At the 78th Geneva International Motor Show, to be held from 4–16 March 2008, Suzuki will be exhibiting a series of models that include the Concept A-Star minicar (premiered at the Auto Expo 2008 in New Delhi, India), the Splash (seen it already in Frankfurt), the Concept Kizashi and Concept Kizashi 2 (seen in Frankfurt and Tokyo respectively) and finally the SX4 WRC car with which Suzuki will join its first full season of the World Rally Championship this year. Guess that’s one stand we’ll bypass faster than the speed of light

Japanese consumers just love classic European minis. In fact they love them so much that they have created replica kits for about every famous Euro mini that you can think of. At this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, the Japanese tuning firm “DAMD” presented a Renault replica 4L kit for use on the Suzuki Lapin mini (a JDM retro-looking kei hatch). The 4L which is pronounced “Quatrelle” in French, was Renault’s answer to the Citroen 2CV. It was presented in 1961 and it remained in production for 33 years until 1994. Renault managed to sell more than eight million 4Ls in more than 200 countries.

This illustration picturing the upcoming 2009 Suzuki Equator pick up is featured in the March/April issue of Truck Trend. We’re not sure how close the artists rendering is to the actual model that will make its debut at the Chicago Autoshow in February, but we thought it was worth while sharing with you. Suzuki’s first ever midsize truck that will go on sale in the States later this year is based on the Nissan Frontier and it will be built at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Not even 24 hours past after a scanned picture featuring an illustration of the 2009 Equator started circulating in the net, and Suzuki took the decision to release a high-resolution official rendering of their upcoming mid-size truck prior to the vehicle’s debut at the Chicago Autoshow in February. The only official information we have for the time being is that the Equator is based on the Nissan Frontier and it will be built at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna this fall.

According to a report from the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Suzuki is planning to unveil a third iteration of its Kizashi mid-size sedan concept in New York this March. The same report suggests that the Kizashi 3 will will be powered by a V8 engine driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 Kizashi 1 and Kizashi 2 predecessors that where unveiled at the Frankfurt and Tokyo Auto Show respectively, in late 2007. Guess we’ll have to wait until March to see if those Dutch folks are right or not.

The introduction of the Equator at the Chicago Auto Show marks Suzuki’s first entry into the midsize pickup truck market expanding the company’s offerings into a popular segment of the US market. Suzuki however had a “little” help from Nissan as the Equator is nothing more than a rebadged and remasked version of the Frontier. It will be built alongside it at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.

At the Chicago Show, Suzuki presented three modified versions of the Equator, the RMZ-4, Quay and Quad Concepts. The production version, which is expected to go on sale at the end of the year, will be offered with a choice of two engines, a 2.5-liter inline four with 152 HP and 171 lb.-ft. of torque or an optional 4.0-liter, V6 engine producing 261 HP with 281 lb.-ft. of torque.

Prices for Suzuki’s all-new Splash mini-MPV, which goes on sale in the UK on March 8, will start from £8,999 for the 1.2 GLS model rising to £9,499 for the 1.2 GLS+, which adds 15 inch alloys, front foglamps and privacy glass on the rear side windows and tailgate. Both versions are powered by an 86 PS 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The GLS+ model can also be equipped with a 4-speed automatic, priced £10,349.

Along with the first crash test ratings on pick-up trucks (see here), Euro NCAP today also issued the results for the Suzuki Splash, Daihatsu Terios, Renault Kangoo, Citroën C5 and the BMW X3. From these models, the Citroën C5 was the only car that managed to obtain a perfect five star rating in adult occupant protection with the Suzuki Splash, Renault Kangoo, BMW X3 and Daihatsu Terios all scoring four stars.

The Japanese carmaker confirmed earlier reports (see here) today about the unveiling of a third iteration of the Kizashi Concept series at the upcoming New York International Show later this month. According to Suzuki, the Kizashi 3 not only represents the completion of the concept series but most importantly, it will provide us with a closer-to-production vision of a future sport sedan offering from the Japanese carmaker. Also on stand in New York will be the other two concepts of the series, the Kizashi 1, which made its debut at the 2007 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, and the Kizashi 2, unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show last October.

Suzuki took the wraps off the third and final iteration of its Kizashi concept series at the New York Auto Show today. The Kizashi series began with the Kizashi 1 that made its debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Show, and the Kizashi 2 which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The Kizashi 3 however is the closest-to-production variation of the Concept Kizashi series which, according to Suzuki, will arrive to North American dealers by 2010.