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Suzuki design chief discusses Tokyo e-Survivor SUV concept

Underdog Suzuki is one of the more mysterious Japanese brands. Rarely talked about, or indeed self-promoted, it quietly sold nearly 3 million vehicles worldwide in 2016 (alongside sister brand Maruti), and Suzuki has made some intriguingly original cars in recent years. Take the cute-but-tough Ignis city car SUV or the boxy-but-compact Hustler minivan, plus quite a few more. Autoblog took the chance to catch up with the automaker's relatively new head of design, Akira Kamio, at the recent 2017 Tokyo Motor Show to discuss Suzuki latest e-Survivor SUV Concept, plus his personal inspirations. The 54-year-old Kamio – whose design back catalog includes the concept and production Splash city car and second-generation Vitara small SUV, among others – says the beach-buggy-on-steroids show car "imagines a 2030 autonomous car with electric motors within each wheel on a ladder frame." That's a long way out in conceptual terms, as some of the vehicle's futuristic details suggest – rim sections that change color from green to blue according to mode aren't strictly necessary – but there is solid functional thinking to some of its more outlandish elements. Case in point, the see-through doors – long a staple of concept-car design from Italian masters such as Giugiaro and others – have been rendered here in a forward-thinking way. "When in autonomous mode the door glass goes opaque for privacy," Kamio said. "But when in off-road mode, the door glass automatically clears again so the driver can see the obstacles around it to help maneuver over rough terrain. This feature works on the model; it's a serious concept." As to the most relevant element of the e-Survivor's design for nearer-term vehicles, Kamio points to the five vertical slots with the Suzuki "S" logo in front of the center slot. A familiar design cue of the classic Jimny SUV, here this graphic is illuminated and set behind a black-tinted perspex-like cover. Kamio would not be drawn on when the next version of that long-running vehicle would arrive. But given that the third-generation version of the Jimny has been in production since 1998, the mark 4 is long overdue – even by the standards of Jimny's long manufacturing cycles – and is widely expected to arrive in 2018, taking proportional and design detail cues from the e-Survivor.

Suzuki recalling 101,000 Forenza, Reno models over faulty headlamps

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of over 100,000 Suzuki models. The NHTSA recall extends to certain 2004-2006 Suzuki Forenza models and 2005-2006 Reno vehicles, These were vehicles produced from September 2003 through March 2006.
According to the announcement, the recall pertains to potentially faulty headlight assemblies. A poor contact in the headlight terminals can result in the splice pack melting, resulting in partial or complete loss of headlamp functionality.

Meet the Jeep Wrangler's tiny Japanese doppelganger, the Suzuki Jimny

We're all eagerly anticipating the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, but it's not the only two-door, body-on-frame off-roader coming out in the near future. Suzuki has its own on the way by the name of Jimny (no, that's not a typo). Long ago, we received the Jimny here in the United States as the eminently capable, though tipsy, Samurai. The Samurai was followed here by the more civilized Sidekick/Tracker, which eventually took on its original name of Vitara. But overseas, the rugged, truck-like Samurai survived as the Jimny. This newest version looks to retain much of its predecessors' capability. In addition to the body-on-frame chassis, it features a solid rear axle. Odds are that it will continue to offer a part-time four-wheel-drive system with a low-range, as with the current one. We can't quite tell if it will still have a solid front axle, though. Styling-wise, the new Jimny does seem to have tougher, chunkier looks than the current one, pictured above. The corners have been squared up, and hard creases added to the flanks. The wheel wells are now more square and look to have bigger flares. We're also noticing some retro touches such as the roof that isn't flush with the rest of the body. The taillights mounted in the rear bumper are also reminiscent of the old Samurai. As nifty as the little Jimny is, we can safely say that we won't be getting it here — Suzuki doesn't sell cars here anymore. But even if Suzuki were still operating in the U.S., we probably wouldn't get the Jimny. It would probably be too crude for most buyers, and it could be tricky to get it to pass safety regulations. Its tall, narrow shape also could be rollover prone, and Suzuki wouldn't want to go through another rollover controversy. But hey, in roughly 25 years, you can import one of these if you really want. Related Video: Featured Gallery Suzuki Jimny spy shots View 11 Photos Image Credit: CarPix, Suzuki Spy Photos Suzuki SUV Economy Cars Off-Road Vehicles suzuki jimny