Suzuki May Unveil Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Sedan in U.S. in 2011, Nikkei Says
By Scott Doggett August 17, 2009
Suzuki, which said last month that it would start selling its all-wheel-drive sports sedan in the U.S. by the end of the year, may unveil a gas-electric hybrid version in the country as soon as 2011, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported Sunday.
The carmaker, which would follow fellow Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda into the hybrid vehicle market, will use a powertrain it's developing with General Motors for the hybrid version of its Kizashi, Suzuki's first mid-sized sedan, Nikkei reported.
The hybrid will get about 20 percent better gas mileage than its gas-powered equivalent, which will be powered by a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, according to Nikkei.
Suzuki, which announced late last month that it would begin selling the gasoline-powered version of the Kizashi in North America this winter, also said it would make a hybrid version of the sedan, although it declined at the time to estimate when the hybrid would be available.
American Suzuki Motors Corp. spokesman Jeff Holland declined to comment on the Nikkei report.
GM, which first invested in Suzuki in 1981 and owned as much as 20 percent of the company in 2001, sold its remaining 3 percent of the company last year. Suzuki sold about 26,000 vehicles in the U.S. from the start of this year through July, down 60 percent from a year earlier.
Danny King, Contributor
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GMs 2mode hybrids would get much better mpg if paired with 4cyls than 6cyls. Common sense right? So why won't they do it?
Another thought: Suzuki is really coming out of the shadows! I'm seeing lots of Sx4s and Grand Vitaras! Hopefully the same fate will meet the Kisashi (or whatever its final name will be)
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