Autoblog

In memoriam: the Suzuki Forenza and its brother, the Reno, will shuffle off this mortal coil after 2008. Oh, how we barely knew thee – but we're not surprised.

Both vehicles have seen a dip in sales this year, and with the SX4's numbers up over 35-percent for 2007, and a sedan version due out in October, Suzuki obviously had too many vehicles vying for the same buyers.

According to an un-named source quoted by Automotive News, the SX4's market share will continue to expand, with the aforementioned sedan as well as a hatchback model supposedly due in 2009. As for Suzuki's sub-compact offering, we can still expect the Swift to arrive on U.S. shores in 2010, packing a more performance-oriented punch than the SX4, with a convertible version due out sometime afterwards.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Although pretty far off most people's radar, Suzuki's actually been doing very well lately, setting sales records (more than 100,000 served last year), enjoying three years of double-digit sales growth, introducing the fairly exciting new SX4, and in general working on a larger and better model mix. The Suzuki Sport XL7 even conquered Pike's Peak this year. Under the tutelage of new American President Masafumi (Mark) Harano, things are looking up. And then along comes word of a recall that certainly doesn't help.

Apparently faulty front seat belts in relatively ancient Forenza sedans (shown above) and Reno hatchbacks might unbuckle themselves when you'd least like that to happen. The recall affects more than 75,000 cars in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In all fairness to Suzuki, these were vehicles developed with Daewoo, and the Forenza is about to undergo a complete redesign. The success of the SX4 also means that the Reno might become redundant. Either way, it's a recall and we'll have to see how it impacts Suzuki's surge.

[Source: KickingTires]

Here's some fun facts for a Friday afternoon: from 1989 through 1999 Suzuki couldn't muster even 50,000 in annual sales in the U.S. and through July of this year it's at nearly 65,000. Lots of things had do to go right for Suzuki to enjoy the kind of success it's having, not the least of which is the mass exodus the market has seen from traditional large SUVs to smaller, less thirsty ones. The company also chose to up its ad budget at the right time raising the dollars it spends on advertising from $77 million in 2004 to $107 million in 2005. (Note – we've seen a few Suzuki ads on these pages before, so we're guessing some of that money went to Weblogs, Inc.).

Now it seems that 100,000 in annual sales is attainable for the first time in the company's history of selling vehicles in the U.S. In addition to the success of the newly redesigned Grand Vitara (sales are up over 500% compared to last year), the larger XL-7 is set to land here soon and the new entry-level SX-4 is right around the corner. Even the aged Forenza, which is the brand's volume seller, is up 27% over last year. The only thing needed to keep Suzuki above the century mark in sales is a Swift kick in the pants.

[Source: AdAge via Straightline Blog]

The Daewoo Lacetti has given General Motors a true World Car that is selling well all around the world. The car is currently known as the Chevrolet Lacetti in Europe, the Holden Viva in Australia, the Suzuki Forenza in the U.S. and the Buick Excelle in China.

The Chinese have a thing for Buicks, and the LaCrosse sedan is a big seller there. The Excelle subcompact is being readied for its first redesign and Autoblog Spanish found some pics of the new sedan. From a dead-on angle it's quite an attractive vehicle, the front end featuring an elegant grille flanked by large, expensive-looking headlights. A quick trip around the rest of the vehicle, however, reveals some roots shared with our own Forenza, but we still think it will be the best looking Lacetti of the bunch.

Autoblog Spanish reports that the new Excelle will be available with two engine choices upon its release, a 1.6- and 1.8-liter four-cylinder. It will likely also be available in a five-door hatch version, like most Lachetti models are, called the Excelle FRV.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Who would have guessed a few years ago that Suzuki would be in the midst of international renaissance? While some locales around the world already have a high opinion of the Japanese company's products, the North American market has suffered through one forgettable Suzuki after another. That's because most of them have been rebadged models from General Motors. The current Forenza, for instance, is GM-Daewoo model built in Korea and rebadged for North American consumption.

Now that GM has sold its stake in Suzuki the automaker has gotten down to business developing its own products, and the next generation Forenza is shaping up to be a contender. Developed entirely by Suzuki and set to be built in Japan, the Forenza's replacement will take the lead as Suzuki's new entry level model with a sticker around $15K. That means the unloved Aerio five-door hatch and four-door sedan will be nixed. No worries though, as Suzuki is planning on 100,000 sales annually for the next Forenza.

We're not quite sure what this means for the Swift's return to U.S. shores. Hopefully the Forenza's entry-level status won't crowd out the hot subcompact from Suzuki's North American lineup.

[Source: Inside Line]