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Suzuki heads rolling over fuel economy scandal

Suzuki Motor Corporation executives admitted last month that the company had been falsifying fuel-economy tests for some of its vehicles. Today, it was announced that chairman Osamu Suzuki will not become CEO and executive vice president Osamu Honda will step down from his position at the next shareholder meeting, which takes place June 29. Executive bonuses for 2015 will also be eliminated or cut in half. The company is also promising to change its corporate culture so as to allow whistle blowers to get their messages heard. "Suzuki has a top-down culture and it's been difficult for voices from lower down to go to the management," Toshihiro Suzuki (Osamu's son) told reporters, according to Bloomberg. Both Suzuki family members will take a pay cut for the last half of 2016 (Osamu at 40 percent, Toshihiro at 30). Over 2 million Suzuki vehicles were involved in the fuel economy fakery. Japan's transport ministry is taking a closer look at company-submitted data after Mitsubishi and then Suzuki were found to have misled regulators and the public. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Suzuki Fuel Efficiency resignation osamu suzuki

Suzuki Alto goes back to basics in Japan

Believe it or not, you're looking at a brand new car. Not an old model from the '80s that's still being manufactured in some far-flung corner of the world, not a rehash of old technologies, but an all-new model introduced in Japan for the Japanese domestic market. Looking like a cross between a Jimny and a VW Up!, the new Suzuki Alto is a different machine entirely from the somewhat ungainly but comparatively modern model of the same name manufactured in India by Maruti Suzuki for markets around the world. This is the JDM version, built to Kei car specifications, and shares little more than its badges with the Indian model. Based on a supposedly all-new platform, the new Alto boasts what Suzuki claims is the best fuel economy of any non-hybrid in Japan. That's partially because of its spritely curb weight, down by 132 pounds over the model it replaces to tip the scales at just 1,345 pounds. That's over 600 pounds lighter than a Smart Fortwo. The whole thing rides on a tiny 97-inch wheelbase, of which 80 inches are taken up by the passenger compartment. Power comes from a 660cc three-cylinder engine mated to either a five-speed automated manual or CVT in a number of configurations that ought to help Suzuki sell even more of these than the 4.8 million Altos it's sold in Japan alone since its introduction 35 years ago. Featured Gallery 2015 Suzuki Alto (JDM) News Source: Suzuki Green Suzuki Hatchback Lightweight Vehicles JDM kei kei car

Suzuki Jimny displays Samurai spirit in Japanese snowstorm

Say what you will about its smallest SUVs, but you have to hand it to Suzuki: the likes of the Samurai, Sidekick and Vitara were doing the little-sport-ute-that-could thing long before most of the rest of the industry caught on. And the formula remains relevant enough that Suzuki is still selling the same basic Samurai overseas as the Jimny.
That could be why the Samurai still has something of a cult following. Well, that and the name - which, as it turns out, may not have been such a stretch after all. A Samurai warrior, after all, was just one man - but like any other knight, he was worth more than his headcount on the battlefield. Or in this case, a Japanese snowstorm. Just watch the half-minute video below to see what we mean.