Suzuki Kizashi Sedan Heading to Germany this Fall

Already on sale in Japan and the USA, the new Suzuki Kizashi saloon has now been confirmed for sale in Germany. The completely new medium size sedan which ushers in a fresh era for Suzuki is scheduled to arrive at dealerships across the country in October this year.

In Germany, the five-seater, four-door saloon will be a challenger to models like the Volkswagen Passat, Opel Insignia, Citroen C5, Seat Exeo (previous Audi A4) and the Toyota Avensis.

Unlike its chief rivals, the 4.65-meter-long Suzuki Kizashi won't be offered with a diesel option as the only available powertrain during launch will be a 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine producing 178HP and 230Nm of peak torque, and matted to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a CVT.

However, a petrol/electric hybrid version is planned to be introduced next year, while a diesel variant (quite possibly with the help of Suzuki's new partner, the VW Group) may be introduced later.

German pricing for the Kizashi is to be announced closer to car's launch date.

SCOOP: New Suzuki Swift Spied at the Nurburgring

Our spy photographers have scooped the next generation of the Suzuki Swift supermini during testing at the Nurburgring race circuit in Germany.

Even though the Japanese automaker's people did a pretty good job of bagging the prototype, it's not hard to see that the new Swift will keep its MINI-like design feel. However, the pictures suggest that it will boast larger and more prominent head- and tail lamps.

We don't have any details about the powertrain options, but buyers should expect a range of mainstream four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, as well as a more potent unit for the flagship Sport model.

It remains to be seen if Suzuki's recent tie-up with the Volkswagen Group will affect the powertrain offerings in the new Swift.

It is expected that the 2011 Suzuki Swift will be launched in production form at this year's Paris Motor Show in early September, with sales to start in Europe and other parts of the world by early 2011.

From what we've heard, there's also a strong possibility that Suzuki may bring the new Swift to North America where it will compete head on with the likes of the Toyota Yaris and the forthcoming 2011 Chevrolet Aveo.