Suzuki Jimny 2008 News

It's the Suzuki Jimny - also known as the Sierra - and there is no sign yet of of its death.The tiny little off-roader has been sold in 188 countries worldwide and Australia was one of the first, as Suzuki even claims to have invented the recreational four-wheel drive category ahead of Toyota."It's been one of the foundation stones. It's part of Suzuki's DNA. It's gone from a baby workhorse to a recreation four-wheel drive," says Tony Devers, general manager of Suzuki Australia.Work on the Sierra - originally called the LJ10 - began in 1968, when it was powered by a baby 360cc two-stroke engine. But it had a robust ladder chassis with dual-range four-wheel drive. The second-generation LJ20 came to Australia in 1974 and was upgraded to a three-cylinder engine, with a pickup called the Stockman also in the range, from 1975.Development has continued down the years, with bigger engines and a slightly bigger body, but the basics remain the same. Suzuki Australia even re-launched the Jimny Sierra last year with a new price push from $20,490 and claims of category leading fuel economy of just 7.0 litres/100km.It will never win an award for comfort or refinement, but Suzuki says it is still a worthwhile member of the family."We are selling about 1000 a year in Australia. It is now a niche product," says Devers. "What has evolved from the Jimny is the Grand Vitara, and Suzuki's all- wheel drive SX4 models. It's part of the jigsaw puzzle. The beauty of them is that there is a waiting list on the used-car front. People love them for beach work and fishing and that sort of thing."

This year the North American International Auto Show did not disappoint with a huge range of cars – some mildly sensible, some downright ridiculous.One of the more ludicrous offerings was Suzukis’ X-HEAD. Looking more like a Tonka truck than a serious off roader, the X-HEAD is said to have more capability than a mere toy. It combines the off road readiness of the Suzuki Jimny and Grand Vitara with the load-carrying capacity of the Suzuki APV van from Japan.Lexus’ LF-A Roadster is one concept not to be chuckled at however. The engineers and designers at Lexus continue to use their groundbreaking LF-A concept as a medium for expressing their ideas about what a high-performance sporting vehicle not only can be but should be. A very sleek road machine.Sit back and enjoy this image gallery from day 1 of the 2008 Detroit Motor Show to see into the future of the motoring world.