2008 Chicago Auto Show; Suzuki Debuts All-new Equator

[doh]

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/suzuki/31731/

CHICAGO (Feb. 6, 2008) / PRNewswire / – To bolster its versatile and dynamic product line, enhance the company's bold and adventurous brand identity and further expand the growing line of products marketed by approximately 500 Suzuki dealers nationwide, American Suzuki Motor Corp. debuts its all-new 2009 Equator midsize pickup truck at this year's Chicago Auto Show. The introduction of the Equator marks Suzuki's first entry into the midsize pickup truck market and expands the company's offering of activity-oriented cars and trucks.

Leveraging Suzuki's credibility as a maker of lifestyle-oriented, fun-to-use products, the Equator offers the perfect blend of style, utility and off-road capability that truck buyers – many of whom are current Suzuki motorcycle, ATV and marine product owners, loyalists and ambassadors – demand and enjoy. Developed as a joint effort with Nissan North America, Inc., and based on the Nissan Frontier, the 2009 Equator will be available in both Extended Cab and Crew Cab body styles and rear-wheel and four-wheel-drive configurations. The all-new 2009 Suzuki Equator pickup truck is scheduled to go on sale in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2008. Pricing has not yet been announced.

"Since Suzuki has continued to strengthen its brand equity among outdoor enthusiasts, we thought now was the right time to produce a vehicle that meets the additional needs many of these people have," said Mark Harano, president American Suzuki Automotive Operations. "Truck buyers are a particularly good fit for Suzuki since they're likely to participate in motorcycle riding, power boating and other lifestyle-oriented activities that fit with our brand identity and our product portfolio. The Equator provides Suzuki with an opportunity to build an authentic connection with a group of consumers who are familiar with our brand and, in many circumstances, own other Suzuki products."

To introduce the Equator, Suzuki is unveiling three separate representations of the truck during its Chicago Auto Show press conference. The three concepts, coined the RMZ-4 for off-road enthusiasts, Quad for outdoor adventurers and Quay for boating and watersports aficionados, showcase Suzuki's diverse brand spirit, while illustrating the capability and flexibility of the all-new Suzuki Equator.

In addition to Chicago's global reveal of the all-new Equator, Suzuki will showcase the SXForce, a sportbike-inspired concept reinforcing the link between the company's rich motorcycle heritage and versatile line of fun-to-drive automobiles, as well as a range of outdoor and performance-oriented motorcycles and ATVs, including the KingQuad 450, LT-R450 QuadRacer and all-new Hayabusa sportbike, to name a few.

2009 Suzuki Equator

Performance and Functionality
Built at Nissan's manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tenn., the 2009 Equator features a fuel efficient 2.5-liter DOHC inline four with 152 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque or an optional 4.0-liter, V6 DOHC engine producing a class-leading 261 hp with 281 lb.-ft. of torque. Designed for outstanding performance and durability, the Equator's V6 engine incorporates an aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners, forged steel crankshaft, microfinished crankshaft and camshafts, Teflon®-coated pistons, variable valve timing and a silent two-stage timing chain.

The Equator is matched to either a five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission (I4 and V6) or five-speed manual transmission (I4), and offers an available shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled part-time two-speed transfer case. For enhanced off-road capability, the rugged Equator offers a comprehensive off-road traction system, including four-wheel limited slip, electronic locking rear differential, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), hill descent control and hill start assist.

[Butz]

the wrong product at the wrong time

[FenwickHockey65]

Suzuki makes trucks?? What??

[LAChevy24]

it looks like a tacoma

[F14CRAZY]

Being that it says it's coming from a Nissan factory...it isn't a Frontier is it? Is it unibody or BOF?

[Canyonaro]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Suzuki makes trucks?? What??

Nope this is a rebadged Nissan that looks like a Toyota grill on a Frontier....hideous. Not even the sheet metal is different.

This is an older article, I swear I saw this earlier this week. Even so, this is one fugly truck.

[smokyn454]

Originally Posted by Canyonaro

Nope this is a rebadged Nissan that looks like a Toyota grill on a Frontier....hideous. Not even the sheet metal is different.

This is an older article, I swear I saw this earlier this week. Even so, this is one fugly truck.

Yeah, I saw it earlier too. Now that you mention it, it does look like a toyota grille on a Frontier...................

[igotzzoom]

Badge engineering at its finest. That said, I really enjoyed driving the Frontier. I think it's the most fun-to-drive midsize truck.

[Sporer65]

Didn't even read the article and I could tell it was based on the Frontier. Grill is too big for the truck too. I see the same thing happening to this truck as what happen to the Izuzu I series. Looks too much a like, won't sell, gone in a few years.

[skylark68]

The flat green paint job is interesting. Not sure how well that will sell though. I know a lot of bikes have that treatment now.

[DiRF]

Did the world really need a non-keicar Suzuki pickup truck? No. No it did not. Especially not one that is merely a Frontier with a different badge.

Originally Posted by Butz

the wrong product at the wrong time

Damn straight.

[ChevroletRevived]

What's the point? Not much is changed from the Frontier and doesn't bring anything new to the table.

[johnny smallblock]

I don't think introducing a small pick up is bad timing. A full-size BOF SUV would be wrong product/wrong time. Though I don't see why anyone would choose a Suzuki pick up over one from Toyo or Nissan.

[paul8488]

Oh dear. I feel like saying it again... it's an outrage that the US gets this and not the Swift. The Swift is just an amazing little car. Heck, GM should have kept its partnership with Suzuki going and offered it as the Wave. It's that cool and that good.

[I-Love-Pontiac]

Cool name. Stupid truck.