Suzuki News

Suzuki Motor Corporation has named the drivers and co-drivers for the SX4 WRC 2007. In Rallye de France (12 – 14 October), French tarmac specialist Nicolas Bernardi (30) will be in the driver’s seat with Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin (39) beside him. For Wales Rally GB (30 November – 2 December), Suzuki has selected Finnish gravel expert Sebastian Lindholm (46) as driver and fellow Finn Tomi Tuominen (35) as co-driver. “Bernardi and Lindholm are experienced WRC pilots. So we are confident that they will deliver the desired results by the end of the year, enabling us to fine-tune the car’s setup for 2008”, said Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, president of Suzuki Sport.

First name:          Nicolas
Last name:          Bernardi
Nationality:          France
Date of birth:       16th May, 1977
Debut year:         1996
Results:              1998 Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo
2004 FIA Junior World Rally Championship, 2 pos.
2005 FIA World Rally Championship, 20 pos.            First name:         Sebastian
Last name:         Lindholm
Nationality:         Finland
Date of birth:       30th January, 1961
Debut year:        1982
Results:             1984 1000 Lakes Rally
1997-2005 Neste Rally Finland
2006 8th Finnish Rally Championship

Co-pilot’s profiles
First name:         Jean-Marc
Last name:         Fortin
Nationality:         Belgium
Date of birth:       4th July, 1968
Debut year:        1988
Results:             1990 1000 Lakes Rally A7cl, 5 pos.
2004 FIA JWRC (with Nicolas Bernardi)
2005 FIA WRC (with Nicolas Bernardi)            

First name:         Tomi
Last name:         Tuominen
Nationality:         Finland
Date of birth:       8th November, 1971
Results:             1999 Neste Rally Finland
2004/2005 Neste Rally Finland
2006 Rally d’Italia Sardegna, 6 pos.

Two world premiers and the announcement of the WRC driver line-up

• World Premiere of Suzuki Splash
• World Premiere of Concept Kizashi
• SX4 WRC (World Rally Championship) car for 2007 and its drivers
• Press Conference on 11th September, 2007 at 14:00h in Hall 3.1, Stand A07

Suzuki will be unveiling a number of exciting world premiers at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show which runs from 13th-23rd September.

The first is the all-new compact car, the Splash, the company’s fourth all-new, world strategic model within three years. Like the Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4, Splash incorporates strong European design and styling themes which continue to lead Suzuki’s worldwide new product development strategy.

A further highpoint at the Show is the debut of the Kizashi concept car, an all-new proposal for Suzuki’s first contender in the D-segment and a significant step for the world’s twelfth largest automobile producer as it moves from a manufacturer specialising in compact cars and four-wheel drives to one offering a much broader product portfolio.

There is also likely to be considerable interest in the World Rally Championship version of the SX4, which will make an appearance in Frankfurt before facing its first competitive test in mid October at the Rallye de France in Corsica. And alongside the rest of Suzuki’s current best selling models on the stand will be some leading edge products from Suzuki’s motorcycle and marine ranges.

Suzuki Splash: the fresh, stylish family car
The first phase of Suzuki’s new world strategy focused on sporting performance, leading Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4 to success. Splash is now the first new product of the second product development phase.  This all-new compact primarily targets families enjoying an active lifestyle through fresh design, exuberant and cheerful spirit and driving fun.
The all-Suzuki designed, all-new car is 3.7 metres long and 1.7 metres wide. It becomes available in spring 2008 with three engine choices: a 1.0 litre-three cylinder petrol (48 kW/65 PS), a 1.2 litre-four cylinder petrol (63 kW/86 PS) and a 1.3 litre DDiS turbo diesel (55 kW/75 PS) with an optional diesel particulate filter.

CO2 emissions for the Euro 4-compliant vehicles with five speed manual transmission range from 120 to 140 g/km. For safety the Splash is equipped with standard features such as anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD). An electronic stability program (ESP®)* and six airbags (dual front airbags, dual seat-side airbags, dual curtain airbags) will be specified for certain models. * ESP is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler AG.

Concept Kizashi: breakthrough into the medium segment
Concept Kizashi – a Japanese word meaning prelude or foretaste – will be making its world debut at the Show. Full of energy, flexible and emotionally appealing, it represents the first example of the third phase in Suzuki’s new world strategy which will have status as its major theme. With this mid-range model the Japanese automobile producer will complete its ‘upward breakthrough’ enabling it to offer a much wider choice of product in the market.

Suzuki motor sport: SX4 WRC 2007 drivers at the Show
At the Show the much anticipated driver line-up for the SX4 WRC team will be present and on 12th October, 2007 the WRC version of the urban crossover joins the Rallye de France in Corsica where it will take part in its first competitive run.

The final test for 2007 follows at Wales Rally GB [30 Nov-2 Dec], before Suzuki enters its first full WRC season in January, 2008. The WRC car on the stand is likely to be of great interest to more than just the technologically aware members of the motoring and motor sport public and for Suzuki, its entrance into the WRC will be one of the most important marketing and sales initiatives over the next few years.

The Suzuki Way of Life extended to motorcycles and marine products
Suzuki’s Way of Life promotional strategyis being extended to all divisions at Suzuki and exhibits from the Motorcycle and Marine divisions include the new B-King as well as the 4-stroke outboard motor DF 300.

Detailed information about Suzuki models and activities will be available at the Press Conference on 11th September, 2007 at 14:00h, Hall 3.1, Stand A07.

About Suzuki
SUZUKI Motor Corporation, with its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan is the leading international manufacturer of compact cars and – currently – the world’s twelfth largest automobile manufacturer.

The Company employs some 45,510 people and is represented in over 192 countries. Its net sales have grown successively for eight consecutive years. In its last financial year [to 31st March, 2007] turnover reached about 19.4 billion euro [3,163 billion yen] an increase of 15.2 percent over the previous year. In that year worldwide sales included, among many other products, 2.22 million automobiles and 3.06 million motorcycles. Suzuki has 35 main production facilities in 23 countries.

With its Way of Life promotional strategySuzuki stands for brand values that include excitement, a straightforward approach to its business, value-for-money, sporting performance and spirit. These values manifest themselves into innovation, best-fit products for its customers, an impressive motor sport history, a number of ambitious and successful rally engagements and convincing core competence – among others – in the areas of  off-road and four-wheel drive, based on almost 100 years’ experience.