1989 Suzuki Sidekick 4 X 4 on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 2003 Chevrolet Tracker

When General Motors created the Geo brand to sell vehicles designed and — in some cases — built by Japanese partners, the first four models were introduced for the 1989 model year: the Metro (Suzuki Cultus), Prizm (Toyota Sprinter), Spectrum (Isuzu Gemini) and Tracker (Suzuki Sidekick). Geo got the axe in 1997, with the Metro, Prizm and Tracker becoming Chevrolets. Of those, the Tracker survived the longest, with U.S.-market sales continuing into 2004. Here's an example of a very late Tracker, found in a North Carolina car graveyard recently. The 1989-1997 first-generation Trackers were based on the Suzuki Sidekick, while the 1998-2004 Trackers had the Suzuki Vitaras (not to be confused with the much grander Grand Vitaras) as their siblings. Production of these trucks for the South American market (as the Chevrolet Vitara) continued in Ecuador all the way through 2014. The Tracker name has also gone onto some versions of the Chevrolet Trax around the world. This one is a base four-door hard top/rear-wheel-drive model, which had an MSRP of $17,330. That's about $29,789 in 2024 dollars. You'll find one in every car. You'll see. The engine is a Suzuki 2.0-liter straight-four rated at 127 horsepower and 134 pound-feet. A five-speed manual was base equipment, but very few American vehicle shoppers wanted three pedals by the middle 2000s. This truck has the Aisin four-speed automatic. We like it loud. It appears that someone associated with this truck graduated from Julius L. Chambers High School last year. In the United States, the Tracker was replaced by the Saturn Vue. If Tracker can handle (unspecified Middle Eastern country), it can survive the jungle back home. Siempre contigo.

Volkswagen drops "GTi" lawsuit against Suzuki

Way back in 2004, Volkswagen took umbrage with Suzuki being granted permission to use the nameplate "SWIFT GTi" for a performance variant of its small-car offering (2012 equivalent seen here). Now, eight years and surely some very steep legal bills later, VW has finally dropped its claim against Suzuki.
The General Court of the European Union stated, back in March of this year, that Suzuki's GTi registration could not be confused with VW's "Golf GTI." Volkswagen had appealed that ruling, though has now reportedly called off the dogs. In fact, Germany's Die Welt reports that the appeal has been dead for several weeks now.
This news comes amongst continued arbitration acrimony between the two automakers, all revolving around VW's forced divestiture of nearly 20-percent stake it purchased in Suzuki some two years ago.

Suzuki previews e-Survivor concept, the cutest ute yet

If you've ever thought of Suzuki as a whimsical manufacturer of small or smallish vehicles, you're going to like what the manufacturer plans to show at the upcoming 45 th Tokyo Motor Show. The e-Survivor Concept reimagines the classic Suzuki jeep as an all-electric vehicle, and it's filled with interesting styling cues both retro and futuristic. The e-Survivor is not only lightweight in construction, it also looks like it, with vestigial wheelarches and see-through doors. The electric motors are housed in the wheels, leaving the ladder-frame construction able to be as skinny as possible. The dashboard houses large screens showing infotainment controls, navigation settings and the vehicle itself, and there are rear-view cameras in place of mirrors. According to the manufacturer, the e-Survivor is a compact SUV of "the next age," which could even hint of an electric 4x4 being the way for Suzuki to survive in this century — or in its second century: the company is 100 years old in 2020, and its concepts show what Suzuki sees beyond that. Perhaps something from the e-Survivor will make production after 2020; independent wheel-mounted electric motors would certainly suit a small, light SUV. Other exhibits are the "tall miniwagon" Spacia Concept, the XBEE crossover available in several different guises, the friendly-looking Carry Open-Air Market Concept and a "neo-retro styled" SV650X bike. Related Video: