Back in the late 1990s when General Motors had a stake in Suzuki and Suzuki-designed models wearing Chevrolet badges were sold in various parts of the world, the two companies collaborated in Europe on a new minicar. While the Suzuki Wagon R+ was built in Esztergom, Hungary, its Opel version, the original Agila, was built at a new greenfield factory in Poland. In 2006, production of the Wagon R+ was transferred to Poland, and last month the last models rolled off the assembly line.Ever since Suzuki unveiled the Concept Splash at the 2006 Paris Auto Show, it was an open secret that the sucessor to the Wagon R+/Agila will be very close to that concept car. Judging by the first official photos of the new Splash and the Agila II, these rumors appear to be true. While the Agila goes for a more rugged styling, the Suzuki looks a bit more trendy. Both are 145.6 inches long and 66.1 inches wide, powered by 1.0-liter or 1.2-liter gasoline or Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter diesel engines. Both will be produced at Suzuki's Hungarian facility, which was recently expanded and now has a capacity of 300,000 cars a year.
The chic-city-car category is one of the most competitive segments in Europe, with cars like the Lancia Ypsilon, Smart and the Toyota Aygo/Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 already accounting for sales of close to half a million a year. Suzuki and GM hope to add another 120,000 units a year.
© Source: insideline
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