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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Our spies have caught the Suzuki Kizashi, a new Japanese mid-sized family saloon, undergoing hot weather testing two years ahead of its 2010 launch.
Suzuki wants to make an impact on the large family car sector, supplementing the small cars and 4x4s it's better known for, and that strategy begins with this £17k rival for the Passat and Mondeo.
Three concept cars in three different bodystyles have hinted at the Kizashi's design over the past year. There's been a crossover, an estate and most recently - at the New York motor show - a saloon.
The saloon will be the first Kizashi variant to launch in the UK, arriving in Spring 2010, but Suzuki sources confirm that the Kizashi will be available as 'at least one' of the other variants.
The Kizashi name is yet to be finalised for production, but we know that Suzuki's D-segment model will be built at the Sagara factory in Japan, and will be a global product.
Contrary to reports of GM engine sharing, it's likely to use Suzuki's own 3.5-litre V6 powerplant, expected to offer around 300bhp, as well as a series of diesel motors and entry-level four-cylinder petrols.
Sources at Suzuki say the Kizashi will be competitively priced when it goes on sale in Britain. Early estimates put prices for the base models at around £17k and range-toppers at around £23k.
Will Powell
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