Suzuki Kizashi Tops U.S. Satisfaction Award, Boosts NZ Sales

18 July 2011

Suzuki Kizashi Tops U.S. Satisfaction Award and Boosts New Zealand Sales

The new Suzuki Kizashi sedan has been awarded a significant North American award for the second consecutive year.

The accolade comes as the highly specified medium size model increases its popularity in the New Zealand market.

Auto Pacific’s 15th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) has ranked the Kizashi number one again in its ownership satisfaction award for 2011.

The Kizashi registered the highest overall satisfaction among all newly purchased or leased mid-size cars sold in the United States.

“This is another great accomplishment for Suzuki’s product development team,” said Steve Younan, American Suzuki’s director of product planning and marketing.

“We are proud of the Kizashi and this recognition from our owners remains a strong testament to the hard work that our engineers and designers have put into this vehicle,” he said.

Kizashi is Suzuki’s largest passenger car model and has been building its popularity along with the global success of the top-selling Swift, SX4 and Grand Vitara models.

In June the Kizashi posted its best sales month year to date in the New Zealand market, as did the 2.0 litre SX4 hatchback and sedan and versatile four-wheel-drive Grand Vitara.

Car Advice Australia recently rated the Kizashi as one of the most underrated medium car in its segment. The independent Australian outlet said the Kizashi felt agile, begged to be driven hard and was one of the best handling cars for the money.

Across the Tasman in New Zealand the Kizashi has been running in third position in private sales in its segment.

In its introductory year in 2010 the Kizashi won three New Zealand motoring awards and was praised for its astonishing attention to detail, refinement and comfort.

Suzuki New Zealand offers five versions of the 2.4-litre twin overhead camshaft-engined Kizashi, including a top specification all wheel drive Sport model. On-road recommended retail prices for the Kizashi start from $35,990 for the GLX with 6-speed manual transmission.

Recent further upgrades have been made to the Kizashi specification with knee airbags on all models, total number of airbags increased to seven, the addition of cruise control on the entry-level version, and standard fitment of Bluetooth capability for the LTD model.

The Kizashi has a top five star NHTSA/ANCAP crash test rating and was given the highest possible rating for its performance in front and side impact crash tests according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States. The car was also awarded a good rating for protection against whiplash injury in rear impact crashes.

ENDS

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