Suzuki Grand Vitara Bandit Concept

The Dutch arm of Suzuki is previewing a concept version of the Grand Vitara dubbed “Bandit” at the AutoRai Car Show in Amsterdam . Hand built by Progress Europe, the “Polar Bear” Bandit features a wider body (+300 mm or 11,8 inches) and a hefty bodykit along with a revamped interior that includes white leather seats and DVD player

Suzuki Splash: Official Images Released

Following the revelation of Opel’s Agila earlier today, Suzuki released the first pictures of the Splash mini that will debut along with the Agila at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Theoretically, the Suzuki’s new mini which is based on the Swift platform is closely related to last year’s Splash Concept, however, design-wise we see very little in common between the two. Since the Agila is based on the Splash with very few optical differences like the redesigned front-end and rear light-clusters, there’s no difference in dimensions (3.740 mm in length, 1.680 mm in width and 1.590 mm in height). Likewise, the engine range will consist of three engines, two petrol 1.0 & 1.2-liter delivering 65 and 86 Hp respectively and one 1.3-liter common-rail turbodiesel with 75 Hp. The Splash is expected to go on sale in Europe next spring

Suzuki Jimny Cabrio "Daktari" & "Camouflage"

You’d think this pair of funky mini-4×4’s would be the work of some loony-tuner with a big imagination and a heap of spare time, but actually, they’re offered officially by Suzuki Germany. Being politically correct. 

Suzuki offers one for the girlz, the zebra-colored “Daktar” und one for the boyz, the military “Camouflage”. Both special edition Jimny’s come equipped with an 86Hp strong 1.3-liter engine and are priced at 17.200 EUR (23.200 USD). However, you’d better hurry up because only 75 units of each version will be offered. If anything, you won’t go by unnoticed.

Cobra Suzuki SX4

Cobra came out with a couple of “off-road looking” accessories for Suzuki’s compact crossover that include a stainless-steel front guard and sill guards. The German based tuner also offers three different set of alloys for the SX4. Sorry to say this but even with these accessories the SX4 still looks utterly dull. Pity, cause design and limited boot-space apart, it’s a real honest and enjoyable proposition in the compact car segment.

Press Release: To make the front of the Japanese Cross-Over from compact car and SUV even more striking Cobra Technology & Lifestyle offers a high-gloss stainless-steel front guard with a tube diameter of 60 millimeters. This accessory part successfully passed the crash test which is necessary to meet all current EG guidelines for pedestrian protection. The part, which has flexible mounts and is designed to absorb energy, comes with an EG operation certificate, eliminating the need for a technical inspection and for amending the vehicle papers.

Additionally the Suzuki can be refined with a bumper grate made from high-gloss stainless steel. The exactly fitting and easy-to-mount accessory can be alternatively mounted with or without the Cobra Technology & Lifestyle front guard. The Cobra Technology & Lifestyle 60 millimeter stainless-steel tubular sill guards with integrated step are attractive and practical since they also facilitate entering and exiting the vehicle. They also round out the Off Road look.

Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine in the Kizashi before it hit the salt, and as a result, the car wore forged internals and a beefier turbo that shoved a full 16 pounds of boost into the four-cylinder as the Sam Mitani-helmed Suzuki headed down the dry lake bed.

Now that the Kizashi has one record under its belt, Road & Track is planning to try for a second, naturally-aspirated record by unbolting the turbo and going hog wild. Now all we have to wonder is how much it’s going to take to convince Suzuki to offer those slick seam-welded steel wheels as an option on the Kizashi Sport.Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car during its record-setting run, as well as a press release detailing the occasion.

Suzuki re-starts the free gas spiff, extends offer to full model range

Last year, Suzuki offered its ”Free Gas for Summer” promotion on SX4 Sport and Crossover models. Apparently, it was a bit of a success, since the automaker is not only reviving this campaign, but is spreading the promotion across its full model range (Kizashi, Grand Vitara, Equator and SX4 models).

Since fuel prices commonly rise in the summer months, we can see many shoppers becoming excited about any promotion that involves free fuel, and with the hot new Kizashi just now hitting dealers, this incentive could indeed boost sales of the hot new midsize sedan.

Customers who purchase a new Suzuki vehicle between May 1st and August 31st will receive a pre-paid debit card which should, theoretically, pay for one summer’s worth of fuel. The pre-paid cards range in value from $280 to $442, and are calculated based on the vehicle’s EPA fuel economy estimates, and on the Federal Highway Administration’s estimated average of 1,000 miles driven per month. Still, even if owners exceed this mileage, having a couple hundred bucks in free gas is nothing to be upset about. The full details are available in Suzuki’s press release, after the jump.

First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Sport improves upon original recipe

Miami isn’t exactly a driver’s town. It’s a tangle of perfectly perpendicular secondary streets demarcated by lengthy stoplights and the occasional drawbridge or toll booth. Perched on the very tip of Florida, it’s one of the last places we would voluntarily spend time behind the wheel, but despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic, hair-raising lane changes and lawless nature of the traffic patterns, high-end metal is the norm down here.

We’re fighting for our right to merge against a Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari F430 and a murdered-outNissan GT-R as we make our way toward South Beach, contemplating the implications of dinging a car worth more than our mortgage when it dawns on us: The high rollers around us should make way – we’re driving one of the most unique cars in the country.

Suzuki was kind enough to hand us the keys to one of the only Kizashi Sport models in existence. In fact, this is the same prototype that took center stage at the New York Auto Show, and while the suits in Japan have demanded that this Sport eventually meet with the Great Crusher in the Sky, the company’s PR team have managed to keep the sedan from meeting its untimely fate long enough for us to do battle with traffic.

Suzuki Swift delayed in the U.S., again

The on-again, off-again plans to bring the Suzuki Swift to the U.S. have been thwarted yet again as the automaker fleshes out its global product plans with its new partners at Volkswagen.

According to Autoweek, the recently redesigned Swift – due to go on sale in Europe and Japan later this year – was nearly federalized for the U.S. and set to arrive Stateside this fall. But after VW gobbled up a 20% stake in Suzuki, the two automakers delayed the launch to analyze product strategy, align resources and, according to Steve Younan, Suzuk American’s head of product development and business development, “get some indication of where they may have found some efficiencies in platform development and powertrain development.”

However, the Swift’s passport to the U.S. may not have been stamped because of something as simple as pricing. Suzuki was determining the Swift’s MSRP when the VW deal went through, stalling the launch in the process, and the combination of a rising yen and recent reduction in Suzuki’s U.S. marketing budget are also to blame for the delay.

Review: 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack by RoadRace Motorsports

When we think of production vehicles that can double as daily drivers and weekend racers, the Lotus Exige,Mazda MX-5 Miata and Porsche Boxster come to mind. They’ve got to be light, nimble and handle the rigors of the road along with the demands of the track. That’s why we had a little chuckle when a 2010 Suzuki SX4 with “Road Race modifications” came up on our schedule for vehicles to review. When we drove the 2008 SX4 Sport, we found it to have a “sporty feel and rather quick reflexes,” but the chassis had fairly low limits and we couldn’t imagine the squat hatch being that much fun on track.

Still, we were curious how a hopped-up SX4 would perform, particularly in 2010 MY guise, which adds seven additional horsepower (143 to 150 hp) and a six-speed manual transmission. Suzuki has billed its new five-door as a worthy competitor to the world’s best hot hatches, but can it really deliver a world-class combination of practicality and sportiness? With several days of Southern California’s back roads marked down on our schedule, we aimed to find out.

Suzuki recalling SX4 models for faulty side view mirror screws

Suzuki has recalled almost 70,000 SX4 models, including a handful built in 2007 as well as those constructed between 2008 and 2010. The recall centers around faulty screws that are used to attach the vehicles’ side view mirrors. Over time, vibrations can cause the screws to loosen and the mirror may fall off. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, if that happens, a lack of visibility may lead to an accident.

While Suzuki has not yet come up with a repair schedule for the issue, the company says that replacement screws are being shipped to dealers right now, and that the problem will be taken care of free of charge. Owners can contact their local Suzuki dealer for more information. Hit the jump for the company’s statement on the recall.

Quiz: What's 'Ironically Similar' About the Chrysler 300 and Lancia Thesis?

We found this photo hidden somewhere between a family portrait of Olivier Francois, head of both Chrysler and Lancia brands, and a picture of the Detroit automaker’s nifty new brochures in the presentation slides released by Chrysler at the unveiling of the company’s five-year business plan on Wednesday. The slide is titled “Ironically Similar” and it shows a Chrysler 300 and Lancia’s beluga whale on tires Thesis executive sedan side by side.

Feel free to amuse us with your answers to the question, “what’s so ironically similar about the two brands or if you prefer, the cars shown in this photo?” in the comment section below.

2012 Lancia Thesis Envisioned as a Chrysler 200C, Lancia Delta as a Compact Chrysler

Can’t say that were fans of “badge engineering” especially when it comes to brands with a completely different mind-set and background, but like it or not, chances are that Fiat’s tie up with Chrysler will most likely give birth to at least a couple of vehicles that will only differ in grilles and badges. The U.S. automaker’s recently revealed five-year product plan hints at a few cars of this sort, but photoshop wiz, Theophilus Chin, took it upon himself to create a trio of ‘Chrysler-ized’ Lancias and vice-versa.

These include a proposal for a Lancia Thesis replacement based on Chrysler’s well-received 200C mid-size sedan hybrid concept that was displayed at this year’s Detroit Show, as well as Lancia-masked Chrysler Voyager and a Chrysler version of Lancia’s premium compact hatchback, the Delta.

Source: Theophilus Chin

Modern-day Lancia Stratos gets real

The Lancia Stratos revival project that we’ve been hearing about for the past week or so is muchfarther along than we thought, as engineers did some running at northern Italy’s Balocco test track in late June. For the first time, we’ve seen the new car alongside an original Stratos and the designers have done a remarkable job in recreating the classic’s unique shape, size and proportions.

This new Stratos arrives during the 40th anniversary year of the Marcello Gandini-designed Stratos Zero concept, whose name was later resurrected for the rally car and homologation special. Like the 1970s-era Stratos, power reportedly comes from a Ferrari engine, this time a V8 probably donated from the F430. (The original used the 2.4-liter Dino V6.) Italiaspeed reports that the new car is so true to the concept of the original that it even has door-mounted helmet storage. 

The bodywork has apparently been crafted in carbon fiber and as many as five prototypes may already be running. If so, this is not likely the one-off that was originally speculated, but a car that could see a limited production run like the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

Check out Top Gear’s take on the original Stratos after the jump. For a good history lesson on the Lancia Stratos, pick up the September 2010 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car at your local bookstore, as one of this month’s feature vehicles is a 1976 Stratos, and the article has an informative backgrounder on the car’s journey from design concept to rally icon.

New Lancia Stratos continues slow striptease

We’ve already seen the new Lancia Stratos from various angles, just never enough of them at one go. Finally, we’ve got a complete picture of the retro racer made new. Knowing there’s a 483-horsepower engine from aFerrari F430 underneath all that carbon fiber bodywork, and a shortened chassis, the remaining mysteries concern the interior and how the Stratos performs.

So now that we’ve come to the bittersweet end of the striptease, someone cue up the video and let’s see her shimmy. In the meantime, have a fuller gander at the Lancia Stratos in the gallery of high-res photos below.We’ve already seen the new Lancia Stratos from various angles, just never enough of them at one go. Finally, we’ve got a complete picture of the retro racer made new. Knowing there’s a 483-horsepower engine from aFerrari F430 underneath all that carbon fiber bodywork, and a shortened chassis, the remaining mysteries concern the interior and how the Stratos performs.

So now that we’ve come to the bittersweet end of the striptease, someone cue up the video and let’s see her shimmy. In the meantime, have a fuller gander at the Lancia Stratos in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Lancia confuses us with Diva Collection Ypsilon and Musa

Ever get the feeling that Italian cars – short of top-flight supercars, anyway – are more about style than they are about substance? If you haven’t, then have a look at the latest from Lancia. Called the Diva Collection, a series of special touches have been applied to both the Ypsilon and the Musa, two of the smallest cars in Lancia’s range… or any other, for that matter.

So what’s special about the Diva Collection models? Beats us. Fiat’s quirky step-sister only released information in Italian, but even that doesn’t get into much detail. Instead it speaks mostly of the advertising campaign in which they’ll be featured, referencing something about “man brushes”. (We don’t really want to know.)

Both models can be had with an array of absurdly low-output engines (nothing even in triple digits), but feature commensurately low list prices, and there also seems to be some extra chrome, so they’ve got that going for them. That, plus their appearing on Italian television. Chrysler badges, anyone?

Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition to start

General Motors unveiled the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in March, and the special edition Z06 immediately piqued our interest. In addition to The General’s free-breathing 7.0-liter V8, the Z06 Carbon gets our mouths watering with the addition of carbon fiber body panels, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and Magnetic Selective Ride Control. Those ZR1-style dark-painted wheels are pure hotness, as well.

Now, the enthusiast site Corvette Blogger is reporting that GM’s Corvette product marketing manager, Harlan Charles, spilled the beans on pricing and availability, saying that the Z06 Carbon will reportedly carry an MSRP of $90,960 when it goes on sale in the first quarter of 2011. 

Fully optioned, this special Corvette will run all the way up to $99,925. That’s a lot of money, but it’s still several thousand dollars less than the ZR1, and while the latter may be faster out on the road, the Z06 Carbon is indeed all the more exclusive.

McLaren New Edition

You heard right; McLaren has officially priced its MP4-12C at €200,000 in Germany and £168,500 in the UK. So far, there’s no word on U.S. pricing. For that low price, buyers can expect to slide into a carbon-fiber body structure with a 592-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V8 nestled in just the right spot. 

As you might have guessed, those with the means will be allowed to a certain level of customization, especially in the cabin. McLaren says that it will offer a total of 14 different trim variations indoors along with a host of performance upgrades. You know, in case that kind of power in a 2,866-pound chassis just isn’t enough for you.

The go-faster tricks include a sports exhaust system, carbon-ceramic brakes and a slew of lightweight wheels. McLaren is only planning on cranking out 1,000 MP4-12C models in the first year of production, each of which will be turned out of the company’s new manufacturing facility that’s expected to be up and running by the middle of next year. That gives us just over six months to start sticking away our lunch money for one of these beasts. Hit the jump for the full press release.