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Suzuki Jimny Lite is a blank canvas for off-road enthusiasts

One of the most desirable new vehicles for sale right now is the Suzuki Jimny. The compact 4x4 was developed with a "less is more" philosophy, giving off-roaders everything they need to traverse harsh terrain, but with an affordable price and none of the luxo-fluff that many modern trucks come with. Now, Suzuki has announced an even more bare-bones Jimny Lite that delivers exactly what four-wheelers want in a no-nonsense, affordable package. First and foremost, the Jimny Lite will still offer the same 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 101 horsepower and 96 pound-feet of torque, along with the same low-range four-wheel-drive and ladder frame construction that make the original such a great little off-roading machine. However, while regular Jimnys have a four-speed automatic option, the Jimny Lite will be offered with only one transmission choice, a five-speed manual.  Rather than alloys, the rig — called the "Diet Jimny" in an image filename on Suzuki Australia's website — will come with 15-inch steel wheels, tougher and cheaper than aluminum. Other exterior changes include halogen headlights rather than LED projectors, deleted fog lamps, and the subtle substitute of plastic textured side mirrors instead of the current gloss black units. Cabin wise, the infotainment touchscreen that includes satellite navigation as standard will be replaced with a old-school in-dash radio and CD player. Bluetooth is still included, though, so you can still stream navigation and digital music from your phone. Additionally, the digital climate controls will be chucked for a manually operated system. This sounds like a dream come true for enthusiasts, who tend to enjoy using their own aftermarket wheels, auxiliary lighting, and stereo options. Though pricing hasn't been announced, the Suzuki Jimny Lite will presumably be even more affordable, giving wrenchers a blank canvas to build their own rigs without paying up front for stuff they don't need. It's like when Toyota offered the 86 RC, a steel-wheeled, unpainted-bumper version of the 86 for race car builds. Unfortunately, like the 86 RC, the Jimny's sale area does not include the United States. The Jimny is available in its native Japan, south of our border, in Europe, Australia, as well as several other markets around the world. We don't see it coming stateside anytime soon, but that hasn't stopped us from longing for a Jimny from afar. With the Jimny Lite, our desire grows even stronger.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Suzuki Esteem Wagon

GM began selling Americans the Suzuki Cultus with Chevrolet Sprint badges in the 1985 model year, with the following generation of Cultus becoming the Geo (and, a bit later, Chevrolet) Metro. Suzuki began selling the Cultus as the Swift over here starting in 1990, then enlarged that car's platform to create the bigger Cultus Crescent five years later. This car first showed up in American Suzuki showrooms as the 1995 Esteem, and a wagon version arrived for 1998. Most of the Esteem longroofs disappeared from our roads long ago, but I was able to find this high-mile 2000 model in a Northern California car graveyard. The Esteem was available in the United States through 2002, after which it was replaced by the Aerio. Since station wagons were falling out of favor in a hurry with American car shoppers by that point, the Aerio wasn't available as a wagon; Suzuki buyers here who insisted on a small cargo hauler in 2003 either had to move up to the bigger Forenza wagon or join the SUV craze by getting a Vitara. All that was in the future when this car was first sold, though. It's a base-grade GL 1.8 model with no options that I can find, and its MSRP was $13,399. That's about $23,959 in 2023 dollars. The 2000-2002 Esteem wagon was forced to compete for sales against the bigger and more powerful Daewoo Nubira wagon, which had a menacingly similar price tag ($14,160 in 2000, or $25,320 after inflation). Hyundai was in the final year of selling a wagon version of the Elantra here in 2000, and its price was a mere $12,499 ($22,350 today). Ford was asking $15,380 for its cheapest 2000 Focus wagon ($27,501 now), while Saturn offered the SW2 wagon for $14,290 ($25,552 in 2023 bucks). What all those affordable small wagons had in common was a five-speed manual transmission as base equipment, and that's what this car has. A four-speed automatic added $1,000 ($1,788 today) to the cost of a new 2000 Esteem. This car came with a DOHC 1.8-liter four-cylinder rated at 122 horsepower and 117 pound-feet. Not exciting by 21st-century standards, but enough to keep driving misery at bay in a 2,359-pound wagon. This car's owner or owners took good care of it, and it rewarded them by driving 237,255 miles during its 23 years on the road. The interior still looks good, which is typical of high-mile cars I find in these places. A car owner who keeps the upholstery in good shape also tends to perform all the maintenance on the dot.

Court approves Suzuki bankruptcy plan

Suzuki has won approval for its Chapter 11 plan to stop selling cars in the US and concentrate instead on the company's powersports products. Judge Scott C. Clarkson of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California approved the plan after the company's creditors agreed to the conditions.
Suzuki will now sell its motorcycle, ATV and marine divisions to the newly minted Suzuki Motor of America subsidiary under the Suzuki name. The new company will be wholly owned by Suzuki Motor Company. This is the final piece of the company's restructuring puzzle.
The company says it will now be able to grow its powersports businesses here in the US and also provide auto parts and service to current Suzuki owners through what's left of the company's dealer network. You can check out the brief press release on the bankruptcy plan below.