Suzuki dazzles MIAS with new Dzire

SPH managing director and treasurer Norminio Mojica (left) and SPH assistant general manager for automobile Cecil Capacete (right) together with the Suzuki Safety Scouts, the brand’s young ambassadors for road safety surround the new Dzire.

For the first time in the history of the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), Suzuki Philippines (SPH) joined up to showcase their award-winning and best-selling vehicles, and to present a preview of the 2019 Dzire subcompact sedan.

On display were the Suzuki Vitara, 2017 CAGI Car of the Year awardee under the subcompact crossover category; the Ciaz, Best Fuel Economy Rate awardee of the 2017 Department of Energy Eco Run and Best Commuter awardee of the 12th C! Magazine Awards; and the Ertiga, Suzuki’s popular life utility vehicle.

SPH’s other product lines were represented by the Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle and outboard motors from the Marine Division.

SPH optimized the event by presenting a preview of the 2019 model year Suzuki Dzire with auto gear shift technology upgrade. The new Dzire will be formally launched later this year.

Raising a toast with Mojica and Capacete are Suzuki’s brand ambassadors.

As if to answer the question why SPH, a member of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) which will hold its own Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) in October, decided to join MIAS, SPH vice president and general manager for automobile Shuzo Hosikura said: “We want to build on the momentum we achieved early this year. While our expansion and sales efforts prove to be effective, we remain active in looking for platforms that can help us broaden the reach of the Suzuki brand in the country, and joining MIAS showed promising potential to fulfill the objective.”

As of end-February 2018, according to the CAMPI sales report, SPH’s year-to-date (YTD) total vehicle sales reached 3,482 units, ranking the Suzuki brand as no. 6 and claiming 6.02 percent market share in the auto industry.

SPH’s February 2018 YTD performance represented a 36.8 percent increase over the same YTD period in 2017.

Dazzling Dzire

The second generation Dzire, previously known as the Swift Dzire, looks sleeker and more upscale with LED headlamps and taillights, new alloy wheels, and an upgraded interior with a flat-bottomed multifunction steering wheel.

It is wider and shorter, and 105 kilograms lighter than the previous model, yet more rigid.

According to NDTV CarandBike, the new Dzire is shorter than 4 meters because in India, where the Suzuki-Maruti brand leads in sales, vehicles shorter than 4 meters get a tax break.

Suzuki PH revealed the new Dzire with auto gear shift technology at the MIAS, before its official launch later this year.

The 2019 Dzire is powered by the same 1.2-liter, 4-cylinder, 86 hp, 114 Nm max torque engine of the previous model.

During the preview of the new Dzire, SPH focused on its auto gear shift technology to combine the fuel efficiency of a manual gearbox and convenience of an automatic transmission.

The automated manual transmission (AMT) is standard equipment in the top-end Dzire, ditto keyless entry and start.

All Dzire variants will have dual front airbags, ABS with EBD (electronic brake force distribution), BA (brake assist), and side impact beams.

As Hoshikura commented, “Although the official launch is still later this year, we opted to display the new Suzuki Dzire to show everyone that we indeed stay true to the promise of bringing the latest of our technological innovations to the Filipino people.”

Joining Suzuki’s opening day show were Ertiga influencer Kelly Misa and Vitara influencer Mikael Daez, and the Suzuki Safety Scouts, the brand’s kiddie ambassadors who invited other young visitors to be part of the team that promotes Suzuki’s road safety campaign.