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Japan's Suzuki, SkyDrive sign deal to develop, market 'flying cars'

TOKYO — Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp and 'flying car' firm SkyDrive Inc said on Tuesday they have signed a deal to team up in research, development and marketing of electric, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In a joint statement, the two companies said they will also work to open up new markets with an initial focus on India, where Suzuki has a roughly half share of the auto market. Suzuki announced on Sunday it plans to invest 104.4 billion rupees ($1.37 billion) in its India factory to produce electric vehicles and batteries. The companies didn't disclose details of investments in their partnership, nor outline any production timetable or target. Founded in 2018, Tokyo-headquartered SkyDrive counts big Japan businesses like trading house Itochu Corp, tech firm NEC Corp and a unit of energy company Eneos Holdings Inc among its main shareholders. In 2020 it raised 5.1 billion yen ($42 million) in total in Series B funds, according to its website. SkyDrive is currently engaged in the development of a compact, two-seating electric-powered flying car with plans for full-scale production. The statement did not say whether Suzuki would be working on this specific vehicle. The company, which is also developing cargo drones, aims to launch a 'flying car' service in Osaka in 2025 when the Japanese city hosts the World Expo. For Suzuki, the partnership will add 'flying cars' as a fourth mobility business, in addition to automobiles, motorcycles and outboard motors, the statement said. ($1 = 120.4500 yen) (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volkswagen drops "GTi" lawsuit against Suzuki

Way back in 2004, Volkswagen took umbrage with Suzuki being granted permission to use the nameplate "SWIFT GTi" for a performance variant of its small-car offering (2012 equivalent seen here). Now, eight years and surely some very steep legal bills later, VW has finally dropped its claim against Suzuki.
The General Court of the European Union stated, back in March of this year, that Suzuki's GTi registration could not be confused with VW's "Golf GTI." Volkswagen had appealed that ruling, though has now reportedly called off the dogs. In fact, Germany's Die Welt reports that the appeal has been dead for several weeks now.
This news comes amongst continued arbitration acrimony between the two automakers, all revolving around VW's forced divestiture of nearly 20-percent stake it purchased in Suzuki some two years ago.

Suzuki's Paris display is a sad reminder we don't get quirky little Japanese cars anymore

The fun thing about foreign auto shows is getting to see all the cars we don't get at home. In the case of Suzuki, it's a reminder that the brand withered in the US and withdrew due to a lack of product a few years back. What makes it even tougher is that Suzuki's stand in Paris is full of little all-wheel-drive things that would probably do really well in the US now. Talk about bad timing. Take the Ignis above. This thing is about the size of a Mazda CX-3, offers all-wheel drive, and manages to look cute and sophisticated at the same time. Americans would buy it. The SX4 S-Cross, which evolved from the SX4 that did surprisingly well a decade ago in the US, gets an update this year and looks a lot more like a crossover, an improvement on the original funky tall-hatch design. If only Suzuki could have held on a little longer the brand might be taking some sales from Subaru and the many makers of little crossovers. We can't leave here without mentioning the wonderful beigeness of the Cervo hatch that Suzuki brought out to tie the Ignis in with its heritage. It's a rear-engined three-cylinder two-stroke with a Giugiaro-designed body. Yep. The model was never sold in the US, but it was known as the Whizzkid in the UK, which is just fantastic. And its adorable tiny wheels – they looked like 12s or so – are pretty highly stylized. They're actually mirrored by the five-pocket wheels available on the Ignis, which is a nice touch. Related Gallery 2017 Suzuki Ignis: Paris 2016 View 13 Photos Related Gallery 2017 Suzuki SX4 S-Cross: Paris 2016 View 10 Photos Paris Motor Show Suzuki Crossover 2016 paris motor show suzuki ignis