Suzuki to Compete in WRC
Suzuki aims to kick ass, take names in the WRC starting in 2007.
Luckily for us,Suzuki is coming to the rescue. After a successful run in the Junior WRC series, the Japanese auto maker is stepping up to the big leagues and is promising to campaign a WRC car from 2007 and on.
Suzuki's WRC weapon of choice is a rally-spec version of its all-new SX4. If you have never heard of the Suzuki SX4 before, don't feel bad; the car just recently made its debut at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It is an all-season, all-wheel drive hatch designed for the European market. Take a gander at the stock version below.
Of course, the WRC-spec version looks a whole lot better. It's more powerful, too. The WRC car will be running a turbocharged version of its 2.0 liter J20 engine that puts out a rip-roarin' 320 horsepower from 4,000 to 5,000 rpm, and boasts over 470 lb.-ft. of torque all the way down at 3,000 rpm. This engine is mated to a 5-speed sequential gearbox, which allows the pilot to spend more time focusing on keeping this land rocket on the road. Peep the WRC-spec car here:
We'd normally conclude an article like this commenting on how we can't wait to see the SX4 in action. Wedo want to see the car race, but the brain-dead old farts at SPEED Channel have decidednot to broadcast the 2006 WRC season over here in the U.S. Instead of broadcasting hour-long highlight episodes of the world's second-most popular motorsport, the execs over at the U.S.'s onlycar channel would rather show more episodes of fake motorcycle "reality" shows and have weekend-long marathons of car auctions. (Just so you know: the WRC's popularity is second only to that of F1.)
For those of you lucky enough to still be able to see the WRC, be sure to look out for this flyin' Suzuki in 2007!