1990 Suzuki Samurai on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mitsubishi CEO vows to stay in US on heels of Suzuki's departure

By now, you're surely aware that Suzuki is pulling out of the US market. It was a bit of a foregone conclusion to most who've been paying attention to the automotive realm, but it still sent a small shockwave through the industry. And one of the most oft-heard retorts goes something like this: "Next up: Mitsubishi."
It's easy to understand why many question Mitsubishi's existence in the States. After all, now that Suzuki is gone, Mitsubishi is the Japanese automaker with the fewest sales in America. Furthermore, the automaker's market share has dropped from .7 percent to just .4 percent after seeing sales fall 29 percent to 50,103 units through October.
In any case, Mitsubishi fans needn't worry. Speaking to Automotive News, Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko said, "We have no intention whatsoever of withdrawing from the US market." That's about as clear as clear can get. It's also worth mentioning that Gayu Uesugi was just named chairman of Mitsubishi Motors North America, and his main responsibility will be to revitalize the brand in the US.

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.

The Suzuki Jimny is even more awesome with these retro graphics

We already were pretty smitten by the Suzuki Jimny, the pint-sized 4x4 that, sadly, U.S. buyers can only look on from afar. It manages to remind us of its ancestors, the Suzuki Samari and Sidekick (small and basic 4x4s for which collectors and off-roaders are rapidly developing a keen appreciation). At the same time, it also rocks its own modern, mini-G-Wagen vibe. Now Suzuki has rolled out a batch of available decal packages for the Jimny, and we're digging it all the more. As surfaced by Motor1, Suzuki's catalog of accessories for the Jimny includes graphics packages in several different themes. The Offroad style includes tri-color red/gray/black stripes for the top and sides of the hood and under the rear side windows. The wide, lower-body REAL OFFROAD graphic is in red and black, while the finishing touch is a rhino decal for just above the Jimny badge on the tailgate. The Survival style appears to be some kind of camo pattern in black that is applied in a wide band along the upper bodysides. Heritage style ups the retro factor. It features red and gray upper body stripes on a white Jimny. Full the full look, you'll want the hard-shell exterior spare-wheel cover with matching graphics and the red mud flaps. The piece-de-resistance is the Revival style, which embraces the rad Eighties with a white/pink/black zig-zag squiggle on the doors and rear fenders that could have been lifted straight from a Samari. The matching hard-shell spare-wheel cover is a must. All of these prove yet again that the boxy, basic Jimny makes an ideal canvas for customization, and there are plenty more accessory items in that catalog. But we're not going to torture ourselves any further. Featured Gallery Suzuki Jimny decals and accessories Design/Style Suzuki SUV Off-Road Vehicles