Suzuki Axes Verona
Suzuki, a brand that hardly shows up on most peoples’ radar, is finally getting its due. With the great looking and thusly popular Grand Vitara leading the way, the company’s sales figures have never been better. But, in the face of all that success, there is still one blemish: Suzuki’s very boring flagship sedan, the Verona.
Verona what, you say? Yes that’s right, this is the flagship sedan you’ve never heard of. Aggressively advertised in its inception, the Verona blends in with traffic like few other cars; you could OWN one and not even realize it. But, for its much maligned exterior “styling,” it’s actually quite a decent car. With an ultra-low starting MSRP of $23,990, the Verona has long been competing for the title of “Best Deal You Never Knew About,” right alongside the Hyundai Sonata - although the Sonata is extremely popular.
But all that ends now, for American’s at least, because the Verona is (somewhat) sadly being put out to pasture. The same company that produces some of the most heart-stoppingly exhilarating sport bikes on the face of the planet has, predictably enough, announced the slow selling family sedan will not see 2007. With their eyes set on the goal of selling 100,000 automobiles this year, company president Koichi Suzuki simply cannot allow the Verona’s rapid decline to continue; Verona sales were down an incredible 80 percent in May, and 64 percent for the year to date. Selling a meager 268 Veronas in May 2006, as opposed to a respectable 1,349 units sold in the same month last year, one can only wonder why this decision wasn’t made earlier. As for whether or not Suzuki Canada, who operates almost independently from its American cousin, will follow suit has yet to be announced.
And while the Verona will be missed by those that actually convinced themselves to step into one, its replacement has not yet been announced. Instead, Mr. Suzuki deferred to the small car and truck markets, citing that America will see a Swift hatchback by 2010 (not at all the same as the GMDAT–read Daewoo– built Swift+ sold only in Canada) to compete with other Japanese and Korean subcompacts (i.e. the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio and Chevrolet Aveo–that one’s Korean too).
While Canadians already enjoy the Suzuki Swift+ hatchback, reliable sources report that the model destined for the U.S. in 2010 will replace the one we already have in Canada (which is more or less identical to the Aveo and Pontiac Wave). Consider for a moment that the motorcycle branch of Suzuki is reportedly redesigning their Hayabusa, once the world’s fastest motorcycle (recently knocked off by Kawasaki), to be even more powerful. Perhaps a little bit of cooperation is all that’s required before a new Swift GTi emerges powered by a 200+ horsepower, 11,000+ rpm motorcycle engine? Or perhaps not.
Much more certain is the new Suzuki truck. Closer on the horizon than the aforementioned Swift (for America), this nouveau frontier will be sold as a 2008 model, and would most likely capitalize on the reputation the new Grand Vitara is earning as a tough and reliable vehicle. As one of the highest selling models in the Suzuki lineup (surpassed only by the Forenza–only available in the U.S.–other than as a Chevy Optra–and also part of the GMDAT arrangement), the Grand Vitara has enjoyed a massive boost in sales to accompany its aggressive redesign; increasing sales to the tune of 463 percent this year, hence one can expect that same styling to pervade the Suzuki lineup.