Suzuki does not build many cars like the Suzuki Kei: a 3-/5-door hatchback with Petrol engine, built from 1998 to 2009 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
How it came about
The Suzuki Kei (Japanese: スズキ・Kei (ケイ), Hepburn: Suzuki Kei) is a kei car produced by Suzuki between 1998 and 2009. Originally only available as a three-door hatchback, a five-door version arrived in the third quarter of 1999. The car received a facelift in late 2000, when the three-door version was also dropped, and another facelift in 2001, including a newer dashboard.
The hardware
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 820 kg. The gearbox is a 5-speed Manual transmission / manual / 3-speed Automatic transmission / automatic / 4-speed Automatic transmission / automatic. The wheelbase is 2360 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Suzuki's history is not in doubt: the Suzuki Hustler followed it; it was built at Japan. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Cadillac Escalade, the Saab Automobile Saab 9-3, the Ford Focus. Its Suzuki stablemates include the Suzuki XL-7 and the Suzuki Landy.