Sales may be slow, but those who have bought the Suzuki Kizashi rate it highly.
Suzuki has no intention of withdrawing from the U.S. automotive market.
“That’s a very bad rumor,” Kinji “Kevin” Saito, the president of American Suzuki Motor Corp., told TheDetroitBureau.com during an exclusive interview at the Chicago Auto Show.
Suzuki suffered badly during the recession as its sales total plunged sharply for two consecutive year – despite the launch of significant new product, such as the midsize Kizashi sedan. But the start of the new model-year in October brought a revival of its fortunes.
Suzuki has every intention of remaining in the American market, Saito said, over dinner, and believes there are plenty of drivers in the midsize segment who appreciate the firm handling, sporty feel and power of the Kizashi sedan.
The Kizashi, which Suzuki brought to market in 2009, can still outperform either the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, which have traditionally dominated in the mid-sized segment, the small Japanese maker believes. Suzuki’s goal is to find buyers who want a more sporty feel in their vehicle than with those mainstream models, Saito said.
Saito also noted Suzuki had deliberately held back units from the U.S. market when sales went soft to help protect the Kizashi’s residual values. American Suzuki concluded it wasn’t worth dumping vehicles into fleets to boost sales, Saito said.
Overall, the Suzuki brand does extremely well in motorcycles and off-road vehicles and the objective now is to align the automotive brand with the motorcycle and off-road vehicles.
“There is a niche there for an automobile,” Saito said.
Suzuki also has begun to push capability and adventure in its advertising campaign, which have been revived as sales begin to recover, staring with a well-received ad that played into the Super Bowl telecast.
A comparison television spot, “Kizashi versus A4,” compares the Kizashi’s performance and agility to the German maker’s midsize offering.
Saito also said Suzuki is looking at adding vehicles to its relatively small product line but stressed no decision has been made yet. Known globally for its compact product mix, that would likely be its area of focus if it expands in the States.
Under consideration: a small A/B segment car and an urban-type utility vehicle. Both could appeal to younger buyers that haven’t really settled on an automotive style or brand, he suggested.
Meanwhile, the Super Bowl spot appears to have lifted the spirits around American Suzuki and also raised both the hopes and prospects for a much better year in 2011.