Suzuki Samurai on 2040-cars

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Four seniors to drive around world in pair of Suzuki Jimny SUVs for charity

Plenty of us here at Autoblog have designs for epic drives. Whether it's bouncing around the country in an old International or heading from Alaska to Chile on a bike, we like to think we have big aspirations. Or at least we did until we heard about these four gentlemen. You see, Leslie George Carvall, Alan Butler, Glyn Maher and Charles Scott are all in their 70's, and they plan to pile into a pair of Suzuki Jimny SUVs and drive around the world. Sort of makes a hike across country seem like a trip down the block to the local corner store. They're calling it "The Ultimate Challenge," and they plan to undertake the journey for two reasons.
First, they want to prove that age shouldn't stand in the way of people doing what they want to do. Second, the group hopes to raise funds for the 'Heaven Can Wait I'm Busy' group, which aims to direct money toward worthy charities both in the UK and around the world. Save the Children and Oakhaven Hospice are the two currently designated charities.
The trip gets started in just three days, and you can head over to the effort's site to track their progress. The route should cover some 16,500 road miles and 10,375 sea miles. You can also catch up with the project on Facebook.

Suzuki: 'No comment' on returning to the U.S. with the Jimny

It is impossible not to love the Suzuki Jimny. A prototypical cute ute, with equal parts cuteness and utility, it not only defined its segment, it became a cult classic. Now, it's back, but unfortunately unlikely to come to the American market as the Jimny, Samurai or anything else. "We have no comment on the Jimny or Suzuki returning to the U.S. market," says Nathalie Geslin, a spokesperson for Suzuki in France, from the floor of the Paris Motor Show, where the adorable Jimny made its recent premiere. "For that you'll have to ask Suzuki headquarters in Japan." In France, this is what is known as Le Brushoff. Geslin did confirm that, in the markets around the world where the Jimny will appear, it will be available only in one spec: an adaptable, RWD/AWD, closed hardtop with a manual transmission with available Low range, and powered by a 102-horsepower 1.5-liter gasoline engine. "Suzuki has eliminated diesel motors from their whole range," she said, a notable move and a trend flowing from the fuel's immutable high particulate and noxious gas emissions, and growing global sensitivity to their effects. Actually, she tells us, there will be one other spec. "In the Japanese market, there will be a Kei Car version, an actual smaller Kei Car, which means it will be powered by a motor of less than 600cc." Just 1,500 of these cars are expected to be sold in the French market, mainly to people who, according to Geslin, are not off-reading aficionados, but "People who go off-roading in their normal life, who live in the mountains or work in an area with rugged conditions." This sounds to us like a description of every small-scale goat cheese producer in the White Mountains in rural Vermont, every boutique mountainside vintner in Sonoma county, every yellow micro-beet farmer in the Wisconsin Dells. And all of us who live in four-season climates and love the outdoors but think a Jeep is perfect except that it's a third too large. Like the Jeep, the Jimny is retro cool without being retro. It is just itself. And we need it. If it takes only 1,500 potential buyers in France to allow it to be sold there, how many does that translate to in America? If all of us start emailing Suzuki headquarters every day to beg for it, maybe we can find out. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Osamu Suzuki names son Toshihiro president and COO

The old guard is slowly changing at Suzuki. The Japanese automaker controlled by its namesake family has appointed its scion, Toshihiro Suzuki, as its new president and chief operating officer. However, his aging father, Osamu Suzuki, now 85 years old, will continue to serve as chairman and CEO. The promotion was announced as part of a new board of directors revealed by Suzuki on Tuesday, confirming several executive and board appointments. They include the nomination of Yasuhito Harayama as vice chairman and Osamu Honda as chief technology officer. The eldest son of longtime chairman Osamu Suzuki, 56-year-old Toshihiro was named an executive vice president of the company in 2011. He's been widely regarded as the heir apparent, especially since his brother-in-law Hirotaka Ono died in 2007. Another president & COO, Hiroshi Tsuda, resigned in 2008, leaving Osamu Suzuki firmly in charge. Toshihiro is anticipated to eventually take over from his father, but it remains unclear when that transition might finally take place. 30 June 2015 Change of Representative Directors and Appointment of Executives At the Board of Directors held on 30 June 2015, Suzuki Motor Corporation has made the change of Representative Directors as follows. The new Board of Directors is as below:- 1.Change of Representative Directors New Name Previous Representative Director and Chairman (CEO) Osamu Suzuki Representative Director and Chairman & CEO Representative Director and Vice Chairman Supporting CEO Yasuhito Harayama Representative Director and Executive Vice President Supporting CEO / Business Development / Executive General Manager, Business Development Representative Director and President (COO) Toshihiro Suzuki Representative Director and Executive Vice President Supporting CEO / Global Marketing 2. Change of Commission of Representative Director New Name Previous Representative Director and Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer Osamu Honda Representative Director and Executive Vice President / Supporting CEO Automobile Engineering, R&D, and Quality / Executive General Manager, Automobile Engineering 3.