Suzuki's US Future -- Good or Dismal

iluvmysephia1 · October 2011

I kind of like this concept from V-Dub-L-You.

2014 VW Bulli Microbus

186 mile range and 87 mph top speed.

"....saddle up, partner!" ~ Jim Carrey, 'Dumb and Dumber'

Tales of it going to be RWD as well.

mumuxu · October 2011

It's a shame that Suzuki's success in bikes is not getting transferred to auto side of their business. I almost got Kizashi for my son but then I saw that almost in 100 miles radius there was no dealer....! Their bikes are pretty fast & reliable. Hope they can put it in their autos along with some aggressive selling!

carthell · October 2011

Well, the did that: sales at any cost (there's a link to it in this specific forum that was posted this past summer). The recession hit, and the dealer base collapsed. I wish Suzuki would do more, but I don't think that it is ready to use its more profitable markets (everywhere but the US) to subsidize its operations and marketing efforts here while the recession is an ongoing concern.

dealerworld · January 2012

THE WORD KAZASHI MEANS "GREAT THINGS TO COME" IN JAPANESE. I HAVE BEEN A GENERAL MANAGER OVER 8 CAR FRANCHISES (HYUNDAI,MAZDA,VOLKSWAGON,MITSUBISHI,SUZUKI,LINCOLN,FORD,FIAT) GOING ON MY 22ND YEAR. I HAVE BEEN A SUZUKI DEALER SINCE MAY OF 1988. HERE IS MY OPINION OF AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION'S FUTURE IN THE U.S. MARKET.

I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THEY WILL PULL OUT OF THE U.S. MARKET BY THE END OF 2013. I BELIEVE THAT THE FOLLOWING REASONS HAVE ATTRIBUTED TO WHAT WILL BE THEIR DEMISE:

1-THEY HAVE NO NEW MODELS BEING INTRODUCED TO THE U.S. FOR 2012. THE SWIFT HAS STOPPED PRODUCTION AND WILL REMAIN THAT WAY.
2-THEY HAVE ANNOUNCED A 0 DOLLAR ADVERTISING BUDGET FOR 2012 IN THE U.S . YET THEY ARE SPENDING BILLIONS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD MARKET,
3-SUZUKI WILL NO LONGER PARTICIPATE OR HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JD POWERS AND ASSOCIATES AFTER DEC 2011
4-NOT ENOUGH DEALERS TO HELP THEM SELL OR SERVICE SUZUKI VEHICLES FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. THEY WERE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE CLOSING OF MANY "LOW VOLUME " SUZUKI DEALERSHIP. CLOSINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT ON BY THE FACT THAT ANYBODY COULD OWN A SUZUKI FRANCHISE (EVEN FELONS) IN THE 1990'S
5-ALL PARTS TO REPAIR SUZUKI VEHICLES, MOST OF WHICH ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE AFTER MARKET WORLD, TAKE 5 DAYS FOR DEALERS TO RECIEVE. WAY TO LONG IN TODAYS SOCIETY.
6-AFTER BARELY RECOVERING FROM THE SAMARAI ROLLOVER ISSUE THAT ALMOST SHUT THEIR CAR DIVISION DOWN. THEY COME OUT WITH DAE-WOO KNOCKOFF VEHICLES THAT TARNISHED THIER VEHICLE LINES EVEN MORE AND IT IS VERY HARD TO OVERCOME.
7-VOLKSWAGON AND SUZUKI WILL NEVER ACTUALLY PRODUCE AND SELL A JOINT VENTURE VEHICLE IN THE U.S. BOTH #1 TOP VEHICLE EXECUTIVES ARE WAY TO ARROGANT AND WILL CAUSE ENOUGH CONFLICT TO STOP THAT VENTURE.
8-SUZUKI RUNS THE AMERICAN DIVISION JUST AS THEY DO THE JAPANESE DIVISION. THEY ADAPT FOR NO ONE.
9-THOUGH THE KAZASHI AND THE SX4 ARE VERY GOOD VEHICLES AND A START FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE SUZUKI OF AMERICA SALVATION. IT IS WAY TO LITTLE, WAY TO LATE.
10-SUZUKI HAS BEEN SUED AND LOST MORE LAWSUITS IN AMERICA THAN ANY OTHER CAR COMPANY. HOW DARE THOSE PESKY AMERICANS SUE THE MIGHTY SUZUKI FAMILY.

THESE ARE THE REASONS THAT SUZUKI WILL NO LONGER BE A VIABLE PLAYER IN THE U.S. MARKET.
ON THAT NOTE, IF MITSUBISHI'S NEW LINE OF CUTTING EDGE ELECTRICAL VEHICLES ARE NOT OVERWHELMINGLY SUCCESSFUL. AS I THINK THEY WILL BE, THEY WILL BE THE NEXT VEHICLE LINE DROPPING FROM THE U.S. MARKET.

iluvmysephia1 · January 2012

are killin' me! Ouch.

nippononly · January 2012

And yet, I would echo about 8 out of the 10 points he made, and in fact I may have been first to present them in this forum in about 5 of those cases.....

I think he's right about Mitsubishi too, but that one may take a little longer, and in both cases it does depend on how long the Japanese execs wish to drop pennies here and pennies there keeping their American networks alive. I doubt that for either it is a major corporate cost, but because North America generates so little profit for them they will never make the investment here that would be necessary to increase sales volume from the trickle it currently is.

stever · January 2012

So much for the rumor mill that Suzuki is zapping their US ad budget. Inside Line reports that Suzuki is buying a 2012 Super Bowl ad to promote the Kizashi.

Suzuki Relies on Dogs To Pitch 2012 Kizashi in Super Bowl Ad (Inside Line)

lost18 · April 2012

Sorry, what? The Swift has stopped production? Since when?! AFAIK it's still being produced at 8 factories around the world. The Samurai rollover issue was a US issue only. It never came close to shutting down their car division. You do know that Suzuki is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, don't you? The fact that they can't get their act together in the US has got to be highly embarrassing to them, and the entire leadership in the US and Japan responsible for that should be fired, but most of what you wrote is simply misguided IMO.

lost18 · April 2012

Reading these threads I think a lot of people are far too narrow in their viewpoint. Mitsubishi sells much more in the US compared to Suzuki in the US, but in global terms Mitsubishi is in a far more delicate state. Suzuki is still profitable and can sustain the US operation as long as it needs to, if it wants to. The problem they have in the US, in my opinion, is that they simply don't make the cars that are popular in the US. At the very minimum, they don't important the versions that would sell better here.

Mitsubishi, on the other hand, is stuck with a capitalization problem globally and, locally, a production problem. They simply don't have any money for product development, and they've got a factory in the US that they can't unload and that is too old to switch/vary model production quickly enough.

I honestly think that Mitsubishi is more likely to leave the US market before Suzuki if for no other reason than they can't maintain losses like Suzuki does and if Suzuki were going to leave they would have done so already. After all, on sheer market numbers, Suzuki is not just an also-ran in the US, it's probably struggling to make it as a footnote for the last five years.

nippononly · April 2012

I don't disagree with you - Suzuki Japan is in much better shape than Mitsu Japan is. But it is also in a tiff with VW, isn't it? Didn't I read somewhere that they could use some cash to buy out their share and end the "partnership" with VW? Imagine how much of that cash they could raise by quitting the U.S. market.....and why wouldn't they? The Kizashi, their biggest and best shot in many years BY FAR to improve sales here, has not lit the U.S. on fire, although it has sold better than the SX4 and been more critically acclaimed than older Suzuki models. If they choose to stay, I will be interested to see what else they develop for North America

nippononly · April 2012

From Automotive News today:

Struggling Suzuki is shrinking in many ways.

Insiders say the company is slashing marketing while sales and the dealer roster dwindle.

The many signs of trouble:

-- In a market up 13 percent through March, Suzuki was down 2 percent to just 6,561 sales.

-- The brand skipped the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows this year and suspended social media activity on Twitter and Facebook two months ago.

-- Steve Younan, the top U.S. product planning and marketing executive, left in January and will not be replaced. No national TV commercials have aired since 2009.

-- In January, Suzuki stopped getting customer satisfaction data from J.D. Power and Associates -- data that help track dealer performance. A memo obtained by Automotive News says another vendor will replace Power, but sources say no successor has surfaced.

-- The dealer body continues to shrink. The brand shed 32 franchises last year, nearly 12 percent of its total. The number of U.S. Suzuki franchises has dropped every year since 2005.

The company's strategy has become "very much focused on short-term profitability," says one source familiar with the company's recent cost-cutting moves who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They're limiting their future in the U.S."

26,000 sales in all of 2011? This quote from the article is at the crux of the problem of course: ""The problem is that, while it's not a bad product, it's not on anybody's radar to look at," Kay (a former dealer) says.

about 150 of Suzuki's remaining 246 dealers still sell five or fewer new cars per month, despite recent efforts to weed out poorly performing dealers.

with more than half of its dealers selling five or fewer vehicles in an average month, Suzuki still has many dealers unwilling to focus on Suzuki and adequately promote the brand in their local markets, Morrell says.

Many Suzuki dealers use their franchised-dealer status for easier access to financing to support big used-car operations, Morrell says.

And no replacement for the Grand Vitara in sight? Soon there will be less than 200 dealers for the entire country, and how hard is it going to become to get warranty service? The critical mass just doesn't exist here to keep sales going in the U.S. I will always wonder why they didn't bring over the Swift, one of their best-sellers globally.

This could all be turned around by a massive investment from the corporate offices in Japan - they need to seriously expand the dealer network (like double its size) and add two class-leading vehicles to the lineup, a midsize sedan and a proper Grand Vitara replacement. Then they need to blanket the airwaves with advertising so people actually consider a Suzuki when buying a car.

But why would they do all of that? The U.S. is a saturated market and there are better opportunities for growth in the world, especially for the size of the investment they would have to make to grow in the States.

The full article: http://www.autonews.com/article/20120416/RETAIL07/304169962/1117

hedgeman1 · August 2012

They are leaving the U.S. market. I work at a Suzuki store! Everything points to them going out. You cant order cars, they came out with 0%x72 months to help clear inventories. They're no longer envolved with J.D. Powers. They dont advertise. No new models. I'd say by end of 2013 BYE BYE!

crkyolfrt · August 2012

I have owned a number of Suzuki's over the years. 3 Samurai's and 1 Sidekick.

Only the Sidekick got somewhat acceptable fuel economy given the size and weight of the vehicle. The Samurai's got absolutely terrible mileage. Granted it was a small barn door on wheels that also rode a bit tall in the saddle, but a 1.3 in that vehicle could have done so much better with different tuning and gearing. Having free wheeling front hubs helped, but only a little.

Then many years later their 4 door Sidekicks and whatever else that long 7 seater was called, all those things had an extremely thirsty V6 and its appetite for gas was ravenous for years and years with barely a 10th of a point better each year. Sort of like how thirsty Hyundai's V6 2.7 was in the Santa Fe for many years only actually worse.

And this was during a time that America was discovering their insatiable desire for SUV types, both 4x4 and FWD.

IMO, the only competitive fuel efficient cars they had for their size and weight were the Fireflys, Sprints, GEO's etc. The only problem with those cars was that they were not idiot-proof. In the right hands, those cars were very good cars with lots of longevity potential on few dollars. Sort of like the original Hyundai Pony only quite a bit better.

By the time Suzuki had offered a more fuel efficient (by competitor standards) AWD to market..the SX4 etc. the market had already lost confidence.

I think Suzuki should have cornered the market by offering a small turbo diesel in all their 4 wheel drive type vehicles, when everyone else had quit back around 1987 and earlier. This was long before stricter (politically driven/corrupt) emission standards dictated a squeezing out of diesel options in America and could have garnered the reputation for always having the diesel option when the likes of Toyota and Datsun (at the time) Mazda and Isuzu had dropped the ball.

There have been some interesting transplants of VW's older turbo diesel 1.6 into the Samurai. Between that, and air bag assisted suspension mods, it completely transformed that vehicle into one with loads of torque, great fuel economy, and exclusivity in spades. Suzuki should have had their own aluminum block (for lighter weight and better handling) TD in that, and later the Sidekick, ages ago.
Who knows, it might have made the difference in market share/strength to this day.

nippononly · August 2012

until Suzuki's exit from the U.S. market won't take long, based on what Auto News is reporting today:

In an overall market up 14 percent, Suzuki sales through July were down 4 percent to 15,260.

15,000 sales in 7 months? I am amazed that Suzuki dealers even bother to keep the franchise.

...At Suzuki, the outlook is even gloomier. On the bright side, freshened versions of the SX4 and the Grand Vitara will arrive this fall. And a heavily camouflaged, new-generation SX4 five-door hatchback has been spotted this summer during European testing.

But sources familiar with American Suzuki's plans say that after this fall the company has no new or redesigned product launches scheduled before the 2015 model year.

Derailed by yen
The company's U.S. plans were derailed by a strong yen and its failed partnership with Volkswagen. For instance, Suzuki explored a number of possibilities for a redesigned Grand Vitara before the partnership unraveled, including a rebadged Volkswagen Tiguan, according to a source with knowledge of the plans.

But that option, as well as the prospect of basing the next Grand Vitara on the Kizashi platform, has been scrapped.

Suzuki also tested turbocharged versions of the Kizashi, but sources say it has no firm plans to introduce one.

Another insider has said engineers and product planners had been working with Suzuki's Wagon R minicar sold in Japan to see if it might fit a niche in the United States. But that project has been dormant for months.

Indeed, the company is saying nothing to reassure its 246 U.S. dealers. Asked about future products in the pipeline, Fujimoto said in July that "there is nothing to announce at this time."

If there was ever a time or a car company for whom the writing was more boldly on the wall than this one, it wasn't in my lifetime. And it's a shame, because Suzuki makes very reliable and fun small cars, and it's not clear to me why they didn't flourish in the U.S. alongside the likes of Toyota and Honda, or at least Mazda and Subaru. Suzuki is a big company in Japan. The only thing I do notice is the MUCH smaller investment over time in American dealer network and advertising vs the Japanese heavy hitters.

With no new product in the works anywhere, and especially in the 3-year timeframe, I would suspect that Suzuki will exit the U.S. by 2015 if not well before. I'm not one to make bold predictions like that, but it just seems so clear in this case. Perhaps if I am still around the Town Hall in 3 years' time, I will check in here on whether my forecast came true....

http://www.autonews.com/article/20120827/OEM01/308279964/1428

byebyeusa · September 2012

I am a Suzuki dealer. For the entire 2000s no Suzuki dealer has sold more cars, on average, than me in our market (mind you, I'm not bragging. A good month for us, is a slow weekend for a Ford dealer). Working with ASMC is nothing but a fight every day. Getting cars is almost impossible, they want to give you what the have, not what you need. There is ZERO advertising in our market. The DOM only comes by to give you grief and make notations to enable ASMC to try to push you out as a dealer. Even though we are unquestionably the biggest volume dealer in our market, ASMC has been trying to push us out since late 2010, so there is nothing to this, "suzuki eliminating low volume dealer" BS.

Over 500 dealers down to about 200 dealers

100,000 plus sales to about 20,000 sales

4 us market regions down to 3

Sales Rep and separate Service Reg now one.

Advertising down to no advertising

7 car lineup down to 3 (you can't count the Nissan Frontier (Equator) in either of those numbers

We only hang in there because there is no value to selling the franchise and things can't get worse. Suzuki has only two possible explanations for what they are doing. One is some master plan that will seem Steve Jobslike after it is revealed or, Two they have the most incomprehensible, incompetent and ignorant business model ever launched in the US.

Why would a company with 40% market share in India want to mess around in a market where they have .4% market share?

lemko · September 2012

Does Suzuki still have the Equator truck? Isn't it a derivative of the Colorado/Canyon?

nippononly · September 2012

No, it's a rebadged Frontier, but not for much longer. Nissan is updating the Frontier and the new version will not be rebadged a Suzuki.

fezo · November 2012

American Suzuki just file for chapter 11 bankruptcy and will wind down all its car dealerships.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2012

bite down and chew on. Now I am glad I didn't buy a new Kizashi in 2010. I still would love to own one of them and, in fact, great deals might be had at this time, car nuts!

stever · November 2012

Details:

I don't think it's a big surprise given their lackluster sales performance of recent years. They have have low margin, low-priced cars with small volume. That's far from the ideal combination, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with auto information company Edmunds.com.

The good news:

"Suzuki said it will continue to honor warranties and will provide automobile parts and service through its parts and service dealer network."

LA Times

iluvmysephia1 · November 2012

this will be good news for those who've bought Suzuki's in the 2000's.

"Suzuki said it will continue to honor warranties and will provide automobile parts and service through its parts and service dealer network."

fezo · November 2012

Now if I could only locate a Suzuki dealership..... We had one in town but it went as part of the GM dismantling of dealerships.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2012

because I do think that the Suzuki Kizashi is the best value in a mid-size available. And the best looking as well. Too bad.

stever · November 2012

Official Suzuki announcement and FAQ links.

Might be tough getting parts and service even under warranty if your nearby dealers disappear.

hpmctorque · November 2012

I imagine that, given the low sales volumes for Suzukis, that most Suzuki dealerships also sell other brands. In that case most dealerships will survive and continue to carry Suzuki parts, and provide service. That's what happened with Isuzu, for example.

The best deals for Suzukis will likely be, in the coming months, on near-new and 1-3 year old ones.

igozoomzoom · November 2012

You really can't blame it on the product. The Kizashi is still an outstanding vehicle even after three years on the market. The SX4 is far from the worst in class. The Grand Vitara is a handsome, clean design and the 4WD is actually off-road capable. And the Equator is arguably a better looking version of the Nissan Frontier. I'd buy any one of these over anything Mitsubishi has to offer!

They did absolutely NO marketing and I've seen lemonade stands with a better business plans. Dealers were given little to no support. Every Suzuki dealership that I've ever seen (at least in the South) make most 'Buy Here, Pay Here' used lots look classy in comparison! And selling rebadged Daewoos may have increased sales for a few years, but it also diminished their already non-existent reputation...

I don't see how ANY dealers have survived to this point. To make a profit with their sales volume, you need to be making Bentleys or Aston Martins.

I'm anxious to see just how low prices will go to clear out the remaining inventory. It probably won't fall to Saab levels (as much as 50% off MSRP), but they had no warranty coverage and (toward the end) had to be sold as used even with 10 miles on the clock!

As much as I like the Kizashi, I doubt I'd buy one even at 40% off or better. Long-term parts availability and repairs after warranty coverage expired would worry me, not to mention how hard it would be to sell down the road a few years!?!?

The Equator is a pretty safe bet since it shares so much in common with the Nissan Frontier. But it would need some hefty discounting because right now it's priced several thousand bucks higher than a comparable Frontier!

It's been a painfully slow death, so RIP Suzuki NA! Now Mitsubishi needs to do the right thing and go away!

stever · November 2012

To make a profit with their sales volume, you need to be making Bentleys or Aston Martins.

Or at least BMWs.

Good point about the co-sharing franchises Hpmctorque.

nippononly · November 2012

With no new product in the works anywhere, and especially in the 3-year timeframe, I would suspect that Suzuki will exit the U.S. by 2015 if not well before. I'm not one to make bold predictions like that, but it just seems so clear in this case. Perhaps if I am still around the Town Hall in 3 years' time, I will check in here on whether my forecast came true....

Geez, as sure as I was when I wrote this that Suzuki wasn't going to make it in the U.S., even I didn't think it would happen in a mere two months.....

The only Suzuki dealer I have visited this year still had unsold new cars from three model years ago on the lot. Doesn't take a genius to see there was no way for Suzuki to make it.

With Suzuki folding up its tent, the bell tolls for Mitsubishi USA....without a complete rethink of the U.S. product line and a major investment in the dealer network, Mitsu will be the next to go. I would say five years or less will tell that story, no way they make it past 2020 without completely changing everything about the way they do business here.

stever · November 2012

You predict 5 years?

Hm, the 3 year prediction for Zuke took 2 months.

So by that reckoning, Mitsu has maybe until April 15 to follow suit. :shades:

fezo · November 2012

April 15 sounds about right.

des5 · November 2012

I too was considering a Kizashi at one time, but the lack of dealers and no manual models to be had put me off. With Saab, at least there is a decent junkyard stock to draw from if you have to. Imagine trying to get parts for your CVT 5+ years from now.

stever · November 2012

Maybe, but Daewoo owners still seem to be able to find most parts they need.

igozoomzoom · November 2012

Something that no one thinks about when buying an car from an orphaned brand is INSURANCE! If I wasn't an insurance agent, I wouldn't give it a second thought!

I'm an independent agent and I represent seven companies that offer Personal Auto coverage. Two of them have increased premiums substantially for Comp & Collision on all Saab vehicles...as in 200% or more in some cases! All of our companies have increased their rates somewhat on Saabs, but only 25-30% on average, so far...the same is true for most Saturn and Pontiac models.

Some companies also stopped offering GAP coverage six months before the official 'end'. GAP basically covers the difference when a car depreciates faster than the loan balance decreases. When it was fairly obvious that the end was near for Saab, it became impossible to predict their rate of depreciation.

I'm sure the same will happen to Suzukis, to some extent. On the bright side, at least it only affects the Comp, Collision and Uninsured Motorist rates; Liability and Medical coverage remains the same.

I have insured a few 2010-2011 Saabs in the last six months or so. The one that stands out in my mind as being BRUTAL was on a 2011 Saab 9-5 (new design). It had a $48k sticker price but the guy had only paid $23k for it. But when replaced his prior vehicle with the Saab 9-5 on his existing policy, it was going to cost $4920 per year to cover it! Just for comparison, I replaced the 2011 Saab 9-5 with a 2011 Volvo S80- only $2100 per year ($2800+ less than the Saab)! We finally got it down to about $3400 per year, but had to increase his deductibles to $2,500 to do that! That is the only time I've ever issued a policy with a deductible over $1,000....that really sucked for him and I felt really horrible for him. He had already withdrawn $20k from an investment account to buy it because he couldn't find a bank that would even loan on a Saab!

Moral of the story- before you buy a Suzuki, call your insurance agent for a quick quote!

hpmctorque · November 2012

Well, you're right, in my case I probably wouldn't have thought about the insurance impact on a discontinued brand. However, I routinely inquire about the insurance rate before I buy a car, so that regardless of whether it's a discontinued brand or model, or not, I factor the insurance cost into my buying decision. Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention, though.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2012

why is this guy's insurance costing him $3400 per year? That's nuts!

I pay only $860 in northern Idaho a year to GEICO for my 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS to be insured. Don't ask me my limits, I get pretty much full coverage, high limits (have ta check my policy to get the exact limits and deductibles), everything agreeable and reasonable to me. $72.47 a month!

Why is this guy's insurance so expensive? Cost of the new Saab's? But we're talkin' Saab's here, let's keep grounded and in reality here. Is my GEICO gecko, Warren Buffett and Goverment Insurance Co. treating me that fair?

And the fact that I drive carefully like a Grandpa doesn't hurt, no tickets since 1982 and all, yes? Wow, that is really an eye-opener for what some people are up against for car insurance, yikees and spikees.

igozoomzoom · November 2012

"why is this guy's insurance costing him $3400 per year? That's nuts!"

That was the worst extreme I've seen, but that particular insurer almost tripled their rates on late model Saabs out of concern for parts availability and cost. There were so few 2010 and 2011 Saab 9-5 cars made that body parts very likely may be scarce and could cost hundreds or thousands more than they typically would have.

Like I mentioned, I plugged in 2011 Volvo S80 in place of the 2011 Saab 9-5 and it dropped the rate from $4,920 to $2,100 per year. Both $50k Swedish full-size luxury sedans, but the one that's out of production costs more than double that of the one still in production (the S80).

The only way reduced it from $4,920 to $3,400 ($1,520 less) was by making his Comprehensive and Collision Deductibles $2,500 each! Needless to say, he deeply regretted purchasing that car prior to getting a quote on adding it to his auto policy.

I normally would have moved a customer in his situation to one of the other insurers that I represent who didn't increase their rates on Saab vehicles so much. But this company is the only one who will allow him to exclude his 20-year step-son from the policy even though he lives in the same home. If the step-son had to be added to this policy, this particular carrier would cancel the policy altogether. But they let him be excluded as long as the parents sign a waiver saying he doesn't drive their vehicles and that their insurer would not cover an accident if the step-son was driving one of their vehicles.

Otherwise, I would have to put the entire auto policy with a non-standard (high-risk) company and two 4wd GMC pickups, a Lexus GX470 SUV and the Saab 9-5 would cost over $12k per year to insure....thanks to step-dude's suspended license and DUIs!

So this guy was screwed.

I live in semi-rural North Georgia, drive a 2006 Mazda3 s 5-door, 37, male and divorced and I have higher limits of liability than 99% of drivers (500k/500k/100k) and Uninsured Motorist for 500/500/25. My Comprehensive deductible is $100, Collision is $500 deductible, I have $30/day rental car coverage, $100/occurence Roadside Assistance/Towing and even $1000 in complementary Pet Injury Insurance (crazy, but true). I pay $594.87/year for my policy! But I also get a discount of almost 45% because I represent this insurer along with several others.

rktbrkr · November 2012

with new suzukis selling for low to mid teens new it won't take much for an insurer to just total the vehicle - the hard part will be establishing a fair value

lemko · November 2012

The Suzuki dealer on Roosevelt Blvd. and Red Lion in NE Philly is rapidly becoming a Kia dealer. There are few Suzuki vehicles on the lot and even the Suzuki sign is looking forlorn as weeds sprout up along its base.

stever · December 2012

"American Suzuki Motor Corp., the U.S. distributor of Suzuki cars and motorcycles, will import about 2,500 more autos to meet demand that jumped after the company filed for bankruptcy with plans to end U.S. sales."

Demand for American Suzuki autos rises after bankruptcy (Detroit News)

carthell · December 2012

I wonder who's driving the sales? Fans? Bargain-hunters? The bankruptcy announcement itself might be Suzuki USA's largest marketing push since this year's Superbowl. (That's a crying shame!)

My Aerio is on its last legs, and it is unfortunate that Suzuki doesn't have a suitable replacement (Kizashi wagon!!). I'm moving on.

nippononly · January 2013

I thought American Suzuki was bankrupt with the intent to liquidate? A company in the process of liquidation is importing an additional 2500 cars to sell?!

joeyrab · January 2013

Yes, I read the same thing. They announced bankrupcy, and had a 22% sales increase over last year, (for that month), I think it was November. BUT they stated they still are leaving. I really wish they at least tried. Not to make a good car, because they do, but at least tried with advertising and really getting into the public eye. They only had what 4 models? All they needed was just a couple more......more than 5 dealers would have helped as well.
I think daily how I missed out on an sx4 Crossover.

nippononly · January 2013

I had a soft spot for them too, but you could see they were doomed from a long time ago.

I drove an SX4 - it had the neat thing where you could switch from AWD to FWD to save gas. It was a nice little car, but at the time the Subaru Impreza had another 25 hp and an arguably better AWD system for about the same money. The only edge Suzuki had in that race was a couple of MPG in the EPA rating.

Maybe one day Suzuki will be back - look at Fiat, gone for 20 years, turned their fortunes around at home, and now they are back in the States!

bwaa · February 2013

I can't stop laughing at your subject...crying now

bwaa · February 2013

this is true...Fiats are all over the road these days!

crkyolfrt · March 2013

PRESS DIGEST-Canada-March 27/2013 (Thomson Reuters)
"Suzuki Canada Inc will end its 30-year run of selling vehicles in Canada next year, the final withdrawal of Suzuki Motor Corp from markets it once thought so important that it manufactured vehicles here."

So Cda too loses the Kizashi.
Thanks Consumer Reports, for starting the first nail in their coffin. :total sarcasm:

But Suzuki needs to certainly own a lot of responsibility for this position they have found themselves in over here. When they can't produce a V6 4WD SUV (the not very Grand Vitara) that couldn't even match the FE of a 1000 lb heavier, 1.3 litre larger V6 AWD minivan (the marginally more Grand Caravan) that holds 3- 4 more passengers, then they really should have realized that they needed to step-up their game. And that went on for years, so is it any wonder? Hell..even the Koreans were getting better FE back in the day, and when you go back even 10 years, the Koreans couldn't come close to the Japanese FE figures. At least the small FWD'rs got competitive FE numbers, but their cars weren't really idiot proofed very well and were cheaply made in some areas...considering they were Japanese. I can't speak for what is available in Japan where they are still super popular, but here in NA, they never really kept up to the speed of technological progress here...Kizashi being too little (poor option pkg choices with too limited powertrain options) too late..

Suzuki should have brought to market a turbo diesel SUV 15 years ago when NO ONE else was offering one. Their gas guzzling Grd Vitara could have sustained them to this day had it had a totally doable 40 mpg diesel in it..

carthell · March 2013

I read a story another web site where a reporter interviewed the VP of auto sales & marketing, Bill Porter of Suzuki Canada, late last year. When the reporter asked about ASMC's bankruptcy effects on Canada's operation, he did not know. He asserted that Suzuki Canada's position was strong, and they're committed to supporting their customers. He could not give any information about Suzuki's future Canadian products, or give any hints about the strategies that they might use to stay in the market. I guess we now know why.

Kaboom.

I speculate that the bankruptcy of ASMC put Canada's operation at risk, regardless of what Mr. Porter said. Suzuki was too small to survive in north America.

Suzuki's US Future -- Good or Dismal

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles