Latest news with #Dillon
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Australia isn't ready for EVs, says Suzuki distributor boss
Many Australians – particularly those in regional areas – simply aren't ready for electric vehicles (EVs), argues the boss of Suzuki Auto Co, the Japanese brand's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales. "I just don't think the Australian market wants them [EVs]," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Whilst the government wants everybody to have them, does everybody want to have one?" He argued EVs and emissions in general are "not a big concern for people in Australia, otherwise the number one selling car in Australia wouldn't be a three-ton 4×4 pickup". CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Despite this, Suzuki is introducing an EV to Australia – the eVitara, which is due to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. Suzuki Queensland expects to offer it too, even if it cites a lack of enthusiasm from dealers in the Sunshine State. "[It] certainly is the intention [to offer the eVitara]. We're still waiting on final numbers from Japan," he said. "At the very least we've got pilot vehicles coming, and it's certainly our intention assuming the numbers from Japan stack up." Suzuki dealers will have charging facilities, but that's because generally Suzuki dealers are part of a multi-franchise operation. Therefore, Suzuki vehicles are typically sold alongside vehicles from other brands that do offer EVs. Mr Dillon doesn't expect strong demand in regional areas within the Sunshine State because of the long distances many vehicle owners drive. "I don't know if you've been to North Queensland, but if you get up there nobody too much is interested at all [in EVs]," said Mr Dillon. "If your kids play sports and you live in Cairns, at any sort of level, they might be playing a team in Townsville or Charters Towers, somewhere like that. "For their Saturday sport, you've got to think Friday night 'Have I got enough charge to get to Townsville?' It's three hundred and something kilometres – and then get back. "'Do I need to book to drive to Townsville, book accommodation, stay overnight, drive back the next day?' So your Saturday sport then becomes a weekend." When asked whether this specific regional example applies to customers in cities like Brisbane, Mr Dillon said: "There's still a lot of people down here, like a lot of our dealers that we talk to, that won't trade an electric car." And he says Suzuki buyers "aren't really early-adopter kind of [buyers]". "We haven't done direct surveys [about EV enthusiasm] or anything like that, but I think you'll find Suzuki customers generally speaking aren't cutting-edge," he said. He argued that EVs make more sense as urban runabouts. "If you're going to have an electric car, is a city car a better option rather than trying to hope that it's going to be somebody's everyday car," he said. "If you take away the goal of trying to achieve 1000km, if you're only going to use this car in the city, you'd only need to have a range of, whatever the number is, 200km or something. "If you can make that more affordable for that purpose, to me that probably is a more sensible discussion on electric cars than trying to think everybody's going to have an electric car for every use." Nevertheless, Suzuki Queensland is likely to offer an EV soon, though a full hybrid isn't on the table as the distributor has ruled out offering the Vitara Hybrid that will be released in other states in the first quarter of 2026. "We're certainly not at the leading edge of [hybrid] technology either," he said. Suzuki launched its first mild-hybrid model in Australia in 2024 with the Swift, but it has never offered a full hybrid in this country despite such a powertrain being available for a few years now in markets such as Europe. Still, Suzuki has been slower to embrace electrification than many rivals. "Suzuki is that kind of brand that they will test and test and test until they know people aren't going to have problems with their vehicles. They're super conservative in that," said Mr Dillon. "They want to make sure customers have a good experience when they buy a Suzuki product. They don't want to bring a product to market that's maybe got some question marks about reliability. "Suzuki's more inclined to go, 'How can we make this car as efficient as possible?' And weight is… if you follow Formula 1, saving an ounce here might mean a kilometre an hour down the straight or something like that. The less weight you've got, the less mass you've got to push, the less energy you need to use to push that mass." MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss Content originally sourced from: Many Australians – particularly those in regional areas – simply aren't ready for electric vehicles (EVs), argues the boss of Suzuki Auto Co, the Japanese brand's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales. "I just don't think the Australian market wants them [EVs]," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Whilst the government wants everybody to have them, does everybody want to have one?" He argued EVs and emissions in general are "not a big concern for people in Australia, otherwise the number one selling car in Australia wouldn't be a three-ton 4×4 pickup". CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Despite this, Suzuki is introducing an EV to Australia – the eVitara, which is due to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. Suzuki Queensland expects to offer it too, even if it cites a lack of enthusiasm from dealers in the Sunshine State. "[It] certainly is the intention [to offer the eVitara]. We're still waiting on final numbers from Japan," he said. "At the very least we've got pilot vehicles coming, and it's certainly our intention assuming the numbers from Japan stack up." Suzuki dealers will have charging facilities, but that's because generally Suzuki dealers are part of a multi-franchise operation. Therefore, Suzuki vehicles are typically sold alongside vehicles from other brands that do offer EVs. Mr Dillon doesn't expect strong demand in regional areas within the Sunshine State because of the long distances many vehicle owners drive. "I don't know if you've been to North Queensland, but if you get up there nobody too much is interested at all [in EVs]," said Mr Dillon. "If your kids play sports and you live in Cairns, at any sort of level, they might be playing a team in Townsville or Charters Towers, somewhere like that. "For their Saturday sport, you've got to think Friday night 'Have I got enough charge to get to Townsville?' It's three hundred and something kilometres – and then get back. "'Do I need to book to drive to Townsville, book accommodation, stay overnight, drive back the next day?' So your Saturday sport then becomes a weekend." When asked whether this specific regional example applies to customers in cities like Brisbane, Mr Dillon said: "There's still a lot of people down here, like a lot of our dealers that we talk to, that won't trade an electric car." And he says Suzuki buyers "aren't really early-adopter kind of [buyers]". "We haven't done direct surveys [about EV enthusiasm] or anything like that, but I think you'll find Suzuki customers generally speaking aren't cutting-edge," he said. He argued that EVs make more sense as urban runabouts. "If you're going to have an electric car, is a city car a better option rather than trying to hope that it's going to be somebody's everyday car," he said. "If you take away the goal of trying to achieve 1000km, if you're only going to use this car in the city, you'd only need to have a range of, whatever the number is, 200km or something. "If you can make that more affordable for that purpose, to me that probably is a more sensible discussion on electric cars than trying to think everybody's going to have an electric car for every use." Nevertheless, Suzuki Queensland is likely to offer an EV soon, though a full hybrid isn't on the table as the distributor has ruled out offering the Vitara Hybrid that will be released in other states in the first quarter of 2026. "We're certainly not at the leading edge of [hybrid] technology either," he said. Suzuki launched its first mild-hybrid model in Australia in 2024 with the Swift, but it has never offered a full hybrid in this country despite such a powertrain being available for a few years now in markets such as Europe. Still, Suzuki has been slower to embrace electrification than many rivals. "Suzuki is that kind of brand that they will test and test and test until they know people aren't going to have problems with their vehicles. They're super conservative in that," said Mr Dillon. "They want to make sure customers have a good experience when they buy a Suzuki product. They don't want to bring a product to market that's maybe got some question marks about reliability. "Suzuki's more inclined to go, 'How can we make this car as efficient as possible?' And weight is… if you follow Formula 1, saving an ounce here might mean a kilometre an hour down the straight or something like that. The less weight you've got, the less mass you've got to push, the less energy you need to use to push that mass." MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss Content originally sourced from: Many Australians – particularly those in regional areas – simply aren't ready for electric vehicles (EVs), argues the boss of Suzuki Auto Co, the Japanese brand's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales. "I just don't think the Australian market wants them [EVs]," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Whilst the government wants everybody to have them, does everybody want to have one?" He argued EVs and emissions in general are "not a big concern for people in Australia, otherwise the number one selling car in Australia wouldn't be a three-ton 4×4 pickup". CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Despite this, Suzuki is introducing an EV to Australia – the eVitara, which is due to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. Suzuki Queensland expects to offer it too, even if it cites a lack of enthusiasm from dealers in the Sunshine State. "[It] certainly is the intention [to offer the eVitara]. We're still waiting on final numbers from Japan," he said. "At the very least we've got pilot vehicles coming, and it's certainly our intention assuming the numbers from Japan stack up." Suzuki dealers will have charging facilities, but that's because generally Suzuki dealers are part of a multi-franchise operation. Therefore, Suzuki vehicles are typically sold alongside vehicles from other brands that do offer EVs. Mr Dillon doesn't expect strong demand in regional areas within the Sunshine State because of the long distances many vehicle owners drive. "I don't know if you've been to North Queensland, but if you get up there nobody too much is interested at all [in EVs]," said Mr Dillon. "If your kids play sports and you live in Cairns, at any sort of level, they might be playing a team in Townsville or Charters Towers, somewhere like that. "For their Saturday sport, you've got to think Friday night 'Have I got enough charge to get to Townsville?' It's three hundred and something kilometres – and then get back. "'Do I need to book to drive to Townsville, book accommodation, stay overnight, drive back the next day?' So your Saturday sport then becomes a weekend." When asked whether this specific regional example applies to customers in cities like Brisbane, Mr Dillon said: "There's still a lot of people down here, like a lot of our dealers that we talk to, that won't trade an electric car." And he says Suzuki buyers "aren't really early-adopter kind of [buyers]". "We haven't done direct surveys [about EV enthusiasm] or anything like that, but I think you'll find Suzuki customers generally speaking aren't cutting-edge," he said. He argued that EVs make more sense as urban runabouts. "If you're going to have an electric car, is a city car a better option rather than trying to hope that it's going to be somebody's everyday car," he said. "If you take away the goal of trying to achieve 1000km, if you're only going to use this car in the city, you'd only need to have a range of, whatever the number is, 200km or something. "If you can make that more affordable for that purpose, to me that probably is a more sensible discussion on electric cars than trying to think everybody's going to have an electric car for every use." Nevertheless, Suzuki Queensland is likely to offer an EV soon, though a full hybrid isn't on the table as the distributor has ruled out offering the Vitara Hybrid that will be released in other states in the first quarter of 2026. "We're certainly not at the leading edge of [hybrid] technology either," he said. Suzuki launched its first mild-hybrid model in Australia in 2024 with the Swift, but it has never offered a full hybrid in this country despite such a powertrain being available for a few years now in markets such as Europe. Still, Suzuki has been slower to embrace electrification than many rivals. "Suzuki is that kind of brand that they will test and test and test until they know people aren't going to have problems with their vehicles. They're super conservative in that," said Mr Dillon. "They want to make sure customers have a good experience when they buy a Suzuki product. They don't want to bring a product to market that's maybe got some question marks about reliability. "Suzuki's more inclined to go, 'How can we make this car as efficient as possible?' And weight is… if you follow Formula 1, saving an ounce here might mean a kilometre an hour down the straight or something like that. The less weight you've got, the less mass you've got to push, the less energy you need to use to push that mass." MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss Content originally sourced from: Many Australians – particularly those in regional areas – simply aren't ready for electric vehicles (EVs), argues the boss of Suzuki Auto Co, the Japanese brand's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales. "I just don't think the Australian market wants them [EVs]," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Whilst the government wants everybody to have them, does everybody want to have one?" He argued EVs and emissions in general are "not a big concern for people in Australia, otherwise the number one selling car in Australia wouldn't be a three-ton 4×4 pickup". CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Despite this, Suzuki is introducing an EV to Australia – the eVitara, which is due to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. Suzuki Queensland expects to offer it too, even if it cites a lack of enthusiasm from dealers in the Sunshine State. "[It] certainly is the intention [to offer the eVitara]. We're still waiting on final numbers from Japan," he said. "At the very least we've got pilot vehicles coming, and it's certainly our intention assuming the numbers from Japan stack up." Suzuki dealers will have charging facilities, but that's because generally Suzuki dealers are part of a multi-franchise operation. Therefore, Suzuki vehicles are typically sold alongside vehicles from other brands that do offer EVs. Mr Dillon doesn't expect strong demand in regional areas within the Sunshine State because of the long distances many vehicle owners drive. "I don't know if you've been to North Queensland, but if you get up there nobody too much is interested at all [in EVs]," said Mr Dillon. "If your kids play sports and you live in Cairns, at any sort of level, they might be playing a team in Townsville or Charters Towers, somewhere like that. "For their Saturday sport, you've got to think Friday night 'Have I got enough charge to get to Townsville?' It's three hundred and something kilometres – and then get back. "'Do I need to book to drive to Townsville, book accommodation, stay overnight, drive back the next day?' So your Saturday sport then becomes a weekend." When asked whether this specific regional example applies to customers in cities like Brisbane, Mr Dillon said: "There's still a lot of people down here, like a lot of our dealers that we talk to, that won't trade an electric car." And he says Suzuki buyers "aren't really early-adopter kind of [buyers]". "We haven't done direct surveys [about EV enthusiasm] or anything like that, but I think you'll find Suzuki customers generally speaking aren't cutting-edge," he said. He argued that EVs make more sense as urban runabouts. "If you're going to have an electric car, is a city car a better option rather than trying to hope that it's going to be somebody's everyday car," he said. "If you take away the goal of trying to achieve 1000km, if you're only going to use this car in the city, you'd only need to have a range of, whatever the number is, 200km or something. "If you can make that more affordable for that purpose, to me that probably is a more sensible discussion on electric cars than trying to think everybody's going to have an electric car for every use." Nevertheless, Suzuki Queensland is likely to offer an EV soon, though a full hybrid isn't on the table as the distributor has ruled out offering the Vitara Hybrid that will be released in other states in the first quarter of 2026. "We're certainly not at the leading edge of [hybrid] technology either," he said. Suzuki launched its first mild-hybrid model in Australia in 2024 with the Swift, but it has never offered a full hybrid in this country despite such a powertrain being available for a few years now in markets such as Europe. Still, Suzuki has been slower to embrace electrification than many rivals. "Suzuki is that kind of brand that they will test and test and test until they know people aren't going to have problems with their vehicles. They're super conservative in that," said Mr Dillon. "They want to make sure customers have a good experience when they buy a Suzuki product. They don't want to bring a product to market that's maybe got some question marks about reliability. "Suzuki's more inclined to go, 'How can we make this car as efficient as possible?' And weight is… if you follow Formula 1, saving an ounce here might mean a kilometre an hour down the straight or something like that. The less weight you've got, the less mass you've got to push, the less energy you need to use to push that mass." MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss Content originally sourced from:
The Advertiser
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Suzuki Vitara, S-Cross axed in major Australian market
Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. "At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it]," he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? "Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market," explained Mr Dillon. "There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve," Mr Dillon continued. Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: "it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up". Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. "They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid," said Mr Dillon. "We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. "They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year." The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples. MORE: Explore the Suzuki Vitara showroom MORE: Explore the Suzuki S-Cross showroom Content originally sourced from: Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. "At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it]," he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? "Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market," explained Mr Dillon. "There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve," Mr Dillon continued. Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: "it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up". Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. "They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid," said Mr Dillon. "We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. "They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year." The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples. MORE: Explore the Suzuki Vitara showroom MORE: Explore the Suzuki S-Cross showroom Content originally sourced from: Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. "At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it]," he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? "Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market," explained Mr Dillon. "There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve," Mr Dillon continued. Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: "it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up". Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. "They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid," said Mr Dillon. "We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. "They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year." The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples. MORE: Explore the Suzuki Vitara showroom MORE: Explore the Suzuki S-Cross showroom Content originally sourced from: Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. "At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back," Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. "Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it]," he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? "Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market," explained Mr Dillon. "There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve," Mr Dillon continued. Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: "it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up". Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. "They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid," said Mr Dillon. "We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. "They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year." The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples. MORE: Explore the Suzuki Vitara showroom MORE: Explore the Suzuki S-Cross showroom Content originally sourced from:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Richard Childress' Frustration Boils Over, Sends Dire Warning: ‘We Are in Trouble'
Richard Childress' Frustration Boils Over, Sends Dire Warning: 'We Are in Trouble' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kyle Busch finished 11th on Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway. Austin Dillon finished 15th. Through 21 races, the No. 8 driver has recorded 14 top 20s and seven top 10s, including a pair of top 5s. The most recent was his fifth-place effort in the streets of Chicago two weeks ago. In the same time frame, Dillon, the No. 3 driver, has earned 11 top 20s, three top 10s and no top fives. Translation: The Richard Childress Racing cars haven't been running near the front all season. Moments after the end of the race at the Monster Mile, Childress' frustrations unexpectedly boiled over. The 79-year-old team owner didn't sugarcoat his feelings about the two-car organization's performance. 'Gotta get some race cars,' the NASCAR Hall of Famer said over the No. 8 team radio. "We are in trouble. Period.' While Childress has been known to share his feelings over the team radio, there wasn't anything notable during the race that might have precipitated such a dire warning. More interestingly, the two-car team's 2025 statistics are on pace to be better than the 2024 numbers. For the entire 36-race schedule last year, Busch had 16 top 20s (five more than through this season's 21 races so far), 10 top 10s (three more) and five top fives (three more). Both his average starting and finishing positions are better this year. Dillon, Childress' grandson, has performed similarly. He scored 13 top 20s (two more than current season), five top 10s (two more) and a single top five (one more). That top five was his controversial win at Richmond, where he took out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap. He has also improved his average starting and finishing position numbers in the 2025 campaign. Another interesting layer to the story is while Childress was clearly unhappy with his two-car organization, his other grandson, Ty, was in a celebratory mood and being congratulated by the garage for pulling off the improbable once again. He beat John Hunter Nemechek and advanced to the final of the in-season tournament challenge. He will face off next week at Indianapolis against Ty Gibbs, another well-known grandson of a team owner. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
7NEWS
a day ago
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Suzuki Vitara, S-Cross axed in major Australian market
Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. 'At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back,' Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. 'Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. 'They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it],' he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? 'Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market,' explained Mr Dillon. 'There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve,' Mr Dillon continued. Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: 'it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up'. Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. 'They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid,' said Mr Dillon. 'We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. 'They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year.' The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Suzuki Vitara, S-Cross axed in major Australian market
Suzuki may be bringing a traditional 'full' hybrid version of its Vitara to Australia, but it won't be offered in Queensland or the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Likewise, in this part of the country the axe has fallen on Suzuki's other small SUV, the S-Cross. 'At this stage, once our current stock of Vitara and S-Cross is gone, we don't intend to bring it back,' Suzuki Queensland general manager Paul Dillon told CarExpert. 'Maybe down the track [if] Suzuki come up with another upgrade, we might review it down the track. But at this stage, we're not planning on bringing Vitara and S-Cross back. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'They do have a hybrid version, but we're not planning on [bringing it],' he added, noting the Vitara Hybrid had already been confirmed for a first-quarter 2026 launch by Suzuki Australia. But why is Suzuki Queensland axing two small SUVs when the segment has continued to grow? 'Vitara has been in our market for quite a while, so it's not a decision we've made lightly. But we have to assess what works in our market, and at the moment Vitara Hybrid on paper doesn't work in our market,' explained Mr Dillon. 'There wasn't a lot of demand for [the Vitara Hybrid], and if you look at VFACTS that's an extremely competitive segment of the market and it just wasn't selling the volume we needed to sell and wasn't achieving the goals we needed to achieve,' Mr Dillon continued. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Shipments to Australia of the petrol-powered Vitara and S-Cross ceased earlier this year because the outgoing models were not compliant with new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) surrounding autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It's expected that when shipments of the Vitara resume, they will be solely hybrid-powered vehicles, with petrol Vitaras axed nationwide. The S-Cross' Australian future appears less certain, with Suzuki Australia not confirming local launch timing. That will leave Suzuki Queensland showrooms with just three models: the Jimny compact off-roader, Swift light hatch, and the just-launched Fronx light SUV. Supplied Credit: CarExpert The Ignis and Swift Sport have been axed nationwide, and Suzuki is running out existing stock. The eVitara electric SUV's launch in Queensland isn't set in stone, though Mr Dillon said: 'it's certainly our intention [to release it] assuming the numbers from Japan stack up'. Suzuki Australia, in contrast, has confirmed the electric SUV for release in the first quarter of 2026. While Suzuki is losing models locally, the company's Queensland distributor has teased new product in the pipeline. 'They've come out and shown us some product. It's probably too early for us to talk about at this stage, but another SUV that kind of looks like the eVitara but maybe not electric. Hybrid,' said Mr Dillon. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'We've certainly asked for consideration of that car when it becomes available. It's still in development at this stage. 'They've got another light electric car coming down the path, maybe another year.' The current, Hungarian-built S-Cross launched here in 2022, but it was a heavy update of a model that entered production in 2013. Suzuki Australia had previously confirmed it would bring a hybrid version of the S-Cross to Australia in 2024, but it never eventuated. The Vitara is almost as old, entering production in 2015 and receiving a Series II update in 2019. Supplied Credit: CarExpert ABOVE: Updated Vitara Hybrid A hybrid version was also confirmed for a 2024 launch, before being delayed to the first quarter of 2025 and then to the first quarter of 2026. In the UK, the Vitara Hybrid features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 75kW of power and 101Nm of torque, mated with a 24.6kW electric motor and a six-speed automated manual transmission. It's offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Claimed fuel economy is between 5.0L/100km and 5.6L/100km, but it's significantly slower than the 1.4-litre mild-hybrid also offered in the UK. Suzuki UK claims a 0-100km/h time of 12.7 seconds with front-wheel drive and 13.5 seconds with all-wheel drive, against sprint times of 9.5 and 10.2 seconds for the mild-hybrid. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Both the Vitara and S-Cross sit in the Small SUV segment in VFACTS sales reports, but the Vitara has always been a stronger seller in Australia. Last year Suzuki recorded 2934 deliveries nationwide of the Vitara (up 45.5 per cent) against 706 for the S-Cross (up 18.1 per cent). That saw the Vitara outsell rivals like the Toyota C-HR (2828) and Skoda Kamiq (1284), and record its best sales year since 2022 when Suzuki shifted 3114 examples. MORE: Explore the Suzuki Vitara showroom MORE: Explore the Suzuki S-Cross showroom
