PODCAST: Why Suzuki Fronx stays ahead of Toyota Starlet Cross
The name Suzuki Fronx is derived from the words 'crossing' and new 'frontiers'. Little did the Japanese manufacturer know how poetic this meaning would become in the first two years since its local introduction.
A collaboration between Suzuki and Toyota sees many of their cars shares platforms. These siblings are built alongside each other by Maruti Suzuki in India.
This partnership has traditionally seen Toyota holding the upper hand in sales. Except for the seven-seater Ertiga and Rumion, which is likely because most of the former's sales lies in rental and commercial transport than in families buying it as passenger cars.
When you look at the rest, Toyota have held the aces whether it's the Vitz vs Celerio, Starlet vs Baleno or Urban Cruiser vs Grand Vitara. But the Suzuki Fronx has manged to buck that trend against the Toyota Starlet Cross.
Suzuki Fronx makes a Pitstop
On this week's episode of our Pitstop podcast, we discuss the remarkable performance of the Fronx. The Citizen Motoring recently gave back the keys of a Suzuki Fronx GLX manual after spending six months in it.
The manual Fronx is powered by the familiar 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. It produces 77kW of power and 132Nm of torque which is sent to the front wheels via five-speed manual gearbox.
ALSO READ: Success story Suzuki Fronx departs without having made a fuss
Good looks, lots of tech
One of the reasons for its success in our opinion is its good looks. Highlights include wheel arch cladding, silver door sills and imitation satin silver skidplates underneath the front and rear bumpers. It also features 16-inch alloys.
Inside, it boasts a nine-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multi-function steering wheel and push-button start, head-up display and a 360-degree surround-view camera system as its specification headlights.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
2 hours ago
- The Herald
Why Asian carmakers are staying loyal to the US market despite trade friction
The US is Toyota's biggest market in terms of vehicles. It sold 2.3-million vehicles there in 2024, including its Lexus brand, accounting for more than a fifth of its global total. As a source of revenue, North America was second only to Japan in the past financial year. Hyundai's North American revenue was the highest in almost a decade last year. Kim Chang-ho, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, estimated it generates about 60% of its profits from the US, thanks to higher vehicle prices. Mocked in the US in the 1980s for its perceived shoddy quality, Hyundai doubled down there about a decade ago, especially after tensions between Beijing and Seoul and the rise of domestic EV makers saw it start to lose ground in China. 'After years of putting in effort, our brand is gaining recognition in the US,' one of the Hyundai insiders said. 'So we will not take our hands off the US.' The US has seen a surge in demand for hybrids as consumers have become more concerned about the battery range, price and charging hassles of EVs. Fuel-efficient models such as hybrids will be a key driver to gaining market share, said Morningstar analyst Vincent Sun. Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have particularly strong hybrid offerings. So far, most legacy Asian carmakers have avoided raising prices in the US and stronger players are likely to continue to hold off doing so, despite lower profitability, analysts said. Instead, the focus will probably be on taking market share from lower margin rivals such as Nissan and Stellantis, analysts said. 'It will shape up like a game of chicken,' said Kim Sung-rae, an analyst at Hanwha Investment & Securities. 'Those who will hold up well will emerge as winners.' Over time, tariffs could be a catalyst to help drive consolidation in the industry, or at least deepen existing tie-ups. Investors wonder if tariffs could push Nissan to revive merger talks with Honda that fell apart this year. Mazda, which is 5.1% owned by Toyota, and Subaru, which is 21% owned by Toyota, could become more reliant on the bigger company.
TimesLIVE
8 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Why Asian carmakers are staying loyal to the US market despite trade friction
Toyota and Hyundai may have a beef with US protectionism, but they have one thing in common with President Donald Trump: when it comes to global car markets, it's America first for Asia's legacy carmakers. Trump's tariffs on imported cars have upended the outlook for the global industry, yet the US remains by far the most important market for Japan's Toyota, South Korea's Hyundai and Asian rivals including Honda and Nissan. North America accounts for at least 40% of the revenue at Toyota and Hyundai, filings show. The market's importance is unlikely to change soon, industry insiders and analysts said, especially with China, now the world's biggest car market, dominated by home-grown electric vehicle (EV) makers such as BYD. Those Asian legacy carmakers with more robust margins and a strong hybrid line-up — such as Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and to a lesser extent Honda — are more likely able to weather the US tariffs storm and potentially take market share from weaker players such as Nissan, analysts said. 'The environment we're in now is becoming increasingly harsh and uncertain, starting with US tariffs,' Mazda executive officer Noriyuki Takimura told reporters at an event in Tokyo last week. Mazda aims to strike a balance between 'defensive' measures such as cost-cuts and 'offensive' ones such as strengthening its product line-up, he said. Two Hyundai insiders and two Japanese car executives separately told Reuters they had no intention of downsizing their US businesses in response to tariffs, even as they acknowledged the difficulties ahead. All four spoke on condition of anonymity. The US is Toyota's biggest market in terms of vehicles. It sold 2.3-million vehicles there in 2024, including its Lexus brand, accounting for more than a fifth of its global total. As a source of revenue, North America was second only to Japan in the past financial year. Hyundai's North American revenue was the highest in almost a decade last year. Kim Chang-ho, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, estimated it generates about 60% of its profits from the US, thanks to higher vehicle prices. Mocked in the US in the 1980s for its perceived shoddy quality, Hyundai doubled down there about a decade ago, especially after tensions between Beijing and Seoul and the rise of domestic EV makers saw it start to lose ground in China. 'After years of putting in effort, our brand is gaining recognition in the US,' one of the Hyundai insiders said. 'So we will not take our hands off the US.'
The Citizen
8 hours ago
- The Citizen
Now ‘replaced' Toyota named world's best selling car of 2024
Despite being seven-years old, the RAV4 ranked above the Tesla Model 3 and the Corolla to become the best-selling nameplate of the previous 12 months. Based on research from 153 markets, the world's best-selling car of 2024 has been named. Image: Toyota With the all-new generation having made its world premiere two months ago, the outgoing Toyota RAV4 has been named world's best-selling vehicle of 2024 by the smallest of margins. This, according to a reported six-month research and data gathered from 153 markets by renowned automotive analyst Felipe Munoz, which also saw Toyota products occupy five of the top 10 slots. Global top 10 Combining sales with its Chinese sibling, the Wildlander, the RAV4 raked-in figures of 1 187 000 units, an improvement of 11% from its offset in 2023. Taking second place, the Tesla Model 3 moved 1 185 000 units, a drop of three percent from 2023. Occupying third, the Toyota Corolla Cross, and its Chinese offshoot, the Frontlander, amassed sales of 859 000 units, followed by the Honda CR-V and its Far East derivative, the Breeze, on 854 000. Completing the top five, the Toyota Corolla Sedan and its Levin sibling marketed in the People's Republic, recorded a drop of 11%, yet still delivered 697 000 vehicles globally. NOW READ: South Africa's top 20 mid-year best-sellers of 2025 revealed Outside the top five, the venerable Toyota Hilux edged-out the Ford F-150 as the world's best-selling bakkies with sales of 617 000 versus 595 000, despite being over a decade old. Finishing eighth, the Toyota Camry posted a sales drop of eight percent, but still managed to shift 593 000 units compared to the 560 000 of the ninth placed Tesla Model 3. At the base of the top 10, the BYD Qin entered as the sole Chinese conceptualised product, with an offset of 502 000 units. Sales in South Africa As a comparison, both the Hilux and Corolla Cross ranked in the top five of South Africa's best-sellers of 2024, with the former taking first place with sales of 32 656, and the latter fourth on 21 861. So far, the first half of 2025 has yielded sales of 16 526 for the Hilux and 9 576 for the Corolla Cross, split by the Ford Ranger (12 398), Suzuki Swift (11 948), Volkswagen Polo Vivo (11 310) and Isuzu D-Max (9 846). NOW READ: Who made the cut? South Africa's top 15 best-sellers of 2024
