Suzuki Samurai Custom, Highly Modified Off Road -ford 2.9l Engine & Transmission on 2040-cars

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It's a hard knock life for a N"urburgring rental car

Rental cars get no respect. They're abused, misused and flogged mercilessly as athletes in Rental Car Olympics. And that's just at your everyday airport rental counter. The torture gets extreme for rental cars thrashed around Germany's infamous Nürburgring.
Rent4Ring expects its customers to drive its cars around the 'Ring with enthusiasm and, in some cases, less skill than the pros. Rent4Ring just recently retired its Suzuki Swift Sport from its fleet and shared the car's two-year-plus lifetime highlights.
The little hatchback made more than 2,800 laps of the 'Ring over three seasons amounting to more than 310,000 miles driven by 457 different drivers. "Some were fast, some were slow. Some were nice to the car, a few were frankly awful," says a Rent4Ring rep.

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.

Junkyard Gem: 2008 Suzuki XL-7

The American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and sold its final Kizashis, SX4s and Grand Vitaras here the following year. In the decade prior to that, a big chunk of the Suzuki lineup involved rebadged Daewoos, but South Korea wasn't the only outpost of the far-flung GM Empire helping out with Suzuki hardware. After the Saturn Vue debuted as a 2002 model, its platform ended up everywhere, including beneath the second-generation Suzuki XL-7. Here's one of those machines, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard recently. Prior to 2007, the XL-7 name had been applied to a stretched version of the body-on-frame Grand Vitara, a pure Suzuki design. The 2007-2009 XL-7 looked quite different from its closest relatives, the Saturn Vue, Pontiac Torrent and Chevrolet Equinox. Assembly took place at CAMI Assembly in Ontiario, birthplace of many a Geo Metro and Suzuki Swift. The engine is the 3.6-liter version of the 60° High Feature V6, rated at 252 horsepower and 243 pound-feet. A five-speed automatic was the only transmission available. This one is a base model with front-wheel-drive and seating for five. Its MSRP was $21,599, or about $34,419 in 2024 dollars. The radio has an AUX input, a fairly unusual feature in 2008. Inside, one of the most heartbreaking notes I've ever found in a junkyard car. Does the Tooth Fairy give money to kids who knock out the teeth of other kids and steal them? It's like a Suzuki motorcycle, but with more cargo capacity. Those Suzuki-riding bikers know a good SUV when they see one. Who knew that it wouldn't be long before motorcycles and ATVs would be the only new Suzukis available here?