Suzuki Shows Concept and Race Vehicles At Los Angeles Auto Show

    LOS ANGELES--Jan. 3, 2002--American Suzuki Motor Corp., an innovative manufacturer of a wide variety of vehicles, displays its new GSX-R/4 concept car and Formula Hayabusa race car for the first time in the United States at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jan. 5-13.
    Both cars combine the best of Suzuki automotive and motorcycle technologies, turning a two-wheel motorcycle into a four-wheel, high-performance concept car and an open-wheel race car.
    The state-of-the-art multi-featured GSX-R/4 concept car is an ultra-light one-of-a-kind vehicle designed to unite driver to machine in a way no other conventional sports car has done before. It offers agile operation of the car and first-rate drivability distinctiveness, utilizing Suzuki's motorcycle expertise in producing high-performance small engines and Suzuki's weight-saving technologies as a manufacturer of automotive vehicles.
    The 1.3-liter engine of the GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycle revs up to its 11,000 rpm redline and with 173 horsepower, the concept car's power is directed through a smooth, hand-shifted six-speed sequential transmission.
    The Formula Hayabusa -- designed for a new Japanese one-make competition series -- is an open-wheel race car built to showcase Suzuki's advanced automotive and motorcycle engineering, and the firm's ability to build affordable high-performance products. The race car -- powered by the engine of the fastest mass-produced street motorcycle in history, the GSX1300R Hayabusa -- has 175 horsepower at 9,800 rpm, generated with the help of double overhead cams, 16 valves, an 11:1 compression ratio, liquid-cooling and electronic fuel injection.
    The Automotive Division of American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC), Brea4 Calif., was founded in 1985 by Suzuki Motor Corp. ASMC markets automobiles in the United States through a network of more than 430 automotive dealerships in 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corp. (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it is based in Hamamatsu and has 120 distributors in 191 countries.
    Note to Editors: Complete information can be found on the American Suzuki media Web site including photos and specifications as well as the current 2002 model year automotive product line at www.media.suzuki.com/.