Japanese automaker Suzuki has unveiled its latest design study concept car which it says showcases the styling direction that the company is taking—with its first D-segment mid-size car expected soon. The Kizashi 3 concept car appeared nearly production-ready—save for a few styling details—at its unveiling at the 2008 New York Auto Show last week. The stunning four-door is reportedly powered by a high-output 300-hp V6 mated to an all-wheel-drive system and six-speed automatic transmission. The Kizashi 3 is the third in the line of Kizashi concept cars; the first Kizashi was a wildly styled sedan, and the Kizashi 2 was more of a hatchback crossover-utility vehicle (CUV) styling exercise. President of American Suzuki Automotive Operations, Mark Harano, said: "Kizashi means 'prelude' in Japanese, and that's exactly what this design represents for Suzuki from both a business and a product standpoint…Concept Kizashi 3 illustrates our brand character and personifies our heritage, design strength and engineering prowess.” He continued: “With customers in 192 countries and regions, Suzuki is truly a global brand, and the coming model carries on our mission to build the image of our automotive products in North America and eventually match our bikes' reputation.”
Significance: Suzuki is aiming to use marketing prowess to connect its popular sportbike motorcycles with its less-popular, less-powerful passenger cars. In the U.S. market, that has met with more than a little hesitation, as Suzuki's passenger car line-up has, until recently, featured mostly rebadged Daewoos and rebodied versions of General Motors crossover-utility vehicles. The hottest versions of the company's products are not available in the United States yet, meaning that a buyer who owns a blindingly fast GSX-R motorcycle is left to look at a 143-hp Suzuki SX4 sedan as his sportiest automotive option at the dealer. The introduction of a Kizashi-based sport sedan with a powerful V6 would go a long way towards helping Suzuki establish some performance credibility for its automotive offerings.