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  1. Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    233
    #11
    I doubt if this vehicle would pose a threat to innova.

  2. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    1,375
    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by badkuk
    maibalik/maupdate ung samurai
    i think, yun na ang jimny

  3. Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    8,837
    #13
    sino po ba ang may hawak ng suzuki ngayon, yun GM Autoworld na ba? how are suzuki's nowadays and their after sales service?

  4. Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    1,230
    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by carlocaraddict

    What have they been smoking at Suzuki? That thing is ugly.

  5. Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    152
    #15
    THIS IS WHAT SUZUKI SHOULD BRING HERE AS WELL TO COMPETE WITH THE JAZZ, CITY AND VIOS! CALLED SWIFT! (TAKEN FROM MOTOR TRADER)

    Suzuki is one of those brands which has been in Malaysia a long time, starting off with 2-wheelers and then moving on to sell minicars like the Alto 800 and a scaled down Jeep-lookalike called the Jimny (SJ series) which had a 1-litre engine. Though its fame has been mostly in motorcycles (anyone remember legendary Joel Robert of international motocross fame?), it has actually been a pretty competent carmaker with some notable models over the years.


    1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine has variable valve timing and 100 ps output

    For example, the Jimny was a very popular little 4-wheel drive which was cheap enough for contractors to buy and had just enough ruggedness to survive all the potholes and rocks on construction sites. And then there was the Vitara, a small SUV which came a few years before the Toyota RAV4 which lays claim to creating a new market segment overnight. Had Suzuki given the Vitara a monocoque structure, perhaps it would have been the one to make that claim but it was basically small version of the big SUVs and had a chassis frame which didn’t provide passenger car-like ride comfort and handling. Nevertheless, it was a fashionable sort of vehicle to own and appealed to many young people.

    Suzuki even has a high-performance background in its cars and the earlier Swift was a regular sight in major local rallies, usually finishing in commendable positions. The ultimate Suzuki was some crazy prototype model which was piloted by a legendary Suzuki guy with the most appropriate name of ‘Monster’ Tajima and he even took it up Pikes Peak (a famous hillclimb in the USA) once.

    Today, the Suzuki car brand is being revitalised with a new party handling it – Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd (SMA) which is a DRB-HICOM subsidiary. Though a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s single largest integrated automotive company, the significance of SMA to Suzuki Motor Corporation was apparent with the presence of Osamu Suzuki at the official launching ceremony for the new Suzuki Swift this morning. Mr Suzuki is the 75-year old Chairman & CEO of the Japanese company whose family founded in 1920 and was running the company till five years ago, making him the longest-serving CEO in the auto industry.


    Sporty flavour is evident in cabin and shift lever has gated slot, like more expensive cars.



    Torsion beam axle for rear wheels




    Boot space a bit small but can be extended by folding down seats.




    Rear accommodation should be okay for most Malaysians.




    Concept sketches for the new Swift

    The choice of DRB-HICOM as a partner is a good one, judging by the company’s portfolio of brands and indeed, it is eager to face the challenges ahead with a certain confidence. This was clearly indicated by the forecast mentioned by DRB-HICOM Group Chairman, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Mohd Saleh Sulong: in the first calendar year, 1.2% of the passenger car market and 5% of the MPV market.

    The Swift will be the main passenger car model while the MPV will be the APV which is from Indonesia (and would therefore enjoy AFTA’s special tariffs) and later on, the Grand Vitara will also be in the showrooms. Initially, all units will be imported in completely built-up (CBU) form but local assembly is also planned eventually.

    For now, the Swift is the hot news and even ‘hotter’ is the fact that it is priced at RM79,888 for the standard version and RM84,388 for the Premier version (both prices without insurance). This is an entirely new model (third generation) and was launched in Japan just last November 2004. It’s been given a very chunky appearance – somewhat European – and uses many ideas from a concept model called the Concept S which Suzuki showed three years ago at Paris. A later concept called the Concept S2 is said to have similar dimensions as the Swift in production.

    At 3695 mm, it’s shorter than a Proton Iswara Aeroback (4110 mm) but its 2390 mm wheelbase is 10 mm longer and it also has a wider body (1690 mm vs 1655 mm), plus it also sits on wider tracks. Of course, the comparison may not be fair since the Iswara was a product of early 1980s technological capabilities whereas the Swift is something that was developed when this new century began.

    Under the bonnet is a M15A 4-cylinder engine which has variable valve timing, two camshafts and electronic fuel injection. It delivers 74 kW/100.6 ps of power at 6000 rpm and 133 Nm at 4000 rpm, which are pretty respectable figures that can take the 1050-kg Swift up to a claimed top speed of 170 km/h. Only an automatic transmission is available, this being a 4-speeder with a gated shift, the type that has indents for each position rather than just a straight-through slot.

    The chassis is a simple one with MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam which ties together the two rear 15-inch wheels (with 185/60 tyres). For brakes, it’s front discs and rear drums and ABS + EBD is mentioned in the catalogue but it is not clear if this is a standard feature or only in the Premier version. Likewise, the provision of two front airbags which really should be standard in all versions.

    The cabin is snug and with the pronounced side bolsters of the front seats and dark gray trim, there is a sporty flavour. In fact, it seems that the guys who did the interior must be the ones who spend weekends at the race track! The sportscar-styled instrument panel has a large speedometer in the middle and fingertip controls for the audio system are on the steering wheel.

    Rear accommodation is not too bad but the boot space is somewhat limited in volume at 213 litres. Nevertheless, for those who need extra cargo space (up to 562 litres) , the rear seats can be flipped forward in two sections, offering flexibility in cargo or people-carrying.

    Now that you know about the product, what about the after-sales services? Initially, there will be 21 dealers nationwide and they are all required to be 3S – which means they should offer sales, service and spare parts. More will obviously be added to the list and it won’t be SMA asking them to sell but alert businessmen who see a lot of promise in the Suzuki brand. One of them is industry veteran Tan Hoe Pin, who has taken on a Suzuki dealership (at Waris Business Park along Jalan Kuching in KL) and is excited about selling the cars.

    "Firstly, it’s a car from a Japanese company and that means quality and reliability can be expected to be very high. Secondly, the Swift is a great little car and I am very sure many Malaysians looking for a car in this class will find it hard to resist!" said Mr Tan.

    SMA itself also has a CEO with a motorsports background (in fact more extensive than Proton’s CEO) and he was active in Malaysian rallies in the 1980s and yes, he did use a Suzuki too. His name is Bastamam Hamzah and he’s a technical guy and so he will be making sure the service support is top-notch. His enthusiasm for motorsports may see also some exciting variants being brought in before long.

    With many promising elements as it revs up in Malaysia, Suzuki should go further than ever before

  6. Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    152
    #16
    Suzuki Swift Pics

  7. Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    945
    #17
    ka size nito ang dating super carry hindi ba?.. so no threat talaga to the innova..parang fun to drive, ang liit na toaster!

  8. Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    152
    #18
    Suzuki Swift Pics

  9. Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    152
    #19
    Additional Swift Pics

  10. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    3,144
    #20
    Quote Originally Posted by mbt
    can anyone confirm if that thing is carrying a Suzuki badge and not a Kelvinator or Frigidaire one? haha
    kelvinator edition yong 2nd tier, Frigidaire yong top of the line model

Suzuki APV [Merged Threads]