2004 Suzuki Forenza S Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 2008 Suzuki XL-7

The American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and sold its final Kizashis, SX4s and Grand Vitaras here the following year. In the decade prior to that, a big chunk of the Suzuki lineup involved rebadged Daewoos, but South Korea wasn't the only outpost of the far-flung GM Empire helping out with Suzuki hardware. After the Saturn Vue debuted as a 2002 model, its platform ended up everywhere, including beneath the second-generation Suzuki XL-7. Here's one of those machines, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard recently. Prior to 2007, the XL-7 name had been applied to a stretched version of the body-on-frame Grand Vitara, a pure Suzuki design. The 2007-2009 XL-7 looked quite different from its closest relatives, the Saturn Vue, Pontiac Torrent and Chevrolet Equinox. Assembly took place at CAMI Assembly in Ontiario, birthplace of many a Geo Metro and Suzuki Swift. The engine is the 3.6-liter version of the 60° High Feature V6, rated at 252 horsepower and 243 pound-feet. A five-speed automatic was the only transmission available. This one is a base model with front-wheel-drive and seating for five. Its MSRP was $21,599, or about $34,419 in 2024 dollars. The radio has an AUX input, a fairly unusual feature in 2008. Inside, one of the most heartbreaking notes I've ever found in a junkyard car. Does the Tooth Fairy give money to kids who knock out the teeth of other kids and steal them? It's like a Suzuki motorcycle, but with more cargo capacity. Those Suzuki-riding bikers know a good SUV when they see one. Who knew that it wouldn't be long before motorcycles and ATVs would be the only new Suzukis available here?

Suzuki posts 46% drop in first-quarter profit on slowing India demand

TOKYO — Suzuki on Monday reported a 46.2% fall in first-quarter operating profit, hurt by lower output at home as it improves its inspection systems, and falling demand in India, its biggest market. Japan's fourth-largest automaker posted an operating profit of 62.7 billion yen (GBP487 million) for the April-June quarter, down from 116.5 billion yen a year earlier and below a mean forecast of 69.09 billion from eight analysts, according to Refinitiv. Suzuki reaffirmed its forecast for full-year operating profit to come in at 330 billion yen, up 1.7% from the year ended March 2019. Suzuki, known for its Swift and Baleno compact models, is bracing for subdued growth this year in India, where roughly one in two cars sold carries its brand. The company stuck to a forecast for vehicle sales to increase slightly on the year, but conceded that it may need to trim its forecasts in the coming months as slowing economic growth and stricter emissions standards could dent sales. Slowing profit growth could hamper its ability to invest in and develop lower-emissions vehicles and on-demand transportation services necessary to survive the technological upheaval currently underway in the global auto industry. The automaker has long acknowledged that it cannot shoulder the costs of developing electric vehicles and self-driving cars on its own, and has turned to Toyota to supply Suzuki vehicles with its gasoline hybrid systems.

Renault appoints Dacia Logan creator to head its Nano-rival program in India

After watching the Tata Nano post sales numbers smaller than its engine displacement, Renault gave up on its much publicized intention to build a truly inexpensive car to rival it. Then, a month ago, reports emerged that Renault was resuming work on a couple of low-priced cars for emerging markets, but this time it would work with its in-house partner, Nissan. That plan envisions an offering for €3,000 ($3,888 US) and another for €5,000 ($6,400 US), both of which would be more spendy than the Nano but might avoid the charge of being cheap - and nasty - and instead be considered affordable.
A report in Reuters talks to the man in charge, Gerard Detourbet, who has been in Chennai, India since at least August working on the program. Detourbet led the Dacia Logan project and is considered "Renault's low-cost car specialist" and "the father of entry-car programs." This one is reportedly codenamed A-Entry and will create a "'sub-entry' architecture" that will provide roominess beyond the vehicle's price and class, and use an engine with a displacement of 800 cubic centimeters.
It isn't aimed at the Nano, though - it means to take on the products that make up 45-50 percent of India's car market, like the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon. According to Reuters, out of the 2.6-million-strong Indian car market the Maruti Suzuki line-up alone nabs one million registrations annually. The Alto 800 begins at 244,000 rupees ($4,440 US), the Eon at 300,000 rupees ($5,559 US), the Chevrolet Spark at about 316,000 ($5,750 US); if Renault can nail its price targets it will just about bracket those three and be right in the game.