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Suzuki to Use Volkswagen Small-Displacement Engines

Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki is looking into Volkswagen's yard for small-displacement engines, some of which could be installed on its very own models starting in the near future. Developing smaller and more fuel efficient powerplants is one of the simplest ways to meet the growing demand for greener vehicles but, at the same time, it requires a certain amount of resources to be injected to the whole development process.

Suzuki's ace up its sleeve is the deal it has with German auto manufacturer Volkswagen who took control of an 19.9 percent stake in the Japanese brand in 2009. Suzuki intends to borrow some engines designed by Volkswagen and install them on its own models, but no further details have been provided.

Steve Younan, director-marketing and product planning for Suzuki, told wardsauto.com that talks are under way right now, but admitted that the two companies could share platforms and engines for a number of future projects.

“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," he said in a statement.

Separately, Suzuki hopes the new Kizashi will become much more appealing this year and aims to make the new advertisement campaign it launches on the car as profitable as possible.

“We were in launch phase last year, so our sales were growing every month after we launched the car (in December 2009),” Younan said. “As we launch some new advertising this year, we expect to continue that momentum.”
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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