Suzuki may pinch Volkswagen engines

Suzuki is looking to Volkswagen for engines following meagre sales since 2007. Volkswagen bought 19.9% of Suzuki back in 2009 because Suzuki was unable to compete in the mainstream, because of the brand’s low volume. The alliance would permit the companies to share technology and allow Volkswagen a pathway into Suzuki’s key markets; Japan and India.

At the moment, the thought of the two companies sharing engines is “being considered,” however, with little co-operation with one another, it’s expected the two firms will share platforms or influence technology in the future.

Director-marketing and product planning for Suzuki, Steve Younan, said, “Our whole product cadence got pushed back because of this relationship. We had to slowdown our process to see what we could take advantage of and what they could take advantage of. It’s taking longer than we thought.” So in the distant future, your Suzuki Alto may be powered by a VAG 1.2 TDI...

Hyundai targets Chinese mid-sized car market (CN)

Following its extraordinary success in the U.S, according to a senior executive, Hyundai is aiming for its long lasting growth to come from China.

“It is time to strengthen our brand’s premium image in China to pave the way for our long-term growth there,” Jung Myung-Chae, GM at Beijing Hyundai Motor’s brand strategy division said.

Despite Hyundai arriving late in the Chinese market, it’s the 4th largest manufacture in the country. The line-up consists of a mixture of vehicles from emerging markets and the North American market, however, the most popular model was the Elantra compact sedan.

2010 saw Hyundai drop off 700,000 cars, with a majority of vehicles being compact sedans with a small engine displacement.

Myung-Chae said Hyundai will now concentrate on larger vehicles and in order to keep up with local demand, the brand has assembled its third Chinese plant.

“As part of our global brand strategy, we want to focus more on the mid-sized sedan segment this year,” Jung said.