1990 Suzuki Samuri on 2040-cars

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Spiders Force Suzuki To Recall Midsize Cars

Spiders have forced Suzuki to recall more than 19,000 midsize cars. The automaker says spider webs can clog a fuel vapor vent hose in some 2010 to 2013 Kizashi cars, cutting off air flow. If that happens, it can cause the gas tank to deform, causing cracks, fuel leaks and possible fires. The recall was prompted by seven reports of the problem. Service centers will replace the vent line with one that has a filter on the end. They'll also replace gas tanks if necessary. The problem hasn't caused any accidents or injuries in the U.S., Suzuki said in documents posted Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Owners will be notified this month. Those with questions can call Suzuki customer service at (800) 934-0934. American Suzuki Motor Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November of 2012 and stopped selling automobiles in the U.S. The recall is the second caused by spiders this year. In April Mazda recalled 42,000 Mazda6 midsize cars in the U.S. with 2.5-liter engines for a similar problem. The recalled cars were from the 2010 through 2012 model years. Recalls Suzuki Safety spider

Suzuki heads rolling over fuel economy scandal

Suzuki Motor Corporation executives admitted last month that the company had been falsifying fuel-economy tests for some of its vehicles. Today, it was announced that chairman Osamu Suzuki will not become CEO and executive vice president Osamu Honda will step down from his position at the next shareholder meeting, which takes place June 29. Executive bonuses for 2015 will also be eliminated or cut in half. The company is also promising to change its corporate culture so as to allow whistle blowers to get their messages heard. "Suzuki has a top-down culture and it's been difficult for voices from lower down to go to the management," Toshihiro Suzuki (Osamu's son) told reporters, according to Bloomberg. Both Suzuki family members will take a pay cut for the last half of 2016 (Osamu at 40 percent, Toshihiro at 30). Over 2 million Suzuki vehicles were involved in the fuel economy fakery. Japan's transport ministry is taking a closer look at company-submitted data after Mitsubishi and then Suzuki were found to have misled regulators and the public. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Suzuki Fuel Efficiency resignation osamu suzuki

Japanese motorcycles moving into forced induction

While turbocharging and supercharging may be nothing new in the automotive industry, motorcycle engines are almost always naturally aspirated. But even that's beginning to change. At the Tokyo Motor Show last week, two major Japanese companies showed off new forced-induction motorbike engines.
Kawasaki rolled in with a supercharged four-cylinder motorbike engine. It offered little in the way of details, disclosing only that the turbine blades were developed in-house to withstand the heat and vibration of spooling up at motorbike speeds.
Suzuki is taking a different approach, however. Its Recursion concept bike packs a turbocharged 588cc two-cylinder engine with a turbocharger and intercooler. The compact package churns out just under 100 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque, packaged into a motorbike that weighs just 384 pounds dry.