REPORT: Suzuki XL7 production put on "indefinite hold"
According to Automotive News, Suzuki has elected to halt production of its only North American-built model, the slow-selling three-row XL7 crossover. Blaming the nation's subprime loan crisis, Suzuki spokesman Hideo Kojima has confirmed that no additional examples of the America-only model will roll off out of General Motors' CAMI joint-venture facility in Ingersoll, Ontario. The plant is still operational, however, continuing to produce other GM vehicles for the remainder of the model year.
Given GM's dire financial state, you might expect for Suzuki to be worried about the future of the their arrangement, but apparently that isn't so. AN quotes CEO Osamu Suzuki as saying: "The possibility that CAMI would be forced into closure or a production stop is 120 percent impossible... it is a central pillar in the reconstruction plan, so I am not worried about it."
So while there may be a paucity of new kabuki-faced XL7s headed out onto North America's roads, Suzuki apparently believes that their joint venture with GM will find a way to carry on.
[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
car_dude_20 2:02PM (5/13/2009)
It's such an uninspiring thing. I'm not surprised.
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Joe K. 2:04PM (5/13/2009)
They were still making them?!
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Steven 2:06PM (5/13/2009)
OMG Jinx!
Steven 2:05PM (5/13/2009)
Suzuki still makes/badges cars?!?!?!
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Aloysius Vampa 2:15PM (5/13/2009)
DAMNIT!
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kal326 2:20PM (5/13/2009)
Shut down CAMI, thats unpossible!
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mog 2:33PM (5/13/2009)
LOL @ a Suzuki spokesman being named Hideo Kojima. Now I'm scared that Suzuki has a conspiracy to secretly make ludicrously designed bipedal nuclear weapons robots. ;)
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Tourian 2:50PM (5/13/2009)
I was wondering why that name sounded familiar.
Zanardi1782 3:21PM (5/13/2009)
LOL, I'm glad someone else caught it.
k.w.a 2:48PM (5/13/2009)
suzuki is the new isuzu.. no one even knowns if they're still in production! lol Mitsubishi will become like that too if they dont hold on to the evo or eclipse
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mfews6 2:54PM (5/13/2009)
CAMI built the old Chevy Equinox, and Pontiac Torrent. They are currently launching 2 crucial vehicles for GM. The new Equinox and GMC Terrain. CAMI is safe as long as these 2 vehicles are still built there.
Besides, GM did the design work on the XL-7 anyway. It shares a lot of parts with the previous Equinox and Torrent vehicles.
Kind of like the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe relationship at Nummi.
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Wobbly_ears 2:59PM (5/13/2009)
The only reason why Suzuki made profit on their worldwide sale was because of the still booming Indian market.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8043428.stm
The auto companies who are still profitable are the ones who have strong presence in the new economic powers like India & China. (Suzuki, Hyundai)
The hurting big companies like GM,Ford, MB & even Toyota & Honda got too arrogant for their own good & ignored designing small & efficient cars for these markets. (Yes, Toyota & Honda have ignored China & India compared to Hyundai & Suzuki)
If this doesn't show the new dynamics of the economy of the 21st century, I don't know what will.
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Sandeep 3:53PM (5/13/2009)
Yeah, Suzuki and India have done a magnificent job designed cars *for India* rather than just adjusting them.
Case in point- diesel in India costs 25% less than petrol, and Indians love diesel cars. Hyundai offers a diesel in every single one of their models, even the ones that aren't popular. They also increased the size of the A/C units in the small cars, for very obvious reasons.
Toyota's form of adjusting to the Indian market? Raising the Corolla suspension a couple inches. They offer a total of 4 products in India, only 2 of which are even fathomable for the average consumer. And that's still doing more than Honda/MB/Audi et all have done when coming to India.
mikecanada 3:08PM (5/13/2009)
CAMI is located about a half hour from where I live. I sure hope it doesn't shut down. Ford's St. Thomas assembly, which builds Crown Vics/Marquis/Town Car is likely gone by next year, and it's also about a half hour away. Ontario is really taking a beating with plant closures.
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www.thecarnerds.com 4:27PM (5/13/2009)
Suzuki makes good cars and trucks ---hope they out beat Honda
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bmw4dea 12:29PM (6/13/2009)
is that a joke?
because if it was, it wasn't funny
dudleyville12345 4:26PM (5/13/2009)
Best News I've read all day...
Worst rental car EVER!!
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Other Man 4:38PM (5/13/2009)
Can't say I blame consumers for not buying this at all. The interior was bland and so-so in quality, the exterior tried too hard to be different and funky, it wasn't great to drive in either a wafty kind of way or sporty kind of way. The GM-sourced powertrain was the only thing going for it.
Fold it, Suzuki.
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