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PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Suzuki's peek-a-boo S-Cross
Is this the next SX4? Suzuki provides further glimpse of new conceptSuzuki continues to drip feed images of its new S-Cross concept to the media in the lead up to the car’s debut at next week’s Paris motor show.
The latest teaser images of the S-Cross show the rear of the car featuring a roof-mounted spoiler inlaid with LED stop lights, accented tail lamps that provide a clear link to the headlamps revealed previously, and angled LED strip lighting flanking the rear license plate.
The latest rear-view sneak peak joins a previously released teaser image of the front end showing a reptilian-eye-like headlight, topped by a distinctive orange ‘eyebrow’ blinker, with a row of angled LEDs beneath.
A concept sketch also released earlier shows a handsome, high waisted and low-roofed five-door hatch with a distinctive ‘cutaway’ style C-pillar treatment and classic, muscular contemporary SUV stance.
Collectively the images help fill in the picture of what the new Suzuki will look like when the hanky comes off next week, with most pundits expecting strong design links to the current Kizashi saloon.
Sources predict the S-Cross is destined for production as a replacement for the bland and dated-looking SX4, with some suggesting the production model will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, before launching here in late 2013. If that’s the case it would be a significant change of pace for Suzuki, which has previously favoured a three year window from the first reveal of its concept models to eventual production.
The current Suzuki Swift hatch was first shown at the Paris motor show in 2002 but didn’t go on sale until 2005, while the Kizashi mid-sized sedan was first shown at the Frankfurt show in 2007 before being released or sale in 2010.
Beyond the teaser pics, Suzuki hasn’t put much meat on the bones of speculation, other than describing the S-Cross as a C-segment crossover model. This classification would make it alternately a rival for compact SUVs like the Mitsubishi ASX and VW Tiguan, or for crossover-style passenger cars such as the Dodge Caliber, Kia Soul, and Skoda Roomster.
Either way, a production version of the S-Cross would have to replace or compete with Suzuki’s own SX4 in the small car category, or the Suzuki Jimny and the XV in the small SUV category. Given that the small SUV category accounts for around 5.6 per cent of new vehicle sales so far this year, while small passenger car sales account for more like 22.5 per cent of sales, it seems a no-brainer that Suzuki will look to gain a stronger presence in the latter.
The ageing SX4, itself an early adopter in the crossover space, is Suzuki’s only small car contender, holding a slim 0.8 percent share, or 1212 sales YTD, versus the likes of the Holden Cruze with nearly 21,000 sales and Mazda3 with 28,000 sales. Clearly, Suzuki will be hoping a production version of S-Cross can reignite its presence in a category which remains one of Australia’s most fiercely contested, with 39 models competing for the attention of consumers.
In Europe, the SX4 is rebadged as the Fiat Sedici but that arrangement is expected to cease when the SX4 is axed, as Fiat now has access to the Chrysler-Jeep portfolio of SUV products.
Full details of the Suzuki S-Cross concept will be revealed at Paris on September 27.
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