REPORT: Volkswagen interested in small-car partnership with Suzuki, still
Suzuki Alto - Click above for high-res gallery
Just a few months back, Manager Magazin in Germany reported that Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech was interested in procuring a small stake in Suzuki. Those rumors were subsequently denied by Osamu Suzuki, chief executive of the automaker that bears his name.
News comes today from the same source that there may have been a bit more truth to those initial rumors than Suzuki was willing to admit. Says VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, "Suzuki would be an interesting partner because of its competency in small cars." As before, the German magazine suggests that Volkswagen would either purchase a 10-percent stake in Suzuki or enter into a joint venture for the production of small cars for emerging markets.
Of course, even if there have been talks between VW and Suzuki, the German automaker already has plenty on its plate at the moment in the form of a merger with longtime partner Porsche. Perhaps, then, there's room for Renault, which is also reportedly interested in working with Suzuki on future small car projects.
Gallery: 2009 Suzuki Alto
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tarmacblog 5:05PM (8/24/2009)
Could be interesting. Suzuki must be one of the best "small car" manufacturers in the world. Their small cars worldwide are popular, and I seem to recall hearing that they're the highest-selling manufacturer in the Japanese market. They make literally dozens of different types of Kei-class cars over there and it's a pity we don't see more of those outside of Japan. Perhaps a partnership with Renault or VW will bring a few of these cars West.
Reply
Stew 10:15PM (8/24/2009)
What is with this new design trend where the headlight/parking light assembly almost reaches the a-pillar? Yuk.
Stew
Reply
BerksPA 10:54AM (8/25/2009)
VW and Suzuki collaborating? I guess that will save potential buyers the difficulty of choosing the car ranked 'dead last' or 'second to dead last' in the JD Power dependability study.
Reply