What Ever Happened To The Suzuki Equator Pickup Truck?
Japanese motorcycle expert and automaker Suzuki introduced the Equator in 2009. It was the first time Suzuki sold a pickup truck in America after having mild success with its small, rugged SUVs like the Samurai, Sidekick, and Grand Vitara XL-7.
Suzuki struck a deal with fellow Japanese automaker Nissan to make the Equator a production reality. Unfortuantely, the party was over by 2012 as The American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to lagging sales, a parse vehicle lineup, tightening emissions regulations, and "unfavorable exchange rates," according to the automaker.
Suzuki sold 102,000 vehicles in 2007, but the numbers declined to less than a quarter of that by 2012. The Equator wasn't the bestseller Suzuki had hoped for, selling an average of roughly 2000 Equators annually before calling it quits in 2012.
In a Car and Driver review, the Suzuki Equator received praise for its ergonomic dashboard and seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. However, the Equator's sub-$18,000 base price, genuine off-road capabilities, and stellar warranty are not enough to rescue Suzuki from declining sales and the doldrums of the global financial crisis.
[Featured Image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]
Suzuki Equator: Badge engineering done right
Suzuki had to seek manufacturing partners to establish a presence in the U.S. auto market. It once enjoyed a fruitful relationship with General Motors after acquiring the South Korean Daewoo brand in 2002. But after GM sold its stake in Suzuki amidst the global financial crunch, Suzuki went to Nissan to build the Equator at the latter's Smryna assembly plant in Tennessee, helping circumvent the dreaded Chicken Tax.
Like its Nissan Frontier platform-mate, the Suzuki Equator has an extended or crew cab body with a standard 2.5-liter four-banger or a 4.0-liter V6 under the hood, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and a five-speed manual or automatic gearbox. Motor Trend crowned the Equator its 2009 4x4 Of the Year for its no-frills, fun-to-drive manners, so the weak sales had nothing to do with the truck's performance or off-road manners. Eventually, Suzuki succumbed to the barrage of factors that led to its aforementioned bankruptcy and untimely U.S. exit.
[Featured Image by LouieRBLX via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]