The mid-size sedan market is one of the most popular in the U.S., but tough economic conditions could be causing Suzuki to have second thoughts about joining the lucrative segment. The Japanese automaker planned to join the ranks of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord with is Kizashi sedan, but those plans have been put on hold indefinitely.
According to Reuters, Suzuki has all but cancelled its U.S. Kizashi plans. The Kizashi – which was to be based on Suzuki’s series of Kizashi concepts – was slated to launch as a 2010 model, but dwindling sales and an overall slumping market have indefinitely postponed the model’s launch.
The news that the Kizashi program could be dead in the water comes as quite the surprise as our spy photographers have spotted nearly production-ready prototypes — including a hybrid model — testing in the wild. However, money is clearly tight at Suzuki as the automaker has also announced plans to delay the start of at least two overseas production plants. But without much else to offer besides the SX4, Suzuki might find the going pretty tough in the coming years.
