Kizashi Sales figures

[paininthenuts]

Is there a (good) reason Suzuki never brought the Swift over to the States? I definitely would have scooped one up had it been available here. Before bringing out a whole new car, why not offer something they already sell worldwide (at least to get some attention again). My guess is that it would have taken up the SX4 sales? The styling on the Swift appeals to me much much more than that of the SX4.

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There are millions of Swifts in the UK. They are a great looking car, and very well priced. They are considerably smaller than the Kizi though, and meant for a very different market.

[paininthenuts]

You must bare in mind that they stopped making them in 2012. Anything after that point was residual stock.

That's not true. The Kizashi is still in production, just at very small numbers. All sources that stated the production of the Kizashi ceased have been unreliable. In 2012, Suzuki simply left the North American market. While I have doubts the Kizashi will continue production into the next generation, the Kizashi isn't quite dead yet. After all, the Japanese government is buying them for police duty.

Is there a (good) reason Suzuki never brought the Swift over to the States? I definitely would have scooped one up had it been available here. Before bringing out a whole new car, why not offer something they already sell worldwide (at least to get some attention again). My guess is that it would have taken up the SX4 sales? The styling on the Swift appeals to me much much more than that of the SX4.

I think the SX4 has a lot to do with it. Also, Suzuki was trying to be a niche brand like Subaru in offering small and rugged CUVs and SUVs with AWD/4x4. The Swift is more a subcompact city car. However, it was rumored that Suzuki was working on the Swift to meet US crash test standards. Had the Kizashi been a sales success, I have no doubt the Swift would have come to the US.
Basically, Suzuki took a gamble with the Kizashi to enter into the mainstream midsize sedan market. Despite making an impressive midsize car, they had horrible timing. The car debuted during the start of the global economic crisis. It was Suzuki's most expensive car when people were scrambling for cheap econo-boxes... like the Swift. I recall sales of cars like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris rising then. I truly believe what Suzuki should have done was bring the Swift first and if it enjoyed success, then develop and sell the Kizashi. They gambled on the Kizashi and put in about $1 billion into developing and producing the car. As we all know, it wasn't well received just about anywhere and will likely cease production soon without a replacement. That being said, the Kizashi's development did help other Suzuki models rise in quality. The interior of a Swift looks quite similar to that of a Kizashi.

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Copied and pasted

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/suzuki-termin ... shi-710568

Japanese auto major, Suzuki, has announced that it has terminated the production of the Kizashi and the Grand Vitara. There is no word, however, about the replacement for these cars. The Kizashi and the Vitara/ Escudo (as it was called in the Japanese market) were manufactured in Suzuki's Iwata facility.

The cars did make their way to India and while most of the Maruti Suzuki products launched in India have brought the company a significant amount of success, but there were these couple of products that didn't manage to make their mark.

We've seen the Vitara in a compact form when Suzuki brought it to the Paris Motorshow and it looks like it will stay that way. The Kizashi, however, does not have or rather need a successor. Launched in India to take on the likes of the Honda Accord, as good a car that it was, the Kizashi didn't really take off when it came to sales.

[DesRado]

Is there a (good) reason Suzuki never brought the Swift over to the States? I definitely would have scooped one up had it been available here. Before bringing out a whole new car, why not offer something they already sell worldwide (at least to get some attention again). My guess is that it would have taken up the SX4 sales? The styling on the Swift appeals to me much much more than that of the SX4.

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There are millions of Swifts in the UK. They are a great looking car, and very well priced. They are considerably smaller than the Kizi though, and meant for a very different market.

That I figured. I happen to fit in both markets however. What I would have done was purchase a Swift Sport or something, then later grab a Kizashi as the prices fell... Well the Kizashi part came to fruition at least. lol

[Woodie]

Is there a (good) reason Suzuki never brought the Swift over to the States? I definitely would have scooped one up had it been available here. Before bringing out a whole new car, why not offer something they already sell worldwide (at least to get some attention again). My guess is that it would have taken up the SX4 sales? The styling on the Swift appeals to me much much more than that of the SX4.

Those of us at TeamSwift and GeoMetroForum have been screaming that for years, When the new Swift came out (2004 or so) and was European Car of the Year, we all contacted Suzuki and cried for it, they told us it wasn't North America legal but they'd get right to work on it. When they redesigned it (2011 or so) they said the new car was going to be North America legal, but it still didn't happen.

Now they're gone and all hope is lost.

[Moto]

I saw a swift in the twin cities the last time I was there. I had some kind of international plate on the car. It definitely would have been one of the best selling city cars available.

[KuroNekko]

Copied and pasted

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/suzuki-termin ... shi-710568

Japanese auto major, Suzuki, has announced that it has terminated the production of the Kizashi and the Grand Vitara. There is no word, however, about the replacement for these cars. The Kizashi and the Vitara/ Escudo (as it was called in the Japanese market) were manufactured in Suzuki's Iwata facility.

The cars did make their way to India and while most of the Maruti Suzuki products launched in India have brought the company a significant amount of success, but there were these couple of products that didn't manage to make their mark.

We've seen the Vitara in a compact form when Suzuki brought it to the Paris Motorshow and it looks like it will stay that way. The Kizashi, however, does not have or rather need a successor. Launched in India to take on the likes of the Honda Accord, as good a car that it was, the Kizashi didn't really take off when it came to sales.

This is an example of one of the unreliable sources that state the Kizashi is already out of production. These articles are all from India and aren't corroborated by the auto media of any other country, not to mention Suzuki themselves. In fact, there was an Australian publication that quoted a Suzuki official saying that the rumors about the Kizashi having ceased production aren't true.
Also, there are errors in this article. For one, the Kizashi isn't made in Iwata, Japan. It's made in Sagara and all Kizashis come from this one plant.
Also, the Grand Vitara was replaced by the all new Vitara which is now on sale. The difference between the Vitara and the Grand Vitara (at least in the US) when they entered the market was the engine. The Vitaras were 4 cylinder while the Grand Vitaras were 6 cylinder. When GM and Suzuki ended their partnership, Suzuki kept the Grand Vitara name but put their 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine in them as the V6 was supplied by GM. The new Vitara logically keeps this name because it's now powered exclusively by 4 cylinder engines.

I truly believe the Kizashi isn't dead yet. I simply think Suzuki retracted the model from many markets and therefore greatly reduced production. However, it's still on sale in some markets including in their home country of Japan. I don't think it's a matter of selling off surplus vehicles, but they are selling them at a low scale to match their limited production of the cars.

[WESHOOT2]

I so want them to return to the US market with an up-dated/evolved new Kizashi......

[Fritz2]

Maybe they could use the Tesla marketing strategy selling direct from the manufacturer. Heck, Tesla might help so as to spread some of the automotive dealer's association heat around!

[Remav]

Maybe they could use the Tesla marketing strategy selling direct from the manufacturer. Heck, Tesla might help so as to spread some of the automotive dealer's association heat around!

I love it! They've partnered with just about everybody else at one time or another so why not? Maybe we could all give them the hint by debadging the "S" & throwing a "T" over it? LOL. Go to teslamotors.com & look at the S 70D on the front page. Does it really???... Hmmm, Yes!, It really does bear a hint of a resemblance to the Kizzy! I just might.

[Fritz2]

Ha! And there's our new powerplant! Take that, VW!