18 July 2011

Suzuki Kizashi Tops U.S. Satisfaction Award and Boosts New Zealand Sales

The new Suzuki Kizashi sedan has been awarded a significant North American award for the second consecutive year.

The accolade comes as the highly specified medium size model increases its popularity in the New Zealand market.

Auto Pacific’s 15th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) has ranked the Kizashi number one again in its ownership satisfaction award for 2011.

The Kizashi registered the highest overall satisfaction among all newly purchased or leased mid-size cars sold in the United States.

“This is another great accomplishment for Suzuki’s product development team,” said Steve Younan, American Suzuki’s director of product planning and marketing.

“We are proud of the Kizashi and this recognition from our owners remains a strong testament to the hard work that our engineers and designers have put into this vehicle,” he said.

Kizashi is Suzuki’s largest passenger car model and has been building its popularity along with the global success of the top-selling Swift, SX4 and Grand Vitara models.

In June the Kizashi posted its best sales month year to date in the New Zealand market, as did the 2.0 litre SX4 hatchback and sedan and versatile four-wheel-drive Grand Vitara.

Car Advice Australia recently rated the Kizashi as one of the most underrated medium car in its segment. The independent Australian outlet said the Kizashi felt agile, begged to be driven hard and was one of the best handling cars for the money.

Across the Tasman in New Zealand the Kizashi has been running in third position in private sales in its segment.

In its introductory year in 2010 the Kizashi won three New Zealand motoring awards and was praised for its astonishing attention to detail, refinement and comfort.

Suzuki New Zealand offers five versions of the 2.4-litre twin overhead camshaft-engined Kizashi, including a top specification all wheel drive Sport model. On-road recommended retail prices for the Kizashi start from $35,990 for the GLX with 6-speed manual transmission.

Recent further upgrades have been made to the Kizashi specification with knee airbags on all models, total number of airbags increased to seven, the addition of cruise control on the entry-level version, and standard fitment of Bluetooth capability for the LTD model.

The Kizashi has a top five star NHTSA/ANCAP crash test rating and was given the highest possible rating for its performance in front and side impact crash tests according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States. The car was also awarded a good rating for protection against whiplash injury in rear impact crashes.

ENDS

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>