Kizashi will be Suzuki's 'Legacy'

Japanese importer Suzuki currently competes in just a small number of Australian (VFACTS) market segments. The company -- fourth largest-selling brand in Japan after Toyota, Honda and Nissan -- is a purveyor of light and small cars, light vans and compact SUVs only in the Australian environment.

In perhaps a little over 12 months, Suzuki will enter the medium car segment in Australia for the first time. The launchpad for this offensive will be the Kizashi, which, as we reported back in April, will go into production (more here).

Taking a leaf out of Subaru's book when it introduced the significantly larger Liberty in 1989, Suzuki is moving its brand image up-market. Known in other markets as 'Legacy', the Liberty pioneered a program of increasingly sophisticated new models from Subaru, including the image-building WRX.

According to the spy photographers at Carparazzi, who furnished the pics of the disguised production car pictured here, the Kizashi will go into production at the end of 2009 at Suzuki's Sagara plant in Japan. For the time being, the importer is uncertain whether the mid-size car will go on sale locally near the end of next year or whether it's preferable for the car to be introduced after everyone has stopped anticipating, enjoying or recounting the Christmas break. The latter is more likely, making it a first quarter 2010 debut in Australia.

"We have production available for the end of 2009," says Suzuki Australia MD, Tony Devers, "and we'll be deciding within the next three months now, whether it's late 2009 or early 2010".

There's little concrete information available right now, but Devers informed the Carsales Network that the Kizashi is also likely to be powered by the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine just introduced with the upgraded Grand Vitara. As reported previously, the Kizashi will offer a premium engine option -- a 3.6-litre V6 based on the same architecture as the 3.2-litre engine also introduced with the mid-life Grand Vitara. Carparazzi reports that the V6 Kizashi will drive through a six-speed automatic transmission.

"Hybrid is still on the agenda as well," Devers told the Carsales Network.

It won't be the same as the production model, but a third Kizashi concept vehicle (Concept 3) will go on display at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney during October.

-- with Carparazzi

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