Tuesday, December 21, 2010

European Suzuki Kizashi Sedan to Bow at Geneva Motor Show


At this year's International Motor Show in Geneva in the beginning of March, Suzuki will unveil the European market version of its new Kizashi saloon that's already on sale in North America and Japan. In Europe, Suzuki's mid-size sedan will play in the D-segment rivaling cars such as the Ford Mondeo, Citroen C5, Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Opel Insignia.
The company said that it will offer the Kizashi with all-wheel drive as standard while power will be provided by the same 2.4-liter gasoline engine used on the N.A.-spec model.
The four-cylinder unit churns out 185 HP when linked to a six-speed manual gearbox and 178HP when mated to a CVT.
The Japanese maker is also planning to expand the Kizashi's range in the very near future with a more powerful V6 petrol engine as well as a hybrid version, though it is not clear if these variants will make it to Europe.
We don't know yet if it's technically feasible (and economically viable), but Suzuki's recent tie up with Volkswagen could see the Kizashi sedan being offered with a much-needed in Europe, diesel engine sourced from the German Group.
Together with the Kizashi, Suzuki will also display in Geneva the Swift Plug-in Hybrid that was first introduced at last fall's Tokyo Motor Show as well as new variants of the three-and five-door Grand Vitara with a redesigned rear hatch that does away with the spare tire box.