Hyundai Group Overtakes Ford and Becomes World's Fourth Largest Automaker

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company that includes KIA has overtaken the Ford Group in the first half of the year to become the fourth largest carmaker in the world selling 2,153,000 units or 8,000 more vehicles than the US giant in the same period, according to figures published by the Automotive News Data Centre. Only a decade ago, the then newly unified Hyundai and Kia company was in 11th place overall.

The Korean automaker attributed the growth to its decision to create factories in several countries including Slovakia, the United States and China that built products designed and engineered specifically for local markets.

“Results for all of last year saw Hyundai-Kia trail Ford by around 1,000,000-units, but by reducing the impact of the global recession by producing the right product for the right times, the group has managed to take fourth place much quicker than had been predicted,” the South Korean automaker said in a prepared statement.

While the economic downturn has taken its toll on all of the top 10 automakers, Toyota managed to hold on to the first place with 3,564,105 units (-26% compared to H1 2008) followed by General Motors that sold 3,552,722 vehicles (-21.8%) and the Volkswagen Group that was the less affected by the slowdown (-5.1%) with 3,100,300 units sold in the first half of the year. Ford slipped to fifth place with 2,145,000 vehicles sold (-30.6 %).

Global Sales – first half of 2009

Manufacturer

H1 2009

H1 2008

% change

1

Toyota

3,564,105

4,815,442

-26.0

2

General Motors

3,552,722

4,541,125

-21.8

3

Volkswagen

3,100,300

3,265,200

-5.1

4

Hyundai-Kia

2,153,000

-

5

Ford

2,145,000

3,093,000

-30.6

6

PSA Peugeot-Citroen

1,586,900

1,844,700

-14.0

7

Honda

1,586,000

2,022,000

-21.6

8

Nissan

1,545,976

2,013,611

-23.2

9

Suzuki

1,152,000

1,283,000

-10.2

10

Renault

1,106,989

1,326,164

-16.5

Suzuki Adds SX4 Saloon to its UK Lineup

Suzuki has finally rolled out a four-door sedan version of the SX4 for the UK market. Measuring 4,510mm in length, 1,730mm in width and 1,545mm in height, the sedan’s most prominent feature is its enlarged boot capacity that has 515 liters. Priced from at £11,895, the sedan is offered with a 107HP 1.6-liter engine that powers the car from nought to 62 mph (100km/h) in 10.7 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 112 mph (180 km/h).

According to Suzuki, in combined cycle driving, the SX4 saloon returns a combined fuel consumption of 41.5 mpg UK with CO2 emissions of 165g/km. 

The SX4 Saloon is similarly equipped to the SX4 1.6 GLX five-door hatchback and comes with six airbags, four electric windows, MP3/WMA compatible CD tuner, automatic air conditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start and heated door mirrors as standard.

New Special Edition Suzuki Swift SZ-L, Production Limited to 500 Units

Suzuki is enhancing its UK line-up with the introduction of a special edition model to the Swift range called the SZ-L. Based on the five-door model with the 1.3-liter petrol engine, the SZ-L gets a higher level of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, pearlescent or metallic paint, 15-inch alloy wheels, electrically retractable exterior mirrors, side protection mouldings, specific floor mats and chrome finish for the exterior door handles, front grille and rear tailgate trim.

Furthermore, chrome bezels are added to the instrument gauges while the door trims and audio surround have aluminum effect detailing.

Suzuki offers the special edition Swift in four colors, Cool White Pearl, Cosmic Black Pearl, Supreme Red Pearl and Silky Silver metallic. The Swift SZ-L will be produced in a limited run of 500 units with prices set at £10,250.

Suzuki Kizashi Revealed – Hybrid Model to Follow: Mega Gallery with 100 High-Res Photos

The production version of the Suzuki Kizashi sedan was officially revealed today in a special launch event in Detroit. Built at Suzuki’s new manufacturing plant in Sagara, Japan, the Kizashi will serve as the company’s flagship model when it arrives in North American showrooms this winter. Available in both front- and all-wheel drive versions, Suzuki’s Mazda6 and VW Passat rival will initially be offered with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine linked to either a 6-speed manual transmission or optionally, a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

While the Japanese automaker did not disclose any output figures for the base four-cylinder engine, Suzuki did reveal that other powertrain options are also under development for the Kizashi including a fuel efficient hybrid version that will be added to the lineup in the very near future.

Built on a brand-new platform, the Kizashi features MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup in the back with Suzuki supporting that the sedan will offer drivers “a dynamic and exhilarating driving experience”.

An Electronic Stability Program and anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution as well as the Suzuki-developed synergetic vehicle dynamic control system that assists drivers control will be offered as standard on the Kizashi.

Measuring in at 183.1 in. (4,650 mm) long, 71.7 in. (1,820 mm) wide and 58.3 in. (1,480 mm) high with a wheelbase of 106.3 in. (2,700mm), the Kizashi is roughly the same size as the latest generation Audi A4 Sedan.

Despite the fact that the Kizashi originated from the Concept Kizashi series introduced over the last two years, the production model’s styling is far less dramatic, which is a shame as the concept study featured an extremely well executed design that received positive reactions from European and North American consumers alike.

As for the mid-size sedan’s interior, Suzuki’s designers crafted an elegant looking dashboard that features an Alfa Romeo-esque instrument panel with two deeply set gauges and an uncluttered center console.

More details as well as North American prices are expected to be released closer to the sedan’s sales launch in December. Suzuki has yet to announce when the Kizashi will arrive in other international markets.

Suzuki Kizashi Sedan Makes an Early Appearance

A forum poster over at Motive discovered the very first undisguised photos of the production version of the Suzuki Kizashi ahead of the mid-size sedan’s official debut that’s scheduled for Thursday, July 30. We’ve seen one too many spy shots (along with a set of official sketches) of the Kizashi to be surprised with the sedan’s looks, but nevertheless, we must say that the transition from the 2008 NY Show concept to the final production model leaves a bitter taste to the mouth. Hit the jump for the photo album or click here to check out our previous post on the Kizashi that includes pictures of the sedan’s interior.

Via: Next-Auto , Source: Motive & Road Race Motorsports

Japan-Only Special Edition Suzuki Escudo "O'Neil Limited"

Suzuki has joined forces with surf wear and equipment brand O’Neill to introduce a special edition version of the Escudo SUV (we know it as the Grand Vitara) exclusively for the Japanese market. Based on the 2.4L XG model and available in a limited run of 600 units, the Escudo ‘ONeil’ is offered in three exterior paint jobs (black, blue and white) with matching interior trim. O’Neill badges aside, the limited edition Escudo’s features include waterproof seat fabrics and floor mats, gunmetal-gray alloy wheels, chrome grille, skid panels in a matt aluminum finish and upgraded standard equipment.

2011 Suzuki Kizashi: Reader Spies Mazda6 Sedan Rival in Virginia

Peter Mcabe is the latest addition to our list of eagle-eyed Carscoop readers that have managed to bag a set of spy shots of a future model. The quick-witted reader spotted a camouflaged prototype of the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi sedan parked behind the Olive Garden restaurant off of Midlothian Turnpike, in Richmond, Virginia. The Kizashi, which was wrongly reported dead by Japanese media earlier this year, is based on the Kizashi 3 concept car shown at the New York auto show in 2008.

Sadly, as we suspected upon seeing the official sketches of the Kizashi that were registered by Suzuki at the European trademark office in 2008, the mid-size sedan’s appearance looks to be severely toned down compared to the head-turning concept.

The Kizashi 3 prototype had an all-new, 300HP 3.6-liter, naturally-aspirated V6 engine with power delivered through a six-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. The road-going model will most likely be offered with a detuned version of the V6 as well as an inline four-cylinder engine producing somewhere north of 150 horsepower, the latter driving the front-wheels.

In North America, the Kizashi will compete against the likes of the Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Mazda6 sedans. In accordance to the latest reports, the Kizashi will hit U.S. showrooms by the end of year, meaning that we’ll probably see it making its global premiere at a major international motorshow this fall, perhaps at the Tokyo Salon in October.

Suzuki has yet to confirm when (and if) the Kizashi will reach European shores, but if it does, the Japanese automaker will have to enhance the sedan’s lineup with smaller sized gasoline and diesel engines if it wants to rival family sedans like the Opel Insignia, Toyota Avensis and Citroen C5.