A report released yesterday by a Michigan-based non-profit environmentalist group, the Ecology Center, ranked the interior air quality of about 450 2008-09 model vehicles. The investigation is part of a two-year old (fledgling) endeavor initiated by the Ecology Center known as the Clean Car Campaign.
The CCC’s primary objective is to raise consumer and manufacturer awareness concerning, beginning with their official findings. Accordingly, the Ecology Center’s report ranks vehicles based on the potential threat they pose to human and environmental health. Ranked on a scale from 0 to 5 (0 being little-to-no threat), a vehicle’s score is tabulated by measuring the amount of toxic chemicals present in its interior. According to the report, the ten most toxic cars in descending order are [with score appearing beside vehicle model]:
Known for their motorcycles, Suzuki is making a move of questionable wisdom towards machinery on the other side of the towing hitch with a mid-size pick-up truck, the Suzuki Equator.
Roughly equal in dimensions to the Nissan Frontier, the Equator will be offered with a 2.5-L V6 engine and either 4×2 or 4×4 drive. Standard features and specifications are forward-thinking but not particularly noteworthy in comparison to other automotive advancements; 152 or 261-horsepower (depending on the drivetrain), platinum-tipped sparked plugs, Induction Control System, electronic rear-locking differential, electronic brake force distribution, and speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering. Entertainment options include an AM/FM/6CD Changer, XM radio, and an iPod auxiliary jack – run of the mill interior accessories for later model vehicles.
The Kizashi 3 concept shares the stage at its unveiling with its Suzuki brethren the Kizashi 1 and Kizashi 2 concepts. The Kizashi concepts all share a similar purpose, similar design influences and similar nose pieces, but one thing may set them apart. The Kizashi 3 is closer to what will be the real production version of the Kizashi than the other two. According to Suzuki sources representing the Kizashi 3 to the crowd what you see now is a close representation of what is destined to arrive in 2010.
The Kizashi 1 & 2 Concepts were a great influence on what looks to be near the final revision of the Kizashi concept and ,while we hate to see some of the more dramatic lines of the rear of the first two concepts disappear, Suzuki gains a lot of credit for keeping the bold fascia of the car intact. Powering the large sedan with the large grill breather in the front is a 3.6 liter V6 that is pumping out 300-hp to Suzuki’s all-wheel drive system that motors all four wheels of the car. If they can squeeze any more horsepower out of that V6 maybe they can include an aftermarket add-on of a larger “S” across that front grill - “SuperKizashi.”
All kidding aside it looks as though Suzuki could have a real winner arriving to our shores in 2010, and that is just what the competition needed… another strong Asian entrant in the sedan market. GM is struggling to maintain what was their dominance with their less than stimulating Malibu sedan that is receiving a huge marketing push from the battling auto giant. As if fighting off the Camry was bad enough by 2010 GM will be facing at least a 3 Brand assault as the Hyundai Genesis is now on the market and the Suzuki Kizashi arrives on the mainland.
Check out the full gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi unveiling, the official Press Release and the video of the pulling of the covers provided by AutoBlog… all to follow on the next page after the link.
With the Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept about to debut at the New York Auto Show at the end of this month let us take a look at the prior two concepts, Kizashi 1 and 2, to get an idea of where they have come from and where they are going.
Beyond the exterior design Suzuki has not offered up much on their Kizashi Concepts. The interior of the car remains a mystery and its powertrain so far is powered only by speculation. So the digitally rendered concept videos we have below do little to divulge what has remained a guarded secret in the Suzuki camp, but they do give an impression of what they expect their concept car to be when it reaches completion.
Video 1. Suzuki Kizashi 1
Check out the second video of the Kizashi 2 and full galleries of both cars after the leap.
Just like the housing market in the US the Auto Industry is not only dealing with their reorganizations from their gluttonous years but also with the economic situation that has gripped this country. As could be expected each auto maker has its own approach to handling such shifts, and it is there strategic efforts that will determine their future. Focusing for a moment on how the foreign auto makers are handling the American economic situation some are adding new plants and assembly factories, some are re-imagining themselves and others may be doing Pres. Bush’s least favorite thing… the cut and run.
To combat a slumping US dollar and to protect themselves from a loss of profit Volkswagen is looking to expand more into North America. While American companies still out-source their jobs over seas to nations with cheaper labor, the Germans are starting to look at America the same way… sorta speak. They can save money and salvage greater profits by moving some more manufacturing and assembly plants into the US.
If you are looking for a plethora of articles about the Suzuki auto line-up in this publication you are going to be searching a long time. This will certainly be the first one that I have written. Suzuki has just unveiled at this weeks Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany their first interesting concept that supposedly has a future. The Suzuki Kizashi is larger than any other sedan being produced by the Asian car manufacturer and certainly exudes more style than we are accustomed to seeing from them. The only other cars with the large ”S” crest on them that I have seen have belonged to Shaquille O’Neal.
The Suzuki Kizashi is powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine presently but is reportedly to receive Suzuki’s new hybrid technology when the car based off this concept is released on the market in (supposedly) 2010. The present setup also has the power from the engine feeding all four wheels, which is presumably how the hybrid system for the Kizashi will operate.
Whether or not the Kizashi ever see’s the light of day beyond its concept unveiling it is nice to see that the kids in the design room over at Suzuki were finally allowed to play around a little beyond the ordinary sedan. While the concept car may actually get some people traffic through the Suzuki showcase it is not going to help them in pushing any of their other bland-mobiles in the coming year. …Nice try though.
