Suzuki's US Future -- Good or Dismal

jagat101 · June 2008

Suzuki should bring over the Swift (though designed for EURO crash safety standards) on short notice, now that gas hovers nearly $5 in some places...esp here in CA.

Ford as of this writing is scrambling to ship over previously EURO only models..and would work on certifying their respective crash safety requirements, previously EURO only and soon to be up to US standards.

If Ford can do this, why not the Suzuki on the Swift?...

stever · January 2009

Suzuki president worried about failout from Detroit auto meltdown

nippononly · January 2009

here is another car industry executive, one directly employed by an automaker in this case, predicting the consolidation of the Japanese auto industry into the "Japanese Big Three". And of course, he doesn't think Suzuki will be one of the 3!

Consolidation City. I hope Subaru remains independent a while longer. I wouldn't much mind if Suzuki were swallowed up by Nissan or Toyota.

stever · January 2009

Well, Toyota owns about 16% Subaru now, so someone could buy into Suzuki. Like ... Fiat?

GM did have a stake in Suzuki (~20% at one time), but I guess that's all been sold off in the last couple of years.

nippononly · January 2009

Well how about that! I never knew Fiat sold a rebadged Suzuki!

boaz47 · January 2009

I could say quality birds of a feather but I won't. :P I have had a soft spot for Zooks for a long time. But I used to like Fiat and Alfa as well. Dependability has never been a strong suit for either of them but they could be fun to drive. But i guess a hope for increased sales because of $4.00 or $5.00 gas was dashed before it got under way. I scanned some of the posts from the last two years to see just how far off the mark we could be on where things were going. Most of us in edmunds must predict trends by flipping a coin.

berri · January 2009

Just because its Japanese doesn't mean it is good. There have been Japanese junkers as well as American and European.

stever · April 2009

"The cuts and Suzuki's low level of sales lead experts to wonder how long the automaker will remain in the U.S. market."

Suzuki Slashes U.S. Staff -- Again (AutoObserver)

iluvmysephia1 · November 2009

I may jump on board.

I'd like one with a 5-speed tranny and in jet black like this one. Hot-hot-hot!

nippononly · November 2009

You might be a good candidate for a Cube, available right now!

deltheking · November 2009

I dont know why they are still in US. Dismal sales,cheapo stigma ,poor dealer network and service and horrible resale- they just are doomed here.

I had a thought. Why did they not buy Saturn? They could have the 350 dealer network,no haggle price and could make all models as Saturn and thus maintain a US presence. Saturn is fairly well known. It could have been succcesful.Still wonder why they did not do it? :shades: :confuse:

stever · November 2009

One of the conspiracy theories behind the failed Penske/Saturn deal is that GM didn't want to hand over a functional dealer network to a car company that would take sales away from them. Easier to wipe out the dealers.

Suzuki does well in other countries. I don't know what they need to do here to make it work, but they aren't spending enough money or working hard enough to make it happen.

There's a lot of people who really like the cars who won't buy because they don't trust that their dealer will be around to provide parts and warranty service in a year or two.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2009

Mitsubishi land right now, this Suzuki kei-class WagonR just looks good to me for the moment. I do this all the time. But it's like looking at a perty girl at an NBA game for just a few minutes. And then suddenly the cameraman spazzes out and can't find her anymore.

It's not gonna last. I'm all Mitsu for the foreseeable future, baby.

stever · December 2009

"Auto Observer has picked up an article appearing the current print issue of CAR in which Georg Kacher makes a case that Suzuki could be in Volkswagen AG's hands by the end of the year. The draw for VW is thought to be Suzuki's production capacity in China, India, Indonesia and Thailand. India appears to be a likely candidate for Up! production."

Will Volkswagen Take Over Suzuki? (Straightline)

iluvmysephia1 · December 2009

that is indeed what it looks like might happen. And that is so lame and depressing. I like the new Kizashi sedan from Suzuki and I really like the SX-4 crossover hatch, too. Was getting excited about the SX-4 enough in late '06 and early '07 that I thought I wanted to buy one of them. Oh well. Such is and such as business decisions go this one might have to be made.

nippononly · December 2009

one brand with a minor presence in the U.S. is buying a chunk of another brand with virtually no presence at all in the U.S? How very global of them....

I like the look of the new Kizashi (but would never buy one with the totally lousy dealer network Suzuki has here). I'm sure VW won't concern itself with Suzuki's product offerings anywhere except India and southeast Asia.

stever · December 2009

Here's another reason for VW to invest in Suzuki:

Can VW Overtake Toyota and GM, To Become #1 By 2010?

rsholland · December 2009

...And yet another reason:

This link may be a year and half old, but VW has long wanted to own a motorcycle manufacturer.

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2008/04/16/volkswagen-looking-for-a-motorcycle- - - - -manufacturer/

Now most of the news buzz has been focused on the Asian business aspect, but I can't help but think that Piech (a Ducati rider) is really looking forward to putting some fast miles on a Suzuki Hayabusa, or maybe a GSX-R1000. Sort of frosting on the cake, if you will.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Categories/Sportbike.aspx

Bob

nippononly · December 2009

has appeared at AN this week, talking about Suzuki and Mitsubishi and their comparative outlooks in the U.S. I am firmly convinced that neither has more than a few years left in the U.S. market. The director of Suzuki doesn't totally disagree:

Suzuki reached the long-sought sales milestone of 100,000 units in 2006. But since then it has lost three rebadged cars built by Daewoo, leaving big holes in Suzuki's lineup.

The Kizashi, which debuts this month, is seen as key to plugging them. The mid-sized sedan was designed to tackle the U.S. market.

But although it is priced against segment leaders such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, it's smaller.

Toshihiro Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corp.'s chief director of overseas sales, says the Kizashi isn't Suzuki's last chance. But he conceded that a flop would mean rethinking Suzuki's U.S. market position.

....Suzuki sales were off 55 percent through November, its share slipping to 0.4 percent from 0.7 percent for the first 11 months of 2008 .

Both (Suzuki and Mitsubishi) are heading for a third year of operating losses in North America. Indeed, the success of new products arriving in the next 12 months may determine whether the two brands have a future in this country.

The haunting precedent is Isuzu, which let its U.S. lineup and market share wither until it became, in January 2009, the first big Japanese brand to quit the United States.

.....Both Mitsubishi and Suzuki say they are committed to staying in the United States. But a big hurdle is simply getting on people's shopping lists, analysts say.

"The hardest problem is getting you to consider the car when no one you know drives one," says Kurt Sanger, an auto analyst with Deutsche Securities in Tokyo. "They are so small, they don't even have a brand image."

It is also clear that emerging markets, such as India, China and Russia, are taking priority for both companies.

Suzuki -- which sold a 20 percent stake of the company to Volkswagen AG last week -- has a head start against rivals in India and wants to keep it.

.....At Suzuki, it's a similar picture. North America chipped in only 2 percent of total global sales of 1.04 million vehicles in the first half.

Last month Suzuki announced it was building a $220 million factory to assemble compact cars in Thailand. Two weeks later it abandoned its manufacturing center in North America: the CAMI joint venture with General Motors Co.

"Pulling out could be one of the easiest options," says Koji Endo, an auto analyst for Advanced Research Japan, noting that the growth markets for Mitsubishi and Suzuki are elsewhere. But for now, both remain entrenched in the United States.

....Suzuki's dealer count has fallen sharply as well. After growing from 341 dealers in 2000 to 460 last summer, Suzuki has lost nearly 100 dealers in the past year, including its top-three volume franchises.

If new products don't pull the two brands out of their American funk, they may have no choice but to refocus on other markets.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091214/RETAIL03/312149967/1- 078

The dealer network stinks to high heaven, and THAT'S not a problem that is going to be fixed in the next few years. They have to import all their cars from Japan, which hits them with the yen exchange rate problem same as it does for all the big Japanese car companies. And the Kizashi? People might buy it as the "big compact", but Americans mostly won't buy an undersized midsize sedan. Look how much Legacy and Mazda6 sales jumped when they upsized those models this year.

I can't recall the last time I saw a Suzuki TV ad. If I were a betting man, I would bet against them at this point......

stever · December 2009

Unless mini-cars take off here in a big way. But this story shows off Suzuki's expertise in that market:

Suzuki and VW Agree to Develop Small, Inexpensive Car for Developing Countries (Green Car Advisor)

nippononly · January 2010

the headlines this morning, then my computer got slow and I ran out of time, but AN has a headline today that indicates Suzuki may be thinking of abandoning the U.S. market in order to concentrate on expanding their market share in Asia.

I don't doubt it would make sense for them to do so....

stever · January 2010

Sounds like they are ramping up in India too.

And VW may want more of Suzuki for the Asia sales growth.

Suzuki not interested in further offers from Volkswagen (caradvice.com.au)

Found the Automotive News link.

"Suzuki said: "Suzuki Motor Corp. is fundamentally thinking of centering its business around Asia."

nippononly · January 2010

This sounds fairly definitive to these ears...

Asked whether Suzuki might leverage its VW ties to bolster its business in the United States, Suzuki said: "Suzuki Motor Corp. is fundamentally thinking of centering its business around Asia."

And then of course the sales numbers are truly dismal. What will cause dealers to want to keep the franchise?

What's weird is they have only JUST made all this fuss over the debut of the Kizashi. I have seen all these print ads, didn't I even see a TV spot? This must be a very sudden reversal of thinking.

rsholland · January 2010

A great car, in just about ever respect. Clearly Suzuki has a winner here. Same with the Grand Vitara and the SX4 models, all very good vehiclesand among the best looking Asian cars on the market. It would be a real shame if they were to pull out of the USA nowand we, the car buyers, would be the losers.

In fact I just got a gym-rat friend of mine all interested in the Kizashi. I did warn him, however, of Suzuki's precarious position here.

Bob

nippononly · March 2010

LOS ANGELES -- American Suzuki Motor Corp. is offering to buy out its lowest-volume dealers to get them to walk away from their troubled franchises.

But executives insist, despite plunging sales, that Suzuki has no plans to leave the United States. The company says it's courting former Saturn dealers willing to commit to a new franchise.

The buyout program, which will be announced this week, won't be available to all dealers. Suzuki has identified "a few dozen" of its 354 dealerships that it considers to be chronic underachievers and will meet with them to offer terms to close, said Gene Brown, Suzuki's vice president of marketing.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100322/RETAIL07/303229951/1- 422

Hmmm, "a few dozen", huh? Six dozen would be 20% of their already-tiny dealer network. We have already heard from Suzuki Japan that they are wondering if they have a viable product plan for the U.S. going forward, now we have Suzuki America buying out all the lowest-performing dealers. I don't think they are going to find many takers among former Saturn dealers. Why would those folks want to get into a dying brand when they just HAD a brand die on them??

Prediction: there are 3, maybe 5, years left for Suzuki cars in the U.S.?

dtownfb · March 2010

>

I'll take the under.

iluvmysephia1 · March 2010

how many years Suzuki has left in the U.S. But the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi is one great vehicle. I test drove one a week ago in Henderson, NV. The dealer is about 8 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.

The Kizashi I test drove was an automatic and it does have a peppy and smooth upkick to it's 2.4L 4 cyl motor. The knobs and switches are all pretty easy to follow and use. The Rockford Fosgate 425-watt stereo needs a further look-see from me, but it wouldn't break any deal I might make.

The Kizashi runs over the bumps and rough spots and flattens them out for you. The steering is true and overall the car rides like a dream.

I can't seem to find a Platinum Silver Metallic 2010 Suzuki Kizashi with a 6-speed tranny, though. I would look in to a test drive if I found one, for sure. I love the car.

Mrs.iluvmysephia1 will not be agreeable to trading our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS in. But I will work on it. It has certainly gotten underneath my skin. More on this later.

nippononly · March 2010

I am willing to bet it's a very good car. Now go out and test drive it back to back with the Mazda3s, the Mitsu Lancer Ralliart, the Nissan Sentra SER, the new Kia Forte 2.4, the Jetta 2.5, heck throw in a Corolla XRS and Civic EX for good measure, not to mention my fave, the Impreza.

Then ask yourself if Suzuki has any real hope of finding their way back to a sufficient sales volume on the back of this model alone. To do so, Kizashi has to be head and shoulders AND THEN SOME above the rest. From what I've read, it is a competent model and a decent value, but that's not the same thing at all.

If there were a dealer within 50 miles, I might go and see for myself.....

iluvmysephia1 · April 2010

at the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport. Available at a Suzuki not-so-near-you in August of 2010. Here's a polar white one for you to enjoy.

They've added some body cladding, lowered the frame 10mm for sling-angle during cornering, they've added a perforated-leather Sport steering wheel, some fancy new chrome work up in the front around the foglights. Also, notice just up and to the right of the foglights. There's orange turn signal indicators there!

I also notice a new black strip of decor in the upper grille section. Up above in this picture you'll see the sunlight shining off of it. Also there's some new body side moulding in chrome added for the Sport. Notice the new 18" wheel design as well. This is the Kizashi I have set my sights on. I want either a Vivid Red, Platinum Silver Metallic one, or a Polar White one just like this. The GTS variant is the one I want with a 6-speed transmission.

These will hit your Suzuki dealer in August of 2010 and pricing will be competitve to the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS. For example, the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS I wanted, with a 6-speed manual transmission, was going to cost me about $23,400. The 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport with a 6-speed manual transmission is said to "cost nearly the same" as the 2010 GTS model in 6-speed form.

Translated I am willing to bet my 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport in 6-speed form will run about $23,795. Or thereabouts. Doesn't matter that much to me. This thing is truly a flaming bargain. And I have driven one, too. Though it was a CVT automatic tranny model. Not going that way with my new Kizashi. Must have a 6-speed manual tranny for mine.

iluvmysephia1 · April 2010

Suzuki's future in the U.S. is as strong as Phil Jackson's _ _ _ _ _.

Now that's strong, eh?

2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport

berri · April 2010

Don't know about cars, but they made a nice crotch rider in the 60's.

As for cars, I'd be concerned about getting hosed on resale at trade in.

iluvmysephia1 · April 2010

I have a history of buying what I like, not what I think others will give me at trade in time. The 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport in 6-speeds, bodykit, rear deck spoiler, 425-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo, 10-way adjustable driver's seat, sunroof, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, leather-wrapped gearknob, and foglights for only $22,789 would suit me just fine come August of 2010.

stever · August 2010

And 50 dealers dropped.

Suzuki Pares Dealerships in a Bid to Profitability for the Brand in the U.S. (Edmunds Daily)

deltheking · August 2010

Time for them to pack up and go . :P

I had wondered why they did not buy Saturn. They could have sold the Kizashi as a redesigned Aura . Dealership network was good and Saturns have very positive dealer ratings with no haggle buying. Would have been a perfect fit for Suzuki especially when the Penske deal did not go through.

stever · August 2010

Well, the blurb I linked (or maybe it was a comment) said Suzuki is are a conservative company that's never lost money.

Can't imagine they are making a lot in the US though.

deltheking · August 2010

Suzuki is the largest car manufacturer in India and has a huge presence in South East Asia. The losses in US are covered by the huge profits over there.Otherwise they would have folded long time ago. It`s tough for them to re-establish here,impossible really. Better option is to buy an existing brand like Chrysler or Dodge if they go bankrupt again. That`s the only way they can survive here. :shades:

joeyrab · December 2010

Hello,
I want to know why Suzuki can't do what Hyundai did. In the 80's-90's, Hyundai was not a good car at all, esp in the 80's. Look where they are now. No, there cars aren't as good as Toyota, Honda, or Subaru, but they are ok. You would think buy now Suzuki could have pulled a Hyundai and pulled them self up to a greater status than they are now. I would Drive an SX4 or Kazashi over anything Hyundai/Kia.
Any reason for this? It's not like they are broke...they have a huge presence overseas and have a "motorcycle" division....

joe

iluvmysephia1 · December 2010

I don't know why Suzuki hasn't exerted themselves more. Lack of funding for their automobiles section? They are many other things, motorcycles of course, etc. But don't fear they're going away, they're not.

nippononly · December 2010

The thing about the American market is, you really have to go AFTER it. When Hyundai had a solid product line ready for the U.S. (the second time around) and decided it was time to make their comeback, they spent ten TONS of money on advertising and extended their warranty to 100K miles. They were the first to do it, so it was a good advertising trick to get people to notice them at the time.

Suzuki, if it were serious about staying here, would need to do the same - actually ADVERTISE occasionally (GASP! What a concept!), develop more than one or two decent models, come up with something, anything, to set it apart from the 28 other Japanese brands for sale here, and use it to get the brand noticed so that people know the name.

Then they could do the other thing Hyundai did, go out and aggressively recruit dealers so that their dealer network were more than the ghost of a joke it is today, a network of dealers who all have 8 brands each or more, some of whom have sales staff that aren't even aware they SELL Suzukis.

When Suzuki does all of that, it will have a chance of staying in the U.S. more than the next few years. Alas, they don't have the funding to do it, and the Kizashi was therefore their last best shot.

I have great respect for Suzuki and would love to see more of their JDM models for sale in the U.S., but the debut of the Kizashi has attended another precipitous plummet of their sales by 46% or something this year. The clock is ticking, mark my words.....

joeyrab · December 2010

I like the idea of Suzuki needing another couple of vehicles to add to their line up. And I'm not talking some little Daewoo with a Suzuki badge either. I think the SX4 Crossover and Kizashi, (name may be to Japanese for some people), are unique vehicles. There used to be a commercial no to long ago for the SX4, it was rather....."queer", I mean tha in a wierd way....it had a SX4 going down the road with a red cape on it's back, like Superman, saying how it was a mini fighter....why mini fighter? It's the same size as other cars in it's class...I guess it's a way to generate sales...anyway....they could make a more serious commercial, talk of the warranty, mention awards, talk of AWD, show how it smokes cars like the Dodge Calibur, anything small from Chevy, it's certainly better than Kia, in my opinion...THEN show the other autos in it's line up...Kizashi, Vitara, Equator....In your opinion do you think Suzuki automobiles can hang in there for the long haul, like a toyota or honda? Can one pull 175,000-200,000 out of the 2.0liter 4cylinder they make? what do you think?

joeyrab · December 2010

We found that practically the entire Suzuki lineup is in the doldrums, lost amid tougher competition. Sales are down 42% for the year overall, with vehicles like the compact SX4, Grand Vitara SUV and Equator pickup dying on the vine for lack of resources. But there's reason to hope: The new Kizashi mid-sized sedan has been well-received, and Suzuki plans to launch a new advertising campaign on Christmas. It's working to refresh its lineup, too. After ending its long-term relationship with General Motors, the Japanese carmaker is now in talks with Volkswagen about co-developing new vehicles.

isellhondas · December 2010

My prediction is that Suzuki will disappear from the U.S. and Mitshibishi may too. Decent cars that most people have never heard of and a practically non existant dealer network.

If you stop 100 people on the street and ask them what a "Kizashi" is I would be very surprised if anyone out of the 100 would know.

Resale on used Suzuki's as about as bad if not worse than on Kias.

joeyrab · December 2010

Which is a shame. I am in the market for a new car and I want to check out the Suzuki SX4. If I can't get to a Suzuki dealer and I am uncomfortable with the lack of "network" I will buy another Toyota. God, our Corolla has almost 200,00 miles on it and I have done so much less to it than I had to do to my last 2 cars, a ford (never ever again), and a Dodge, (who should have been aloud to go under with the crap they are aloud to sell). Really, people work hard for their money, I think that is what separates the Japanese autos from American auto's, Japanese seem to understand that concept of money doesnt grow on trees and some of us value our property.

nippononly · December 2010

In your opinion do you think Suzuki automobiles can hang in there for the long haul, like a toyota or honda?

Oh, without question (the ones designed and built by Suzuki, not the rebadged Daewoos which are now mercifully all gone)! But that doesn't change the facts that they have NO dealer network, NO product for the U.S., and NO brand recognition.

They will be gone in a few years, I have no doubt. Then the next one in question will, as isell says, be Mitsubishi. Time was I would have bet on the eventual return to Japan of Mitsubishi as well, but they may yet get their act in gear in time to hang in there in the U.S. They don't have the disadvantages of Suzuki, nothing like it.

crkyolfrt · December 2010

Suzuki has suffered from very poor fuel mileage in vehicles like SUV's during a time when SUV first became all the rage. Grand Vitara's small V6 had abysmal FE. As did it's predecessor. The six's were the thirstiest, and it was at a time that N American's simply HAD to have a V6. (never mind that a similarly sized inline 4 was more than competent. The problem with Suzuki, and Kia and Hyundai (until recently) all those off brands had considerably worse FE than the big 3 Japanese competition.

I remember Chrysler's Tragic Wgn with a 3.3 (even the 3.8!) with AWD and weighing a good thousand pounds more than a Grand Vitara, getting about 30% better FE. And would whump it in a sprint too. Many buyers bought on perception (just like Hyundai's first 2.7 V6 Santa Fe, gosh that thing just gulped gas) that hey, a small Asian SUV will get better mileage than a larger NA build at home. It wasn't until after they started frequenting the pumps that they discovered just how wrong their perception of FE was.

carthell · December 2010

As recently as the 8th of this month, the local dealershop closest to Baltimore city sent to me a e-mail maintenance remainder. I have a major maintenance interval coming up in the new year, so I save the message. The local shop I go to is good, but never has all the parts to complete a major maintenance interval.

This evening, my brother asked me to take him to a department store near the dealership. I look on in astonishment as I see in big, glowing red letters HYUNDAI and MAZDA splashed prominently across the dealer's face.

I dread the expedition that I would have to assemble if I had to get my car fixed. None of the two other dealers closest to my city are remotely convenient to get to from my work or home. Looks like the car I currently have will be the last Suzuki I'll own. Whether it'll be by my choice or forced by market conditions remains to be seen.

iluvmysephia1 · December 2010

the Kizashi is a really competent midsize car. It took the bumps and settled them in to little "binks" as I drove over them. The car accelerated very well with it's 4 cyl and the automatic tranny performed well overall.

The Kizashi I wanted was a red '10 6-speed inside the showroom of the Henderson, NV, Suzuki dealer. The negotiations went sour-I wouldn't drop my demands for a lower price and got up to walk out. The hardcore financieer quickly chased me outside and his final offer just moved figures from here to there and they wouldn't meet my demands for the deal the way I wanted to do it. I would've scored well, but my point is that the dealer would've sold a Kizashi to me, and they chose to overly hardball me.

I left with my '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS and have continued to enjoy the compact from Mitsu to the hilt. I just like the Suzuki SX-4, I went bonkers when it came out in the winter of '06-'07. I never even test-drove one of them 'cause the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer was coming out in a few short months and it caught my eye big-time, so I decided to wait for it. But I still like the Suzuki SX-4.

Mitsubishi isn't going to leave, their all-electric i-MiEV is the glue they wish to use alongside the rest of their lineup to the American people. Of course, I love the Lancer lineup and I love the Outlander and it's young brother the Outlander Sport that is just coming out now. They need to massage the Galant and come up with a brand new design for it, very true. I would even dig the Colt if they brought it here. Mitsubishi makes a solid product and they back it up with the 10 year and 100,000 mile Warranty similar to Kia and Hyundai. They're here to stay in NA.

Now, Suzuki is another story. Funny, the Lancer was getting serviced at my Phoenix (actually Avondale, AZ, about 9 miles west of Phoenix) dealer, and I walked over the Suzuki dealer on the same strip of dealers and talked to a salesman there about the new Kizashi. They didn't have the color I wanted nor a stick Kizashi (they only had two Kizashi's on the lot :confuse: )so there was no move to test drive at that time, but I asked the salesman about Suzuki's stance on staying in the States.

"Suzuki doesn't need car sales, man," was his response. They are so diversified with their other manufactured goods, motorcycles and such, and shipping lines that the automotive part is....is...what, an afterthought of some kind? No, the salesman didn't say that but my mind was going about trying to make up a good explanation for the lack of dealer network and advertising support for the NA sales. Ya know what, they don't make a large pick-em-up truck for sale in the U.S., do they? Oh, that's right. Neither do Kia and Hyundai and look at how well they're doing here, eh?

crkyolfrt · December 2010

pick ups "Kia and Hyundai and look at how well they're doing here, eh?"

You know I was wondering this this past week. Why in blazes does Hyundai not get a Ford Ranger sized p/u to NA market? Fill voids that have been gone astray over the years. Remember when you could buy a diesel Ranger, Datsun, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chev S10, VW p/u? I had a the S10 extended cab, with a stick and factory A/C. Wish I had it to this day. Although it had terrible bench seat and wasn't turbo'd. It had an Isuzu engine. I used to get 40 to 52.5 Imp mpg with it. The 52.5 was on a trip to NY with A/C on the whole time.
If Hyundai offered one here with about a 2.3 litre turbo, extended avail in both 2WD and 4WD and went to a few greater pains to offer such never done before challenges, like 48" between the rear wheel wells, I am absolutely certain it would sell. Heck, given the mpg capability of their 2.4 GDI engine, even try it out with a gas job first.

fezo · December 2010

I think this is from when they still were connected to GM - they pulled the local dealer's franchise. If I wanted t o buy a Suzuki I don't have a clue where to look.

Obviously I could look it up but that's not a great way to do business.

crkyolfrt · December 2010

Maybe they should try what they are implementing here more each year. They are selling the cars at existing bike dealerships. (along with the bikes) At least in places where they have enough real estate.

I find it hard to believe that Suzuki said they didn't even need to sell cars.

Nissan also, is into shipping and other heavy equipment, but their vehicle line must contribute huge to big picture.

Suzuki's US Future -- Good or Dismal

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