While both sides appear on the surface to be in agreement, there's definitely love lost. Suzuki continues to question the validity of Consumers Union's testing methods, while Consumers Union "stands by its test protocol and finding," according to the statement.
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| "Consumers Union admits the Samurai does not easily rollover. That was a huge, huge issue and you don't get that in court," stated American Suzuki spokesman Cam Smith Arnolds. (Photo: truckworld.com) |
On the subject R. David Pittle, senior vice president for technical policy at Consumer Reports, stated "This is a settlement to feel very good about." He added, "We stand fully behind our published reports and testing of the Samurai."
Suzuki has its own take on the results of the settlement, with Cam Smith Arnolds, vice president of customer relations and communications stating, "It was really about restoring the reputation of the Samurai and of Suzuki." He continued, "Consumers Union admits the Samurai does not easily rollover. That was a huge, huge issue and you don't get that in court."
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| With the costly legal battle finally over, both companies can put more funds into what each do best. (Photo: truckworld.com) |
As important to both parties, now that the case is settled money that has been allocated for legal fees can now be put into more productive activities. In Suzuki's case, despite a massive increase in sales due to new products, the result of a cooperative manufacturing deal with General Motors' GMDAT division (the South Korean automaker that grew out of the ashes of Daewoo), it must focus on improving its placement in J.D. Power and Associates' 2004 Initial Quality Survey (IQS), where it is currently ranked 30th out of 37 nameplates. It suffered similarly in the J.D. Power's 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study too, placing 31st out of 37 nameplates.