1988 Suzuki Samurai Jx 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Suzuki concepts are exploring mountain trails and the culinary arts

Attention is already on Suzuki products headed to the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon thanks to Japanese tuner DAMD. The company turned two Suzuki Jimnys into the Little 5, a tribute to Renault's 5 Turbo and 5 Turbo 2, and the Little Delta, a tribute to the Lancia Delta Integrale. Suzuki's got a trio of its own creations on the way as well, highlighted by new conceptual takes on the Swift hatchback and Spacia kei van that differ from the ones shown during the Tokyo Auto Show. The star player is the new, fourth-generation 2024 Swift hatchback (below) that's probably best considered an evolved third-gen, here called the Swift Cool Yellow Rev Concept for not-exactly-obvious reasons. Solely a flashy cosmetics package, the design drapes a black roof and black roof pillars over a greenish yellow body and dinky black wheels. The grille wears gloss black above a front splitter, the LED headlights and taillights get smoked lenses, and the vinyl wrap advertises the arrival of the front-wheel-drive variant that went on sale in Japan in December.     Show-goers could be more captivated by the Super Carry Mountain Trail Concept, shown up top. Built atop Suzuki's Super Carry commercial truck sold in places like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, it looks like a shrunken version of an overlanding build we'd see at SEMA; the Super Carry retail model stretches just 11 feet long — 20 inches shorter than a two-door Mini Cooper — and uses a 658-cc engine. The exterior roll cage and tube doors set the tone immediately. Dimensionally proportionate gear runs from the roof rack and light bar to the off-road racing bucket seats, grilles over the side and rear windows, front skid plate and D-rings, Hi-Lift jack strapped to a riser in the bed, and little knobby tires on little off-road wheels. Smoked headlight lenses make their way to this creation, too. This one's reported to be a concept only, meant to show audiences the potential in commercial vehicles outside the workplace.  Finally, there's the wonderfully named Spacia Papa Boku Kitchen Concept. This slightly adventurous kei car disguise outside hides a kitchen in the cargo bay. We'll find out what the chef's area looks like during the show, but designers are said to have envisioned a space where parents and kids can bond over cooking adventures while camping.   The Tokyo Auto Salon is putting this and all sorts of other novelties on display in Chiba City, Japan, January 12-14.

Suzuki Jimny transforms into an adorable tiny Ford Bronco

The Suzuki Jimny may be impossibly cute as-is, but there's also something about the baby SUV that begs to be dressed up to look like other vehicles. Suzuki has decked out the Jimny in Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen kit, a theme the aftermarket did one better, creating a mini G63 AMG. Now, Japanese tuner Dream Automotive Design and Development (DAMD) has unveiled a body kit that gives the diminutive off-roader the appearance of a vintage Ford Bronco – called, cheekily enough, the DAMD Dronco. The retro baby-blue exterior is set off by a white roof, white steel bumpers, and white steel wheels. A new headlights-and-grille unit gives the Jimny a Ford family face, and a roof ladder at the rear completes the picture. The Dronco joins the company's other Jimny efforts, the vintage Land Rover Defender-inspired Little D and the baby G-Wagen Little G. We can't wait to see what the chameleon-like SUV turns up as next. Related Video:

Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question