Suzuki Splash

With the Splash, Suzuki Motor Corporation intends to gain a significant market share in this growing market segment in Europe. The Suzuki Splash shared development and production project with the Vauxhall Agila.

According to Suzuki, Splash is not a successor of any specific former Suzuki model, but a completely new car. Consequently, Suzuki has not confirmed that the Splash is the natural replacement of WagonR + (a model which has the same concept). According to Suzuki, the Splash name conveys a fresh, energetic, youthful and full of emotion. Within the global growth strategy of Suzuki, the Splash is already the fourth entirely new model within three years after the launch of Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4.

With identical engineering, the main visual differences between Splash and Agila include different styling of the front (hood, fenders, headlights and bumper) and rear (tailgate, tail lights and bumper)

It has a five-door body which measures (length / width / height: 3.74 / 1.68 / 1.59 m). The Splash uses a version of the Swift's platform, but with a wheelbase 30 mm shorter. The chassis, steering and brakes were adapted to the new parameters in extensive tests that included thousands of miles of testing over various types of European roads, from English cobblestones roads, up the winding tracks of southern Spain, passing through the fast motorways German.

Engines
Splash will make its debut at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September and sales will begin in spring 2008. Customers can choose between three engines, two petrol and one diesel. The petrol units are 100% Suzuki designs and consists of a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder 12-valve with a maximum output of 65 hp, and a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder 16-valve unit with maximum output of 86 hp.

It is manufactured in India under license from Fiat Group Automobiles. All three engines are combined with a gearbox 5-speed. The 86 hp gasoline version will also be available with a 4-speed automatic transmission. All engines comply with Euro 4, with CO2 emissions between 120 and 140g/km in combination with the manual transmission.

The diesel engine will be built at Suzuki's plant in India and is under license from GM Powertrain Europe.

The Suzuki Splash is based on the Suzuki Splash Concept. To get updated information, a group of 10 Suzuki designers from Japan traveled to Germany in January 2004 to spend a period of six months. They discussed European trends in cars, fashion, lifestyle and design. Based on their findings and impressions, then devised three models, called "Clinical cars, which were presented to a public trial. In the end, the audience voted most attractive model.

Security
Active safety devices include ABS, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution and ESP. The corresponding passive safety feature: six airbags (two front, two side and two curtain), car shock absorbing rigid, more safety belts with pretensioners and force limiters for front seats. To improve pedestrian protection the front end of Splash is fitted with energy-absorbing structures.

The Splash will be built in Esztergom, Hungary, Magyar Suzuki Corporation Ltd, a Suzuki subsidiary that already builds Swift, SX4 and Ignis. Suzuki also manufactured at this plant the second generation Agila for Vauxhall. Suzuki has targeted annual sales of approximately 60,000 units throughout Europe. Opened in 1992, the Suzuki factory has produced over one million Suzukis to date.