Suzuki develops own satnav

The Japanese company will introduce their sat nav as an option this year in the Kizashi, SX4 and Grand Vitara. 

It will be available in all models except the entry level SX4. Adam Le Fevre, boss of Queensland importers Suzuki Auto Company, says the system is suitable for Australia and New Zealand and will be here a couple of months after production begins in July. 

Le Fevre says the Suzuki sat nav will not be expensive and will not be packaged with an array of other features that will make it more expensive as some other companies have done. The sat nav system will feature a 6.1-inch touch screen display, Bluetooth capability with audio streaming, voice recognition, an AM/FM radio, and downloadable updates and content.

It will also connect with iPod, iPhone, USB, SD and auxiliary players. The Kizashi and Grand Vitara models will feature a built-in reversing camera. Le Fevre says the sat nav system will be one of several updates throughout the year which kicked off this month with the launch of the new Swift Sport.

That will be followed by facelifts for the Jimny mid-year, and Grand Vitara and SX4 in the third quarter. But the biggest news for Suzuki this year is the coming two-wheel-drive version of the Grand Vitara. "I'm not sure whether we will sell more or we will lose sales from four-wheel drive," says Le Fevre.

"It will target metropolitan young families who might have a four-wheel drive now but have never been off-road yet still want a weekend getaway. "About 90 per cent of all SUV owners never get them off the road." 

He says the 2WD version will not dilute the strong off-road credibility of the Grand Vitara nameplate. It will be available only in five-door petrol with similar spec levels to the current Grand Vitara line-up.

"The whole idea is that it will be a cheaper version - about $2000 to $3500 cheaper," Le Fevre says. "The car will appeal to a lot more people than it has in the past." While towing capacity is expected to be reduced, Le Fevre says it should retain a higher capacity than other 2WD models.