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Late Sunday night, Mazda issued a press release from the mothership in Japan touting the arrival of the new home-market AZ-Wagon kei car. Those of you who paid attention to Autoblog last week may be experiencing twinges of deja vu as you look at the enclosed photos. Yes, you have seen this car before: the new Mazda AZ-Wagon is simply a rebadged version of the new Suzuki Wagon R, just like it was before. The regular AZ-Wagon is the standard Wagon R, while the AZ-Wagon Custom Style (above) is the Wagon R Stingray. We’d happily sign up for one, but alas, Mazda’s Stateside rebadge-o-rama is limited to the Tribute and B-Series.

Truck Trend is quickly becoming a thorn in the side of a couple automakers, first by spilling the beans about the 2009 HUMMER H3T in its March/April issue, and now by revealing details about the new Suzuki Equator in the same issue. The rebadged Nissan Frontier is set to make its official debut next week at the Chicago Auto Show, and the illustration provided by Truck Trend is apparently a dead-ringer for the production model. We’ll have to wait until next week for all the details, but Jalopnik was kind enough to post a scan of the yet-to-be-released pickup. You’re looking at it.

[Source: Truck Trends via Jalopnik]

When Suzuki launched the SX4, we couldn’t help thinking that the oddly shaped hatch had some aftermarket potential. Suzuki seemed to think the same thing and tapped Road Race Motorsports, the renowned SoCal tuning firm, to create a one-off concept for the Chicago Auto Show. Road Race decided that it could do better than just some wheels, brakes, a body kit and a few engine mods, so its created the SX4t, a turbocharged version of the all-wheel-drive hatch that could mark the beginning of Suzuki’s ascendancy into the aftermarket.

Road Race fitted a Mitsubishi 16G GT3 turbocharger onto the 2.0-liter four-pot, which delivers seven pounds of boost and increases output to 221 hp and 208 lb.-ft. of torque, a substantial bump over the stock mill’s 143 hp and 136 lb.-ft. of torque. According to Suzuki, that should drop 0-60 times to under seven seconds when equipped with the five-speed manual.

More impressive, however, is that Suzuki is giving Road Race its blessing and that could mean that the turbo upgrade, along with plenty of other go-fast bits, could be available from your local Suzuki dealership. The cost of the turbo kit, with all the necessary plumbing, will come in at relatively steep $5,400 when it goes on sale this June. Suzuki estimates that the installation would run between $1,100 and $1,200 at the dealership, but wouldn’t say if fitting the kit would affect the seven-year/100,000 factory warranty on the powertrain. While dropping close to $10-grand on an SX4 for wheels, brakes and engine mods might be a tough pill to swallow, it will have to suffice for Suzuki enthusiasts hoping that the automaker would release a rally-inspired2008 SUZUKI SX4t CROSSOVER CONCEPT

The Vision
Catering to requests from auto enthusiasts, Suzuki is taking the SX4 Crossover’s outstanding capability to the next level in performance. The SX4’s unit structure and standard all-wheel drive can handle additional horsepower, so in partnership with Road Race Motorsports, the SX4’s 2.0 liter DOHC four was upfitted with Road Race’s proprietary turbo kit, the chassis was improved with sport springs, and wheels and tires grew to 17-inch.

Suzuki’s J20A engine is equipped with a 16G GT3 Turbo and Tial 38mm wastegate. With seven pounds of boost, the engine’s stock 143 class-leading horsepower and 136 lb-ft of torque are upgraded to 221 horsepower and 208 lb-ft of torque.

Helping to control this significant upgrade in horsepower are Road Race’s GRIP springs and performance brake pads. An oil filler cap and battery tie-down – in billet – are supplied by Suzuki’s in-house parts group, SWT.

Less is more
Simplifying some of the exterior lines and removing the roof rack resulted in a sleek, unified appearance. To stay and look cool, Road Race installed its own CarbonTrix carbon fiber hood, and provided the SX4’s roof and A, B, C and D pillars with a complimentary dark metallic gray finish. Suzuki’s Quicksilver metallic remains the primary color south of the greenhouse, visually meshing with Rota’s 17-inch five-spoke rims.

With a subtle approach to visual differentiation on the outside, Suzuki kept the interior similarly low key. Front seats benefit from a custom bolster, and both front and rear seats are recovered, featuring new fabric inserts which continue the exterior’s silver metallic theme. To further accentuate the SX4’s performance intent, the driver’s contact points are enhanced by a sport steering wheel, taken directly from a Suzuki Swift, and SWT’s drilled pedal set.

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The Rockford Fosgate audio system features an enhanced amp, speakers and subwoofer. And when not reaching for the audio knob, manual transmission enthusiasts will enjoy the sequential feel provided by Road Race’s billet shift lever controlling the SX4’s five forward gears.

With a genuine boost under the hood, and the enhanced drivetrain clothed in a discreet cosmetic treatment, the Suzuki concept speaks to the ongoing desire of motorists everywhere to go about their business quickly, albeit quietly.

Technical Specifications
Mechanical:
• Turbocharged and intercooled J20A engine featuring 16G GT3 Turbo and Tial 38mm Wastegate
• 221 horsepower (5,100 rpm) and 208 lb-ft of torque (3,800 rpm)
• 2.0 liter DOHC four requires PREMIUM fuel
• Road Race Motorsports GRIP springs
• Road Race performance brake pads

Exterior:
• CarbonTrix carbon fiber vented hood
• Rota five-spoke Torque wheels – 17 X 7.5
• Yokohama Advan Neova tires – 225/45/R17 91W
• Removal of factory cladding
• Removal of factory roof rack and mounting studs

Interior:
• JDM Suzuki Swift steering wheel
• Rockford Fosgate audio system, with upgraded amp, speakers and subwoofer
• Road Race sequential-style shift knob
• Custom bolster in front seats
• Custom seat fabric inserts
• SWT billet drilled pedal set

Suzuki SX4t Concept assembled by Road Race Motorsports, Santa Fe Springs, CA.

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In the United States, Suzuki is more known for its superlative motorcycles than mainstream automobiles. It is a notion that has even been played upon by the manufacturer’s marketing department in recent commercials. In other parts of the world though, particularly in places where small cars garner more of a following, the small Japanese compacts are popular enough to get their own race series. The inaugural Suzuki Swift Sport Cup kicked off in New Zealand back last November and culminated last month. Next up on the calendar, the United Kingdom gets a taste of the 1.6L 123-hp hatch in its own Swift Cup. The kiwi version utilized tarmac tracks, but the UK cars are optimized for dirt. This weekend will see seven identical Monster Sport Europe-built vehicles battling it out on part of the Pirelli International Rally course, the first of six rounds for the cup.

The low operation costs of the series and the accompanying television deal makes for an attractive package for participants, not to mention the high point prize. The overall championship winner also gets a fully funded ride in the 2008 Wales Rally GB WRC race. The vehicle entry will be a Suzuki Swift Super 1600, of course.

[Source: AutoMotoPortal.com]