[itwasntme]

Suzuki of the US has launched the Suzuki XL7 which looks like a much more luxurious and bigger version of our Grand Vitara.

Check out the New York Times link below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/au...UZUKI-XL7.html

Any chances of seeing this in India or is it a US model only?

[DirtyDan]

I do not know the answer. But, I do not regard this vehicle as that remarkable compared to other vehicles that other manufacturers might bring in, e.g. Toyota RAV4, VW etc. You will notice that its fuel average is not that good, surprising for a Suzuki.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Suzuki had a surge in auto sales in the United States last year. The charge was led by the Forenza, Reno and SX4

Interestingly, two of these cars are in India ascChevrolet, and one is Suzuki itself. The SX4 has set sales charts on fire, but the other two are struggling.

Hasn't the XL-7 been discussed earlier also?

[itwasntme]

True: a most un-Suzuki like Suzuki, isn't it?

I was looking at it as a fully loaded possible competitor to the CRV in the 18 lakh bracket. With a powerful CRDI engine, it could potentially persuade Indians to plump up that amount of cash for a 'Maruti'.

Having said that, they could very well manage the same with the existing Grand Vitara by giving it the all leather/bells and whistles treatment, junking the Swift/SX4 interiors and giving it the 127bhp 1.9 litre diesel.

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

I do not know the answer. But, I do not regard this vehicle as that remarkable compared to other vehicles that other manufacturers might bring in, e.g. Toyota RAV4, VW etc. You will notice that its fuel average is not that good, surprising for a Suzuki.

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Suzuki of the US has launched the Suzuki XL7 which looks like a much more luxurious and bigger version of our Grand Vitara.

its not a version of the GV. Its not really a suzuki at all. Its a GM SUV, built at GM's plant in Ontario Canada, and even the most Suzuki thing about it, the engine is just a GM engine, built by Suzuki in Japan then shipped to Ontario to be fitted to the XL7.

Whether it makes it to India, it might as a CBU, but since this is a model that Suzuki did not engineer, does not build, and does not have the inhouse expertise for, I doubt that Maruti would be setting up a factory in India for it.

If it comes as a CBU, I suspect that GM will want to bring it in as a Chevrolet, instead of allowing Suzuki to bring it in as a Maruti/Suzuki. After all, they have allowed Suzuki to use their model for the north american market. If we're talking about a market where GM wants to boost its own presence, I doubt they would let Suzuki use their product to benefit itself.

[highwayblaze]

Its all GM ... the engine and chassis!

[Nitin]

GM or Suzuki, the XL-7 is a pretty good SUV. It was my # 1 choice when I was looking out for a car for my wife. I test drover it 2 times,and I must say that even the base version of the XL-7 is good! Impressive feel on the road,good view and excellent handling.

I'd highly recommend the top end version,with all the goodies it has. Its a big SUV,no doubt,but it handles like a sedan.

[highwayblaze]

Originally Posted by Nitin

GM or

Even the keys of the XL-7 are GM hows that? You dont HAVE TO copy everything! loll btw that does not mean i'm saying its bad....i'm not saying its good either. I'm just telling you that its a GM... thats all i'm saying !

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by highwayblaze

Even the keys of the XL-7 are GM hows that? You dont HAVE TO copy everything! loll btw that does not mean i'm saying its bad....i'm not saying its good either. I'm just telling you that its a GM... thats all i'm saying !

Absolutely. GM cars have come a long way since the '80s. They used to be crappy pieces of metal at one point of time, but I think its all changing now. Ford also made big changes to their cars, and with the 2008/2009 Taurus and Focus hitting US roads in the future,it'll be a good statement made by the American car companies.

[Harbir]

starting with '07 models, GM is starting to make pretty decently vehicles, but they were quite crap till their most recent generation of models.

the Focus is a wierd issue. Its a nice car, but the new Focus is already out in Europe, has been for a while, and its way better than the old one. And that platform is already in the US: Volvo S40 and C30 and Mazda3 were developed on the same platform. but the supposedly new Focus in the US market is a reworked version of the old focus.

no problem as FOrd said that it came to US late and hasn't yet completed its allocated run (based on investments it took and revenues expected). Except it turned out that revamping the old focus cost more money than it would have to just sell the new Focus in the US. Ford spent more money to keep the old car and commit itself to keeping the old car for another 3 years.....

no wonder they're in so much trouble.

[Harbir]

Wanted to add that while GM has started making good vehicles, they are still in serious trouble.

For years industry experts and analysts said that GM sales would not improve unless they made cars people want to buy. Now they have started making some very good vehicles, but people don't want to buy them.

I saw a statistic showing that only 18% of people buying US brand cars in the US traded in a non-US brand, while nearly 30% of non US brand buyers were trading in US brands. I.e. more people are leaving US brands than coming to them. They have found that people go to Honda, Toyota, Nissan without even CONSIDERING US brands.

GM tried to put Accords and Camrys in its dealerships so customers could compare and see that the GM entry is really competitive. It made no difference because people who were buying accords and camrys were not even coming to the GM dealerships.

After decades of selling low grade vehicles, the US manufacturers have a serious problem. Now even if they make an equally good vehicle, people won't look because there is no trust, no assurance, and no prestige. People believe that buying a Honda or a Toyota is a safe choice, because no matter what, it will be a good car. And they don't want to tell their friends that they bought a Pontiac.

To win back sales, GM and others will have to produce cars that are MORE attractive than what the Japanese have so that people will say "wow, what is that! I want one!"

They've had very limited success in doing this, but one stand out is the Chrysler 300. But it uses old Mercedes E Class components, so now with Chrysler having been sold off, they will be on their own to create such vehicles.

I am afraid that US manufacturers have a long way to go yet.

Fortunately for Ford, Volvo is doing ok, and Mazda is doing Brilliantly. Though Ford owns only 33% share (a controlling share), mazda is turning record growths and profits and that is helping Ford's bottom line, as well as its products.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Harbir

To win back sales, GM and others will have to produce cars that are MORE attractive than what the Japanese have so that people will say "wow, what is that! I want one!"

Good that all this is changing, people who would que-up for a Pontiac G8 will not even look at Honda.

The Cadillac CTS is not doing bad either.

[Harbir]

We'll have to see. people were supposed to go gaga over the excellent Pontiac GTO, which was the previous generation Holden Monaro, as the G8 is the current version, but they didn't. it tanked in the market. The market didn't care about the CTS-V either that was plagued with quality problems.

I think it will get positive reviews and some attention from the buying public, but I doubt it will stop the flight to foreign brands.

The reason the 300 did so well in sales was that it looked really good to people. Somehow I doubt the G8's looks will attract the non enthusiasts. Just because all those scoops and spoilers make it look awesome to enthusiasts doesn't mean that it will look attractive to normal people. And when it comes to enthusiasts, it will be facing off against everything from BMW 3 series and Infinit G35, to Mitsubishi EVO X and Subaru Impreza STi. and if they don't bring the manual transmission version, it will be reduced to competing against the 300, including the 300SRT, but without that car's looks.

On paper it looks awesome and everybody puts it on their desktop as a background, but when it comes to putting $35,000 of your money on the table, its not so easy.


I hope it will succeed. In fact, if it has as much interior room as I need, (enough for 4 six footers to travel 10 hours in complete comfort), I will be considering it myself. But I will certainly not consider any of the V6 versions, at all. And I will consider the v8 version ONLY if it comes with a manual, which right now its looking like it won't.

Even the Corvette sells mostly to people who are already positively biased towards domestic brands. Other people buy BMW M3s and Porsche Boxsters, and the like.

Don't underestimate the uphill challenge that GM faces here thanks to its fact that the value of its brands are in the toilet.