Uphill drive

Suzuki thinks big with the Kizashi concept.

For a manufacturer specialising in compact cars, it is a bold move. Suzuki has just released pictures of the Kizashi concept, which will be their first premium sedan.

The concept will be seen in the flesh at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and it marks a new beginning for the Japanese carmaker.

You see, Suzuki prides itself in being perhaps the best small car manufacturer in the world, and when they decide to move up the ladder, you know that new things are afoot.

It's not that they don't have large cars "" they do have them in their lineup but these are cars that belong to GM-DAT and are badged Suzukis for certain markets like the US. What we know as the Chevrolet Optra in India is the Suzuki Forenza, while the Chevrolet Epica is known as the Verona.

But Suzuki has now decided to stop sourcing these cars from GM-DAT and develop ones on their own. And the Kizashi is the step in that direction.

Okay, maybe the rendering is a little over the top, and looks more like that for a supercar concept than a humdrum sedan that we all will be driving in the near future. Still, it shows that the Japanese carmaker is suddenly getting aggressive "" not just in new segments of the market, but in design too.

Suzuki plans to develop the Kizashi platform with a hatchback, a stationwagon and the sedan. Engine options might include a base 1.6-litre variable valve variant of the one found on the SX4, with close to 110 bhp and the 2.0-litre engine found on the Vitara, producing about 138 bhp. Suzuki might even offer the car with its 1900cc diesel engine obtained from Fiat, with over 128 bhp.

So where does the car fit in the bigger scheme of things, especially India? Its Indian innings might bear fruit in 2009 and could be priced in the region of Rs 10 to 12 lakh.

By then the current Honda Civic would be more than two years old and a new Toyota Corolla might have hit Indian shores. But can Suzuki pull it off? It might be too early to predict, but for someone like Suzuki that is beginning its life in the segment as an underdog, it has all to gain and nothing to lose.