1986 Toyota Standard Bed 1/2 Ton Red Truck Working Condition 91488 Miles on 2040-cars

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Suzuki tunes up tiny concepts for Tokyo Auto Salon

When counting Japanese automakers, don't forget Suzuki, which has a trio of new show cars lined up for the Tokyo Auto Salon in a couple of weeks. First up is the Water Activity concept. It's based on the Ignis and done up in a matte-finish army green with orange accents, a canoe strapped to the roof, metallic underbody trim, and bigger wheels. It's not unlike the Ignis Trail concept that Suzuki revealed at the main Tokyo Motor Show a few months ago, but taken in more of an outdoorsy direction than a sporty one. Joining it is the Hustler Rough Road Style, based on the oddball square wagon we first saw in concept form back in 2013 but ruggedized for the rocky trail. To that end it features a jacked-up suspension, knobby little tires, caged-in headlights, and a yellow paint job that makes it look as though it wandered through a paintball arena. It even has its name spelled out on the nose like you'd expect to see on a Hummer or Land Rover, and blacked-out trim on everything from the roof to the door handles. Last but not least is the Alto Works GP, which takes the punchy little hot hatch we reported on just the other day in an even racier direction. It features a blue and acid green livery borrowed from Suzuki's MotoGP bike, complemented by a custom carbon-fiber hood. It'll be displayed at the Japanese tuner expo alongside its two-wheeled counterpart, not to mention a smattering of other vehicles from the company's lineup when the show opens on January 15. Related Video:

Regulators consider adding more carmakers to Takata recall

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal has been getting a lot of press recently, but the Takata airbag inflator affair could be grabbing headlines again soon. According to Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is contemplating an expansion to the campaign that could add seven automakers to the 12 already affected. They are Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Spartan Motors, Suzuki, Tesla, Volvo Trucks, and VW Group. To be clear, there's no recall for any of these automakers, yet. The government is simply asking for a full list of vehicles that each of them have with Takata-supplied inflators containing ammonium nitrate propellant. The agency is concerned this substance could play a roll in the ruptures. "NHTSA is considering not only whether to issue an administrative order that would coordinate the remedy programs associated with the current Takata recalls, but also whether such an order should include expansion of the current recalls," the letters say. All seven can be viewed, here. From a report supplied by Takata, the government already knows that the company supplied 887,055 inflators with ammonium-nitrate propellant to VW and 184,926 of them to Tesla. In an incident during the summer, a side airbag allegedly burst in a 2015 VW Tiguan. In early September, NHTSA put out a revised report that there were 23.4 million inflators to be replaced in 19.2 million vehicles in the US. An earlier accounting from the agency had about 34 million of the parts in 30 million cars. High humidity is still believed to be among the biggest risk factors for the ruptures. Although, if ammonium nitrate also gets the blame, some already recalled models might need to be repaired again. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1993 Suzuki Swift GT

General Motors sold rebaged versions of the Suzuki Cultus in the United States, first as the 1984-1988 Chevrolet Sprint, then as the 1989-1997 Geo Metro, and finally as the 1998-2001 Chevrolet Metro. Meanwhile, Suzuki sold the Cultus on these shores as the Swift. Three-cylinder Metros were miserably slow and admirably fuel-efficient, but it was possible to buy the same car with a yowling 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine making 100 horsepower: the Swift GT. Here's a very rare example, found in a Colorado self-service wrecking yard. These cars weighed only about 1,800 pounds, so they were nearly as quick as the more powerful but heavier Honda Del Sol Si and Nissan Sentra SE-R ... and much cheaper. At $10,149 (about $17,400 in inflation-adjusted 2017 dollars), the Swift GT looked like a steal next to the $12,455 Sentra SE-R and the $16,070 Del Sol Si. However, the Hyundai Scoupe Turbo, priced at a mere $10,999, looked like the best deal of all in 1993. This one has lived a hard life, with body damage, faded interior, and rust in the usual spots. 175,303 miles, most of them probably spent above 5,000 rpm. Perhaps some Metro owner will grab the running gear and seats, in order to create a Geo sleeper... but we doubt it. Another piece of obscure automotive history, bound for the crusher. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Suzuki USA wasn't pushing Swift advertising very hard in 1993, so we'll go to the car's homeland for a TV ad for the regular Cultus hatchback. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The earlier version of the Cultus GTi (factory-hot-rod counterpart to the U.S.-market Chevrolet Sprint) got some ads full of fire and Pet Shop Boys in its homeland.