After Volkswagen hookup, Suzuki quits hybrid, fuel cell work with General Motors

At last fall's Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki showed off several concept vehicles powered by either hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. Apparently, Suzuki relied on former shareholder and senior partner General Motors for much of the underlying technology for those vehicles. Following GM's divestiture last year and Volkswagen's subsequent purchase of 19.9 percent of the auto and motorcycle maker, the board decided to take another look at its technology portfolio.

Going forward, Suzuki has decided that it will be working with the engineers from Wolfsburg and not the ones in Detroit on advanced powertrains. VW is a leader in diesel technology and is rapidly making progress on various electrification efforts. Suzuki plans to take full advantage of its access and will likely incorporate some VW ideas into its future vehicles. A likely first move? Replacing the Peugeot diesels Suzuki uses in its European lineup today with VW equivalents.

[Source: Reuters]