and its regional offices, a spokesman confirmed late Wednesday.

The cutbacks reduce Suzuki's staff in the United States to 475 from 570, said Jeff Holland, a Suzuki spokesman. The layoffs were effective Wednesday.

Suzuki also pared its regional offices to three from four and consolidated some functions, Holland said.

"There used to be separate positions handling service and parts and sales, but now that's one position," he said.

The cutbacks affect only Suzuki's U.S. market. American Suzuki reported that its March vehicle sales dropped 24 percent to 7,981 from 10,510 a year ago. Year-to-date sales plummeted 43 percent to 15,131 from 26,430 in 2008. Industrywide U.S. sales plunged 37 percent in March and 38 percent in the quarter.

Holland said parent company Suzuki Motor Corp. continues to do well globally in markets where it sells microcars. In India, for example, Suzuki has a 56 percent market share, up slightly from the previous year, he said.

"We remain committed to the U.S. market," Holland said, adding that the product lineup will remain intact.

American Suzuki was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corp. and currently sells its vehicles in the United States through a network of about 400 dealerships. In 2008, Suzuki sold more than 2 million new cars and trucks and more than 3 million motorcycles and ATVs.

Suzuki, founded in 1909, has operations in 193 countries and regions.