Suzuki doesnt have a pickup and it seems tht it wont need to spend a single cent in research and development for one. Instead Suzuki has signed a deal to rebadge Nissan Frontiers as Suzuki Equators. It’s not uncommon nowadays for car manufacturers from different countries to team up together and share vehicle platforms or technical knowledge. But this is a rare occassion where two Japanse manucturers will share not only the same platform but the exact same vehicle and market it in the same country. Of course the Suzuki Equator won’t be a mirror image of the Nissan Frontier. No, Suzuki has extensively modifed the Frontier by replacing the wheels, grille, logo and name. Apparently that’s extensive enough for Suzuki to be able to sell the Equator at a lower price than the Frontier. Who thinks that the Equator wont have as good an interior as the Frontier? At any rate, at least this deal helps Nissan shift more Frontiers now that Suzuki is rebadging them as theirs. Let’s just hope that the Equator doesn’t cut into Frontier’s market too much.
From Suzuki Global website:
Suzuki markets Pickup Truck built by Nissan North America
American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), the sales subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), announced on 11 December that its midsize pickup truck will be produced by Nissan North America, Inc. The truck will be based on Nissanfs Frontier midsize pickup and built at the companyfs manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tenn.
Production of the pickup truck will begin in the fall of 2008. The vehicle will be marketed solely by Suzuki in North America.
In 2006, Suzuki and Nissan announced an agreement to expand the scope of their business collaboration. The pickup is part of that agreement, which also included the supply by Suzuki to Nissan of Alto mini-cars in Japan.