plus 4, Suzuki's New Low-Cost Kizashi Sports Sedan - WCPO |
- Suzuki's New Low-Cost Kizashi Sports Sedan - WCPO
- Show's focus: small, green, efficient - Vancouver Sun
- Ford, GM place emphasis on affordable cars at NAIAS - Oakland Press
- Next Auto Expo may be split - Hindustan Times
- New Battery Regulations Impact Dealers - Tire Review
| Suzuki's New Low-Cost Kizashi Sports Sedan - WCPO Posted: 11 Jan 2010 07:37 AM PST
By FRANK A. AUKOFER Scripps Howard News Service With its new Kizashi sports sedan, Suzuki gets whistled for encroachment and a cheap shot. But instead of being penalized, it is likely to gain yardage among potential customers. That's because this is an uncommonly appealing car at a low price. The low price is the cheap shot. The encroachment comes because the Kizashi cheekily aims to tread on the territory of more expensive machines like the compact Acura TSX and Audi A4 -- or at least the used versions. "Does the world need another mid-size car?" marketing vice president Gene Brown asks rhetorically. "In absolute terms, certainly not, but this is a world-class car the average Joe can afford, with the handling and craftsmanship of a European sedan and the reliability of a Japanese car." The unusual name, loosely translated from the Japanese, means great things are on the way. From the company's perspective, it is apt. But the challenge is to make potential customers aware that Suzuki makes cars as well as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and outboard motors. In Japan, it is a profitable car company and its Wagon R model is the best-selling car there. Suzuki has had trouble getting the word out in the United States partly because it sold a couple of Korean-sourced models, the Forenza and Verona, which were plagued by poor quality and eventually dropped. But the Kizashi is a different kettle of components. While its durability has yet to be determined, it is as impressive an all-new car to come down the pike in recent memory. It is a mid-size sedan, but chopped shorter to enhance its sporting characteristics. With 105 cubic feet for passengers and a trunk of 13 cubic feet, it has interior room similar to a Toyota Camry or Ford Fusion. For outboard passengers, the back seat has ample knee and headroom, even with the sunroof intrusion, although the center position is akin to sitting on the arm of a sofa. But the Kizashi is three inches to 11 inches shorter than any of the other mid-size cars. Combine that with a stiff body structure and a compliant suspension system, and you wind up with a front-drive car that has point-and-shoot handling around corners but manages a decent ride over all but the worst surfaces. Moreover, the Kizashi is available with all-wheel drive, which costs $1,250 extra on any of the four models. Unfortunately for all-out enthusiasts, AWD comes only with the continuously-variable automatic transmission (CVT), albeit with a computerized manual-shift mode that converts it into a six-speed with steering-wheel mounted paddle-shifters. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual with a shift linkage that is a bit wiggly but without bumps or grinds. Clutch engagement is smooth and progressive, and the Kizashi engineers have muzzled torque steer -- that tugging at the steering wheel under hard acceleration while turning. There's only one engine: a 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder that can move the 3,241-pound Kizashi to 60 miles an hour in 7.4 seconds with the manual gearbox, according to Suzuki's test figures. With the CVT, it's a respectable 8.3 seconds. And the city/highway fuel consumption is 20/29 miles to the gallon with the manual and even better at 23/30 with the CVT. That's for models with 17- or 18-inch wheels. The best mileage is delivered by the CVT version with the base 16-inch wheels: 23/31. There are four versions of the Kizashi: S, SE, GTS and SLS. Even the base car, with a sticker price of just $19,734, comes with an uncommon list of standard equipment: eight air bags (including rear-seat side air bags), electronic stability and traction control, antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, tire-pressure monitoring, pushbutton keyless starting, dual-zone climate control, daytime lighted instruments, projector-beam headlights and fold-down split rear seatbacks with a pass-through for long items like skis. Step up to the SE, at $22,234, and you get the CVT, a 10-way power driver's seat, 17-inch alloy wheels and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The $23,234 GTS adds a motorized glass sunroof, 18-inch wheels and a 10-speaker Rockford-Fosgate audio system. The top-line $25,134 SLS brings leather upholstery, heated front seats and outside mirrors, automatic headlights and windshield wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, parking sensors and a garage-door opener. Except for the SE, all of those prices are for front-drive models with six-speed manual gearboxes. Add the $1,250 for all-wheel drive and $1,100 to $1,500 for the CVT, depending on the model. Suzuki figures the SE model with 17-inch wheels will account for about 35 percent of the expected 12,000 annual sales of the Kizashi, with 25 percent for the GTS, 30 percent for the SLS and 10 percent for the base S. The sales projection is just a fraction of what the industry leaders, Toyota and Honda, do with the Camry and Accord. But there are young men and women who should get turned on by the sporting characteristics of the Kizashi, so the expectations likely are low. Moreover, there's plenty of space under the hood for a V6 or a turbo four. The Kizashi only has to get its light out from under the automotive bushel basket.
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| Show's focus: small, green, efficient - Vancouver Sun Posted: 11 Jan 2010 08:27 AM PST DETROIT -- Resembling a massive construction site, the main floor of Detroit's Cobo Center was the centre of auto show preparation on the weekend as crews were busy assembling displays before the two-day press preview, which starts Monday. While many of the vehicles starring in the 2010 North American International Auto Show were literally under wraps, the green theme was prevalent throughout the main floor. Detroit Three automakers will be asserting their place in a vehicle segment long occupied by foreign competitors such as Honda, Toyota and Hyundai, said Doug Fox, NAIAS chairman. "What we're seeing is a strong directional shift from our hometown manufacturers that had been heavily reliant on pickup truck and sport utilities and crossovers to the small, fuel-efficient, energy-saving, environmentally friendly, low-emission vehicles," Fox said. "A strong push in that direction is coming from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and this is a segment they've somewhat let other foreign manufacturers have over the last decade. They've made it very clear that they're entering the segment in a very strong, powerful way." As part of its partnership with Italy's Fiat SpA, Chrysler will unveil an electric Fiat 500 minicar, Fox said. Ford will use the show to stage the global launch of the 2011 Focus subcompact, Fox said. "It's my understanding there will be several renditions of the Focus, everything from fuel cell, hybrid to electric." General Motors will unveil its Chevy Spark minicar as well as the final production version of the electric Volt. "We've been waiting five years to see that," Fox said. When it comes to environmentally friendly vehicles, consumers, especially Canadians, are moving quickly into that segment, said auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers. "We started the decade with only 34.6 per cent of consumers buying a small fuel-efficient vehicle. We finished the decade with 50.8 per cent buying a small, fuel-efficient vehicle." DesRosiers said green is also the theme of small, nascent automotive players, like Spokane, Wash.-based Commuter Cars, which produces the electric two-seater Tango. President and founder, Rick Woodbury, talked enthusiastically of a vehicle he invented with the help of his son Bryan. "We consider it, unequivocally, the world's fastest car, probably the world's safest car," Woodbury said. "You'll think that's crazy because it looks so small. But, the doors have four times more steel in them than the largest SUV. "This is a full NASCAR-style roll cage. It's certified for racing at 200 miles an hour, so it's a complete cage just like a race car." Featuring tandem seating for two, the Tango is eight feet, five inches long, 39 inches wide, and weighs 3,000 pounds. It can accelerate from zero to 60 m.p.h. in about four seconds and can manoeuvre through traffic like a motorcycle. In jurisdictions like California, where lane-splitting is permitted, the Tango can travel along the white line between the separate lanes. Though the price tag of more than $100,000 a vehicle is prohibitive, Woodbury hopes exposure attained from premiere auto shows will generate the kind of buzz that could lead to big-time investors interested in mass producing the car. Mass production would bring the car's price tag down to about $20,000, said Woodbury. For the first time, Magna International will stage an exhibit highlighting green car technologies, as well as introducing its "E-Car Systems," which focus on electrification capabilities, said Don Walker, co-CEO of Magna International. "The exhibit coincides with Magna's strategy to strengthen its position as a leader in hybrid and electric vehicle development and products," he said. "The global trends towards CO2 reduction and improved fuel economy are important drivers of future growth in hybrid and electric vehicles," Walker said. "We have been enhancing our capability in this area by developing systems such as electric motors and motor control units, chargers, electric pumps, electric drivetrain and lithium ion battery packs." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Ford, GM place emphasis on affordable cars at NAIAS - Oakland Press Posted: 11 Jan 2010 06:18 AM PST
FILE - This file image provided by General Motors Friday Jan. 8, 2010 shows the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo RS show car. GM, which has lost more than $88 billion since 2005, will show off the new Chevrolet Aveo subcompact at the Detroit auto show this week. (AP Photo/Genreal Motors, File) After years of rolling out big vehicles and exotic concept cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are changing directions and rolling out new, affordable cars today at Cobo Center. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Next Auto Expo may be split - Hindustan Times Posted: 11 Jan 2010 08:13 AM PST With the dual strain of managing logistics and working in coordination with various organisations showing on them, the organisers of the Delhi Auto Expo on Monday — the last day of the 10th edition — said the fair may be split into two or moved out of Delhi altogether. The Expo that was billed as "world's biggest automotive exhibition" hit a new low on Sunday when Delhi Police officials stopped stage shows and confiscated motorcycles in the name of crowd control. The organisers — Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Components Manufacturers' Association were clueless. "This has become a very big show and the obvious solution right now appears to be to either move this out to another place or split it into two or three expos," said Dilip Chenoy, director general, SIAM. "We have to look at it in the light of what happened on Sunday." A split may cause heartburn, but is a necessity, said Chenoy. "One solution would be to have a separate show for cars and bikes and another for components and commercial vehicles," he added. In Germany, for instance, Frankfurt and Hannover Auto Shows are held alternately, the former for passenger cars and motorcycles and the latter for commercial vehicles. For the 2012 Auto Expo, the number of participants is bound to go up further with fresh additions in the form of Ford, Nissan, Peugeot, Citroen, Proton, Ducati and Triumph. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| New Battery Regulations Impact Dealers - Tire Review Posted: 11 Jan 2010 06:54 AM PST We're sorry, an error occurred. The error has been logged and an administrator has been notified. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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