1997 Suzuki Carry on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Suzuki concepts are exploring mountain trails and the culinary arts

Attention is already on Suzuki products headed to the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon thanks to Japanese tuner DAMD. The company turned two Suzuki Jimnys into the Little 5, a tribute to Renault's 5 Turbo and 5 Turbo 2, and the Little Delta, a tribute to the Lancia Delta Integrale. Suzuki's got a trio of its own creations on the way as well, highlighted by new conceptual takes on the Swift hatchback and Spacia kei van that differ from the ones shown during the Tokyo Auto Show. The star player is the new, fourth-generation 2024 Swift hatchback (below) that's probably best considered an evolved third-gen, here called the Swift Cool Yellow Rev Concept for not-exactly-obvious reasons. Solely a flashy cosmetics package, the design drapes a black roof and black roof pillars over a greenish yellow body and dinky black wheels. The grille wears gloss black above a front splitter, the LED headlights and taillights get smoked lenses, and the vinyl wrap advertises the arrival of the front-wheel-drive variant that went on sale in Japan in December.     Show-goers could be more captivated by the Super Carry Mountain Trail Concept, shown up top. Built atop Suzuki's Super Carry commercial truck sold in places like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, it looks like a shrunken version of an overlanding build we'd see at SEMA; the Super Carry retail model stretches just 11 feet long — 20 inches shorter than a two-door Mini Cooper — and uses a 658-cc engine. The exterior roll cage and tube doors set the tone immediately. Dimensionally proportionate gear runs from the roof rack and light bar to the off-road racing bucket seats, grilles over the side and rear windows, front skid plate and D-rings, Hi-Lift jack strapped to a riser in the bed, and little knobby tires on little off-road wheels. Smoked headlight lenses make their way to this creation, too. This one's reported to be a concept only, meant to show audiences the potential in commercial vehicles outside the workplace.  Finally, there's the wonderfully named Spacia Papa Boku Kitchen Concept. This slightly adventurous kei car disguise outside hides a kitchen in the cargo bay. We'll find out what the chef's area looks like during the show, but designers are said to have envisioned a space where parents and kids can bond over cooking adventures while camping.   The Tokyo Auto Salon is putting this and all sorts of other novelties on display in Chiba City, Japan, January 12-14.

Indian diamond merchant gives 600 new cars to his staff

NEW DELHI — India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped a diamond merchant present hundreds of new cars as gifts to his employees on Thursday. Six hundred employees of Hari Krishna Exporters, a diamond trading company run by Savji Dholakia, received cars made by Indian manufacturer Maruti Suzuki, while around 1,000 more staffers were offered gifts of cash deposits and apartments in a huge outdoor ceremony in Surat, Gujarat. Indians often give each other gifts in the run-up to Diwali, a major Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil that this year falls on Nov. 7. Modi addressed the prize-giving in his home state of Gujarat via video link, as well as presenting some of the employees with car keys in the capital New Delhi. Dholakia is famous across India for giving lavish gifts to his employees at Diwali, including hundreds of apartments in 2016's ceremony. The showroom value of the 600 cars would be more than $2 million. Gift-giving in the latter part of the year when several Hindu festivals are celebrated provides a major boost to India's economy. The gifts were part of a program targeting staff who have given loyal service to the diamond trader. "The aim of this program was to reward employees' loyalty and dedication towards the company," Dholakia said in a Facebook post.Reporting by Alasdair Pal Related Video: Image Credit: Reuters Auto News Weird Car News Suzuki

Junkyard Gem: 1991 Geo Metro LSi Convertible

Americans lost the ability to buy a new Detroit-made convertible starting in the 1977 model year (unless you count aftermarket conversions), not regaining it until drop-top Chrysler K-Cars showed up in showrooms in 1981. This gave convertibles a certain magical quality that lasted for quite a while here, and so it seemed to make sense for GM to offer an open-air version of the Geo Metro. Here's one of those cars, spotted in a self-service yard in northeastern Colorado. The Metro was really a second-generation Suzuki Cultus, successor to the 1985-1988 Chevrolet Sprint. While a four-cylinder engine became available in the later Metro (which got Chevrolet badges when the Geo brand got the axe in 1997), all Chevy Sprints and early Metros got this 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine. You're looking at 55 Suzuki horsepower here. The XFi version of the Metro (not available with a convertible top) managed to get better than 60 highway miles per gallon with an engine rated at 49 horsepower. There was an automatic transmission available… for 465 bucks (about $993 in 2022 dollars). That would have added nearly 5% to the cost of this $9,740 car ($20,805 today) and killed the fuel economy, so nearly all Metro buyers got their cars with three pedals. Do you like simple instruments in cars? You'll love the Metro! This one is good and rusty, with some really scary corrosion underneath. I think it sat in a field, buried to the axles, for many years. However, the bra tells us that it once had an owner who loved their then-shiny red convertible. No 1991 competitor could offer a new convertible with a price tag even close to that of the $9,740 Metro LSi. Oh, sure, a ragtop version of the wretched Yugo was available in 1990 and maybe 1991, but that doesn't count. A new Miata cost $13,800 that year, with a Mazda-based Mercury Capri going for $12,588. The 1991 VW Golf Cabriolet cost $16,175, and prices for convertibles just got higher with other competitors. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. How much? No way!