Titled “Sled”, Suzuki will be showing off their all-wheel drive 2012 Kizashi sport sedan for this year’s Super Bowl commercial. The Kizashi is also the same vehicle Suzuki showed off in their Super Bowl ad last year, which was the company’s first ever.

The ad was developed by Siltanen & Partners Advertising, and hopes to illustrate the “exhilaration one can receive from upgrading their ordinary daily driver with a more entertaining mode of transportation.” Unfortunately not many of us can relate from having to use a dog sled as a method of transportation, but we think you get the point.

The ad won’t be the only thing Suzuki is kicking off on Super Bowl Sunday. The automaker will also be giving away BARKCODE tags to the first 1,000 consumers to register on www.KizashiKicks.com/sled. Each BARKCODE tag is a personalized pet identification tag with a scannable 2D code, allowing pet owners to be reunited if their furry friends become lost or misplaced during a natural disaster. With each tag ordered, BARKCODE will donate $3.00 on behalf of Suzuki to the American Red Cross.

Watch the commercial after the break.

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Suzuki is hopping on the hybrid bandwagon with their new Kizashi EcoCharge, a concept car designed to hint at the possibility of a hybrid Kizashi. Suzuki claims that the Kizashi will deliver a 25 percent increase in fuel economy without any performance drawbacks, thanks to a 144 horsepower 2.0L 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a 20 horsepower electric motor.

Unlike other hybrids, the electric motor merely acts as a performance booster for the car’s conventional powertrain, while a start-stop system, regenerative braking and cylinder deactivation help with fuel economy. A 6-speed automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels while low rolling resistance tires help increase fuel efficiency.

Debuting on the even of the New York Auto Show, look for live photos of this new concept tomorrow with AutoGuide’s 2011 New York Auto Show coverage here.

Suzuki is set to reveal two all new cars at the upcoming New York Auto Show and the automaker has announced that one of those vehicles will be an updated Kizashi.

With Suzuki stating that the new reveal will bring the “Kizashi to the next level,”, we’re left wondering whether this may be the long awaited Kizashi turbo. A power boost might help the flaccid sales of this wonderful sedan, but with such limited ad dollars being spent on the car, we have to wonder whether some more grunt is really the answer.

As for Suzuki’s other reveal, well, we’ll have the answer for you when we cover the New York Auto Show in mid-April. Your guess is as good as ours.

[Source: Left Lane News]

The Suzuki Kizashi may have enjoyed critical acclaim (and rightly so) but it’s sales figures have never been stellar. Suzuki is planning to sell the Kizashi in the UK  later in 2011, and while Suzuki only plans on selling 500 units, it’s difficult to imagine the car being anything more than a low-volume curiosity.

With only a 2.4L 4-cylinder, a CVT gearbox and all-wheel-drive, the Kizashi will go up against fully loaded players like the Vauxhall Insignia and Ford Mondeo, two established cars beloved by buyers on the other side of the pond. A lack of a diesel option will also hurt Suzuki, but the company thinks that the AWD system will allow it to attract buyers who may gravitate towards Subaru and AWD Vauxhall models. We wish them luck. They’ll need it.

[Source: Autocar]

To say Suzuki is struggling a bit in North America is an under statement. After posting record sales of 101,884 units in 2007, their sales took a drastic turn for the worse in 2009 when they shifted just 38,689 vehicles. 2010 is not looking good either as sales are again down by a lethal 42%.

At this rate, Suzuki could go extinct, but they are not going to give up that easy. To help boost their image and brand awareness, Suzuki is launching a whole host of new TV adverts promoting the Kizashi to catch your eye.

The new ads feature the Kizashi competing against cars like the Mercedes-Benz C300, the Audi A4 and the Volvo S40 – all vehicles that seem to be out of its league. The ads highlight the Suzuki’s better handling and braking and also value for money. For humor, they also pit the Kizashi against a stretch limo, a motorized sofa and a bubble wrap man!

These type of ads are nothing new. Back in the 1980′s, Hyundai used to have ads pitting their Stellar against the Mercedes-Benz E-class and more recently Hyundai brought ads of that type back.

Suzuki is ensuring people will see these ads, as they will be aired from Christmas day, and will be played next year during programs like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

Will these new ads help Suzuki sell more cars? Only time will tell, but do check out one of the ads below or hit the link to view them all.

[Source: Kizashi Kicks]

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Suzuki, everyone’s favorite forgotten automaker, is still alive and kicking, and set to bring a number of vehicles to SEMA, including two Kizashis and an Equator pickup truck.

First up will be the Kizashi Bonneville Special, a 500 horsepower turbocharged Kizashi that was able to hit nearly 204 mph at the famed salt flats, setting a new record in its class. Joining it will be the Delta Tech Kizashi, which is festooned with LED lights and a body kit from noted Cavalier tuner RK Sport, making it the polar opposite of the Bonneville Kizashi.

Finally, a customized Equator by ICON Vehicle Dynamics will appear, featuring a custom suspension, an exhaust header and an off-road wheel and tire package. SEMA may be the only time you ever see a Suzuki Equator, so if you don’t have a good reason to head to Vegas, you do now.

[Source: Suzuki]

Suzuki‘s Swift compact car won near universal praise in Europe and Asia, winning Car of the Year awards in the UK and Japan, as well as seeing duty in international rally championships.

Suzuki was all set to bring the next generation Swift to North America, as a follow-up to their Kizashi sedan, but the project was canceled just before the car was slated to be approved by government regulators. According to two Suzuki spokesman, the desire to look for synergies with VW, as well as difficult exchange rates, made the Swift’s importation more difficult than the company would have liked. A reduction in the company’s marketing budget may have also played a part. If the Swift does make it to North America, expect it to be here this time next year.

[Source: Autoweek]

As a part of Suzuki‘s ongoing push to drum up interest in the surprisingly good Kizashi sedan, the Japanese automaker teamed up with Road & Track to build a Bonneville Salt Flats racer. Thanks to engine builder Richard Holdener and the fearless driving skills of R&T editor Sam Mitani, Suzuki got the record it was looking for with a 203.720 mph run, clinching the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category

For video of the run and more info about the turbocharged Kizashi land speed record car, hit the jump:

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With sales falling 75 percent since their record-setting year in 2007, Suzuki has taken the drastic measure of buying out 50 of its worst performing stores in the United States.

Since 2007, when Suzuki sold just over 100,000 cars, the brand has gone from 486 franchises to 300. Most dealers are selling just five cars per month, with buyout package dealers selling roughly 2 per month. Dealers were offered one of two packages, a $50,000 buyout plus a buyback of inventory, signage, special tools and other items, or a $20,000 buyout for dealers who did not participate in a Suzuki sponsored showroom upgrade program.

While Suzuki officials say that they launched the program to give unprofitable dealers an exit strategy, and to help strengthen showrooms that are successful, some observers see this as the begging of the end for the struggling Japanese automaker’s foray into the United States.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Road & Track magazine is helping prep a Suzuki Kizashi to attack two land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. In conjunction with master race car builder Richard Holdener, the team from R&T will attack the naturally aspirated Gas Coupe class, as well as the turbocharged Blown Gas Coupe category.

The naturally aspirated record is a meager 103 mph, a velocity that virtually any production car could easily surpass, and this record should be a wash for the Suzuki. The Blown Gas Coupe category on the other hand, has a loftier goal of 203 mph, and the Kizashi is going to need some serious changes to hit the mark. A roll cage, aluminum racing seat and some fancy engine components are seen in the video, while Holdener talks about a parachute system to slow the car down. R&T plans on periodically released a short video clip, so you’ll just have to periodically check back for more coverage.

[Source: Road & Track]