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Suzuki Vitara shows its face ahead of Paris debut

The death of Suzuki's American automotive operations can be chalked up to many, many things. One thing it cannot be blamed on, however, is the arguable goodness of its products. The company's criminally underrated offerings included the Kizashi sedan, the SX4 compact and your author's personal favorite, the Grand Vitara.
The GV rode on a radically different version of General Motors' Theta platform, which underpins the American manufacturer's current crop of crossovers, like the Chevrolet Equinox. What made the Grand Vitara special, though, was that it wasn't just another run-of-the-mill CUV. Buying the cheapest model meant living with rear-wheel drive rather than the Theta's typical front drive. Spend a bit of money, though, and you'd end up with an honest-to-goodness off-roader, sporting selectable four-wheel drive complete with low-range gearbox. It also comfortably sat five, was reasonably efficient and was quite handsome. We aren't totally sure how it turned into this.
This, of course, being the new Vitara (it replaces the Escudo, the vehicle Americans know as the Grand Vitara), and it will make its global debut at October's Paris Motor Show, which has ditched its four-wheel-drive system for a part-time all-wheel-drive system called Allgrip.

Suzuki Jimny LCV is a bare-bones two-seater

The Suzuki Jimny is a truly versatile vehicle, and we don't just mean in its prodigious off-road capabilities. Turns out, the compact 4x4 can be configured in a variety of ways to skirt the road tax rules and enthusiast demands of various markets, making it an even more desirable proposition for a budget four-wheeler. The latest variant arrives in the form of the Jimny LCV for the U.K. market. That stands for Light Commercial Vehicle, and as such it's not subject to the same strict emissions rules as passenger cars. It also means that it doesn't come with any rear seats, expanding the cargo area to just a hair over 30 cubic feet. In fact, the U.K.'s emissions laws were so strict, Suzuki was forced to take the Jimny off the market in early 2020. After a year's hiatus, this workaround was the only way to bring the popular SUV back to old Blighty. There's only one trim level to the Jimny LCV. It comes with solid colors, but you can order metallic or two-tone paint for an extra charge, its only option. As with most LCVs, there's a safety partition separating the cargo from the front seats. Compared to the passenger version with all seats folded flat, there's an extra 1.2 cubic feet of hauling space. The Jimny LCV might just be the latest version, but it's not the only one. There's already a narrow-body and small displacement version to qualify it as a kei car in its native Japan. Also, there's the recently announced Jimny Lite to serve as a blank canvas for enthusiasts who want to build their own rig. Like the Jimny Lite, the Jimny LCV comes with analog climate controls as opposed to digital, a traditional stereo in place of a touchscreen, halogen headlights instead of LED, 15-inch steel wheels instead of aluminum and a five-speed manual as the only transmission option. It differs from the cost-saving Lite, however, in that the LCV retains its fog lamps. Of course, it the LCV still retains the things that make it a great off-roader, including the ladder-frame construction, solid front and rear axles, and low-range gearing. In essence, it's a wink to true enthusiasts who missed their chance to get a Jimny prior to 2020. Suzuki U.K. says that it will be "available in very limited numbers" for 2021. So, if you live there and want a new Jimny, the four-wheeling gods have given you a rare second chance. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Autoblog Minute: VW Q3 financial woes, 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

Consumer Reports pulls its Tesla recommendation, the U.S. Copyright Office offers a ruling affecting car owners, VW gets hit hard with third-quarter losses, and lots of exciting news from Tokyo. Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Consumer Reports pulls its Tesla recommendation, the U.S. copyright office offers a ruling that affects car owners and gear heads, VW gets hit hard with third-quarter losses, and lots of exciting news from Tokyo. I'm senior editor Greg Migliore and this is your Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. After a week away testing vehicles for Autoblog's Tech of the Year award, we're back in the office to recap the week in automotive news. [00:00:30] One of the things you might have missed was Consumer Reports pulling its recommendation of Tesla's Model S sedan. The blemish for Tesla comes after a tally of reviews from customer surveys. The most common problem areas for the Model S as cited by survey takers included: the drivetrain, power equipment, charging equipment, body and sunroof squeaks, rattles, and leaks. So lots of stuff. Though they could not ignore a score of "worse-than-average", Consumer Reports still [00:01:00] highlighted the fact that the Model S was "the best performing car" they've ever tested. Telsa CEO Elon Musk took to social media to defend his sedans saying: "Consumer Reports reliability survey includes a lot of early production cars. Already addressed in new cars." And, "Tesla gets top rating of any company in service. Most important, CR says 97% of owners expect their next car to be a Tesla (the acid test)." In Financial news, Volkswagen took a hit and reported an operating loss of [00:01:30] $3.84 billion. This is the first such loss for VW in 15 years. Toyota reclaimed the crown as the world's largest automaker as well. It's important that it's not all doom and gloom for VW though in Q3. Sales revenues were up and the company's automotive division boasts $30 billion dollars in liquid assets. It's a sizable war chest that will no doubt come in handy, as the company has yet to feel the full brunt of the diesel emissions scandal. Good news for gear heads. The US copyright office [00:02:00] ruled in favor of mechanics and car owners by granting an exception to existing copyright law. The law was originally meant to prevent software pirating and bootlegging of Hollywood movies.