­The future looks bright for Suzuki Australia as the company begins planning to launch a raft of exciting new product in the next few years.

Building on five successive years of sales growth in Australia, Suzuki is set to compete in new market segments with dramatic new cars as part of its plan to sell 40,000 vehicles by 2010.

Suzuki Australia General Manager Tony Devers said the products unveiled at last month’s Frankfurt motor show promised exciting times ahead for the Suzuki brand.

“It was exhilarating to be in Frankfurt and see the Kizashi mid-size concept car steal the show.

“At the other end of the size scale the brilliant new Splash light car, which goes on sale in Europe next year, made a similarly impressive debut in Frankfurt.

“For the Suzuki Australia contingent, it was exciting to look ahead at the potential line-up of Suzuki vehicles we might have in Australia in the next few years.”

Devers said Suzuki Australia had already registered a strong interest in a mid-size car that could be produced from the Kizashi concept vehicle.

“Mid-size cars are enjoying a renaissance in sales in Australia, as customers look for a larger vehicle combining great looks, interior comfort and next generation technology.

“Suzuki announced at Frankfurt the engineering team was working on a mid-size car with a hybrid powerplant option, matched to an all-wheel drive powertrain, promising the lowest CO2 emission levels of any AWD car in the mid-sized segment.

“We are hopeful the new Suzuki mid-sized car will go on sale in Australia some time in 2009.”

Devers said the Splash sub-light car had the potential to revolutionise urban motoring in Australia.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Suzuki created – and then popularized – the light car segment and the new Splash demonstrates everything the leading sub-light car manufacturer in the world knows about this market.

“Offering outstanding interior space in a stylish, yet original, design, the newest Suzuki light car offers outstanding performance with a range of petrol and diesel engines delivering emission outputs as low as 120 grams per kilogram.

“Splash is only available in left-hand drive, but we are working closely with Suzuki in Japan on producing a right-hand drive sub-light car with similar features to Splash going on sale here in 2009.”

Devers said the imminent debut of the Suzuki SX4 in the World Rally Championship promised exciting new performance models for Suzuki customers.

“We have already had discussions with Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima about the possibility of a high performance SX4.

“Monster heads up the performance arm of the company and is very keen on producing a sports version of the brilliant new SX4 hatch, complete with AWD technology and the power of a turbocharged engine.

“Monster has already designed a potential look for such a vehicle, which points to a potent mix of aggressive styling with explosive performance drawing on Suzuki’s rich 98-year heritage.

“If the decision is made to go ahead with an SX4 Sports version, Suzuki Australia will be at the head of the queue to sell it.

“There are many other exciting plans on the drawing board and I for one can’t wait to see what the future holds for one of the world’s premier automotive brands,” said Devers.

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