I've often wondered why Suzuki
and Honda, both companies that grew out of their motorcycle heritage, have had such an opposite degree of success with their 4-wheeled vehicles. It seems Honda can do no wrong, and until recently Suzuki could do no right. True, Honda was always the larger motorcycle brand here in the USA, but over the years the success of their cars just went through the roof. Suzuki, unlike Honda, just seemed stuck in the mud with their cars, and couldn't get any traction...
Today, Suzuki motorcycles are every bit as good as Honda motorcycles, and their 2-wheeled sales reflect that. Suzuki knows this, and they have finally decided to link their 2-wheeled success to their 4-wheeled products. The idea here is to create an awareness campaign among car customers that Suzuki indeed makes some great cars, and that they are fun to drive. I think this is a great idea, as they now have products that make that link believable. I'm looking forward to see how this ad campaign pans out.
estreka says:
11:40 AM, 10/10/06
The reason Honda does so well is because Honda is so innovative. Suzuki on the other hand....no. What has Suzuki ever contributed to the auto industry? Another SUV?
n_tesla says:
05:36 PM, 10/10/06
Suzuki makes a broad range of world class performance bikes with reasonable build quality and acceptable styling. Their cars are at best invisible and all the charm of a shopping cart ( I think I rented one one or twice, but I'm not sure). They need to let the GSX designers loose on a 4 wheel product. Then maybe then I might remember the name of one of their cars.
rsholland says:
06:22 PM, 10/10/06
This past year Suzuki, thanks to their greatly improved product lineup, are over 30% for the year. They clearly are headed in the right direction.
ateixeira says:
01:57 PM, 10/11/06
I hope they do well. I don't think GM has helped them much, especially with the GM-DAT built models that just are uncompetitive in today's market.
At least the new XL7 is a little bit unique, the powertrain for starters.
firstwagon says:
02:48 PM, 10/11/06
They used to make some great little SUV's (past tense on purpose), something Honda has never managed. Samurai's and Sidekicks (Trackers) were great little off roaders that I still see on the back trails all the time. Their new XL7 is likely a nicer wagon and I guess that's where the money is but I miss the days when an SUV was more then a just a trim package on a car.
I've never understood why they didn't let their motorcycle engineers loose on their little cars. Cheap, light and powerful sounds like a great package for todays times.
k55 says:
08:03 AM, 05/15/09
Suzuki has had some good opportunities --and then havent followed through. Example- Suzuki Swift (and Swift Sport). This car has been out for over 1 yr as I write on 5/15/09 and could have already been here ..and they decided against it. A Mini Cooper/ Cooper S competitor that could sell for thousands less than the Minis. Even if they finally do realize the sales potential (It is selling extremely well in Europe)they are still oblivious to the need to rush it to the USA. This car would put Suzuki on the map in the USA. Suzuki are you listening? Are you reading the Google articles?
k55 says:
08:04 AM, 05/15/09
Suzuki has had some good opportunities --and then havent followed through. Example- Suzuki Swift (and Swift Sport). This car has been out for over 1 yr as I write on 5/15/09 and could have already been here ..and they decided against it. A Mini Cooper/ Cooper S competitor that could sell for thousands less than the Minis. Even if they finally do realize the sales potential (It is selling extremely well in Europe)they are still oblivious to the need to rush it to the USA. This car would put Suzuki on the map in the USA. Suzuki are you listening? Are you reading the Google articles?