Suzuki planning European model offensive

A new report coming out of England indicates that Suzuki will launch a slew of new models over the coming years in order to increase its share of the European market.

The Japanese automaker will take on the Volkswagen up! with a pint-sized city car that will replace the Alto and the Splash, two aging models that have been consistently losing ground to more modern rivals over the past few years.  The firm is also considering building a production version of the wild G70 concept car that debuted under the Regina nameplate at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, and a tall MPV that will compete against the Nissan Note will be introduced over the next two years.

One of the most important upcoming new models is a yet-unnamed crossover that will borrow its platform from the recently-unveiled second-gen SX4 and fight in the same arena as the Nissan Juke.  Scheduled to land in showrooms in 2015 at the earliest, the crossover will wear a more dynamic look than the SX4 and it will be highly-customizable in order to cater to a young and trendy target audience.  It will be offered with a wide array of gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines, and both front- and all-wheel drive models will be available.

The Grand Vitara, the Kizashi sedan and the rugged 15-year old Jimny will carry on with only minor changes.

Suzuki hopes that the new models will enable it to sell 40,000 cars a year in the United Kingdom, its largest market in Europe.