The Cute Kid Next Door Has Grown Up
Have you been watching what Suzuki has been up to lately? Due to their strong ties with General Motors the little automaker that could is about to grow up big time. Thanks to GM's purchase of Daewoo and formation of the new GMDAT division, the cars that would have received the Korean brand's logo have been dramatically upgraded and will now sport the familiar stylized Suzuki 'S'.
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| Although Canada won't see the Forenza in dealerships, the Verona will be coming soon. (Photo: Suzuki) |
I spent a fair bit of time with an extremely helpful Suzuki PR representative at the New York Auto Show, who seemed as enthusiastic about the new car line as a child gets on Christmas morning. And why shouldn't he be excited? The new cars are great. Canada won't be getting the nice little Forenza compact sedan that's coming out stateside, at least not yet, but then again those to the south will be missing out on an all-new Swift. Both markets will see the nicely detailed midsize Verona sedan though, a first in this category for Suzuki.
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| If the price is right, Hyundia and Kia may have some competition in the midsize market. (Photo: Suzuki) |
If priced as competitively as the Verona is expected to be, it finally looks like the Koreans, Hyundai and Kia will have some competition in the entry-level midsize segment. It'll take a test drive to figure out if its domestic (Japanese) competitors have anything to worry about though.