REPORT: Volkswagen interested in partnership with Suzuki, still
Suzuki Alto Lapin - Click above for high-res gallery
Just a few months back, Manager Magazin in Germany reported Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech was interested in procuring a small stake in Suzuki. Those rumors were subsequently denied by Osamu Suzuki, chief executive of the automaker that bears his name.
Now, news from the same source that there may have been a bit more truth to those initial rumors than Suzuki was willing to admit. Says VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, "Suzuki would be an interesting partner because of its competency in small cars." As before, the German magazine suggests that Volkswagen would either purchase a 10-percent stake in Suzuki or enter into a joint venture for the production of small cars for emerging markets.
Of course, even if there have been talks between VW and Suzuki, the German automaker already has plenty on its plate at the moment in the form of a merger with longtime partner Porsche. Perhaps, then, there's room for Renault, which is also reportedly interested in working with Suzuki on future small car projects.
Gallery: Suzuki Alto Lapin
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Throwback 8:41AM (8/25/2009)
Interesting how much the Lapin looks like the UP!
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DiRF 9:32AM (8/25/2009)
How DARE Suzuki steal the up!'s design 5 years before the up! was created!
Tagbert 10:42AM (8/25/2009)
Clean your glasses. This is closer to the xB than to the Up. Just being boxy does not make it a clone.
James 12:39PM (8/25/2009)
Ditto for the Kizashi...mimics somewhat the Passat and/or Jetta.
ronEbear 9:22AM (8/25/2009)
Translated to French, lapin is rabbit. Conspiracy begin.
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sparrk 10:20AM (8/25/2009)
hehe , was about to post something similar :)
Steve Lopez 11:28AM (8/25/2009)
Hey, doesn't GM own part of Suzuki? Why not do more R and D with them as well for future small car programs? Daewoo is helping out, but, Suzuki might do a better job.
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adam1drift 1:45PM (8/25/2009)
not anymore... and thank god for Suzuki's sake!
Saheed 11:18AM (8/25/2009)
WTF!!!??? Thats definitely a Nissan Cube... meh D:
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Wobbly_ears 11:33AM (8/25/2009)
VW needs Suzuki more than Suzuki needs VW. While in the US, Suzuki is a marginal player, in emerging markets, Suzuki rules the roost with its small cars. In India, Suzuki has a 50% marketshare & that market is growing at 20-30% every year.
Any car company which wants to remain relevant & grow needs to be early in emerging markets like India & China. VW wants to grow & only places like India & China can give it a large market to grow big. Growth in western markets would be slow.
The next 10 years is going to dramatically change the world auto market. Look for companies like Suzuki & Hyundai to grow at a faster rate than others as they were early tapping into emerging markets.
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Farmboy 1:13PM (8/25/2009)
So is that what's hiding in the ass end of a Nissan Cube?
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neutralgear 1:51PM (8/25/2009)
inb4 "OMG they copied the nissan cube! Losers!"
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Richard S. 3:25PM (8/25/2009)
I am awaiting for the headline: "VW Group buys the last auto brand in the world. All car buyers must now learn to pronounce Fahrvergnügen
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JRM 3:44PM (8/25/2009)
The Lapin does not look at all like the Nissan Cube. The back part is not perfectly straight like the cube. It actually sticks out a bit.
The Daihatsu Mira of a few years ago looks more like the Cube, imo.
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rockyroad 5:43PM (8/25/2009)
Piech has lamented not buying Ducati when VW could have done so. Maybe he's got the hots for a Hayabusa now?
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