An email recently went out from Suzuki to jurors who vote for the North American Car and Truck of the Year informing them that their upcoming midsize sedan would be on sale in the United States before the end of the year. We contacted Suzuki for more information and received confirmation that development of the car is on track and production will not be delayed.

Unfortunately, we'll need to wait a bit longer before seeing the Kizashi sedan in person. Despite previous reports pointing to an April debut at the New York Auto Show, that's not going to happen. Suzuki did confirm, though, that the car will make an appearance on the auto show circuit before hitting U.S. dealers in December, so stay tuned.



[Source: Suzuki]

Reports of the premature death of the Suzuki Kizashi are apparently... premature. After a story surfaced yesterday detailing Suzuki's cancellation of its mid-sized sedan program, the scribes at Automotive News went to the source to get the details. Suzuki spokesman Jeff Holland told AN, "The production version will debut at this year's New York auto show in April." So there. When the Kizashi concept was revealed at last year's New York show, it garnered a fair amount of praise thanks to the sedan's swooping lines and road-hugging proportions. The Kizashi has been spied doing laps around the Nurburgring and for a mainstream mid-size sedan that can't be a bad thing.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

When the Suzuki Kizashi 3 concept bowed in New York, we were smitten by the sedan's aggressive lines and low-slung stance. But after seeing some rudimentary patent drawings of the production model, we were seriously concerned that everything we loved about Suzuki's new sedan would be lost in translation. Finally, some glimmer of hope has arrived.

KGP caught a Kizashi mule in Germany before it set off on its mandatory 'Ring run, and with a modicum of camo and some artfully placed tape, the prototype laid most of our concerns to rest.

Although the exaggerated shape and massive fender flares of the concept has been eschewed for something a bit more sedate, the majority of the lines remain, along with the sculpted headlamps and broad rear shoulders. Unfortunately, things begin to go slightly awry in the rear, where the chunky C-pillar and 1-series look-alike lights join an upkicked trunk and a bulbous bumper. But overall, our gripes are minor, and with power rumored to be provided by either a 300 hp, 3.6-liter DOHC V6 driving all four wheels or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder putting power down to the front rollers, we think this might be the first in a string of new models from Suzuki that could finally bring it up to par with its cross-town competitors in Japan.

The European patent office has revealed a few outline drawings of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi mid-sizer that the Japanese automaker, more often associated with high-performance motorcycles, hopes will compete head-on with the best in the world. The Kizashi could be a make-it or break-it type vehicle for Suzuki, which sells huge numbers of very small cars in Japan but has only a small foothold in the United States. These drawings seem to indicate that the Kizashi will keep some of its styling cues intact, though it also looks as if it could be mistaken for a Chevy Malibu from some angles.

When Suzuki releases the Kizashi to the general public, which some speculate could be as early as the Paris Motor Show next month, it will be equipped with both four-cylinder and V6 engine options with up to 300 horsepower and all-wheel-drive. Specs like that ought to strike some fear into the established players if Suzuki is able to keep the price down. Stay tuned.


[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Suzuki has teased us with three separate Kizashi concept cars and finally told us that a production vehicle based on the last concept would be coming to America in 2010. Work is apparently underway on the new Camcord competitor, and proof of Suzuki's efforts have appeared in a Southern California parking lot. Although the entire car is covered in camo, a few subtle details, including the grille and profile, appear to keep with the original concept, which garnered a substantial amount of acclaim when it was originally unveiled.

As pointed out by Autofiends, the Kizashi sedan looks a bit smaller than the vehicles it will be competing against, particularly when you consider that the Honda Accord has grown so large that it's now classified as a full-size car, akin to the Toyota Avalon and Buick Lucerne. We welcome the idea of a smaller and sportier option, especially one equipped with an offshoot of GM's 3.6-liter V6, which is expected to join Suzuki's Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive when the production Kizashi debuts next year.


[Source: Autofiends]

Click image for hi-res gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi

Hyundai is quickly proving with its Genesis luxury sedan that a lower-end Asian automaker can play in the V8-powered big leagues, and if the reports are to be believed, Suzuki wants in. The Japanese carmaker's Kizashi concepts, unveiled in Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, proved popular enough for Suzuki to move ahead with production plans and target a late 2009 roll-out. But before it settles on what form the production version will take, Suzuki is reportedly preparing a third iteration to show at the New York Auto Show in March, and this one will be powered by a V8 driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 predecessors. Whether there's any truth to the reports will become evident as we weave through Manhattan traffic towards the Javits Center, so stay tuned.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]

click above image for more pics of the Suzuki Kizashi Concept

We were fans of the Suzuki Kizashi Concept when we stumbled across it at the 2007 Frankfurt show, and are equally interested in the Kizashi 2 Concept debuting in Tokyo soon. The Japanese automaker apparently likes the concepts so much that it will be spawning no less than three production Kizashi models, including a CUV, wagon and four-door sedan that will reportedly rival the Ford Mondeo in Europe. The sedan will be the first to arrive in 2009, reports AutoCar, with the wagon and CUV slated for production a year later. That fact that this news is being reported by AutoCar, a UK-based automotive news outlet, and that the sedan is pegged as a Mondeo rival suggests these vehicles might not be destined for U.S. consumption. On the other hand, resurging Suzuki needs something to replace the mid-size Verona sedan that's no longer on sale in the U.S.

[Source: AutoCar]

MotorAuthority is reporting that Suzuki will be pulling the sheet off of a new mid-level, mid-size sedan at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. What viewers will see is a concept car called the Kizashi. It's likely to be a preview of a 2010 production model designed for global markets, probably including the U.S. Long seen as merely an economy car and SUV automaker, this model could help Suzuki further entrench itself into the mainstream.

Vehicles like the XL7 and SX4 have shown that people will buy Suzukis at slightly higher price levels, but this new concept will challenge the heart of the market. Styling, performance, and quality (nevermind that last recall) have all improved lately at Suzuki, so we're excited to see how this model shapes up. We wish we had pictures to show you now, but Suzuki itself has released nothing, not even a teaser image.

[Source: MotorAuthority]