Suzuki may drop Aerio wagon

[BMWDave]

Suzuki may drop Aerio wagon; new sport wagon on the way by late '06
YUZO YAMAGUCHI | Automotive News
Posted Date: 7/28/05
TOKYO - Suzuki Motor Corp. is looking at dropping the Aerio wagon from its U.S. lineup.

Final plans are uncertain, but the company is adding a sport wagon in the fourth quarter of 2006. When it arrives, the Aerio SX wagon could be dropped, says Hirotaka Ono, the board member in charge of American and European sales.

Either way, the Aerio sedan will remain in the U.S. lineup, Ono says.

Dealer Jerry Goldstein says: "The Aerio wagon has never been marketed correctly. Suzuki advertises Korean products, but they don't advertise the Aerio on television."

Goldstein owns Five Star Suzuki Automobiles, which has stores in Altoona and State College, Pa.

Launched in the United States in 2002, the Aerio is selling poorly. U.S. sales plunged to 3,484 in the first six months of this year, down 43.0 percent from the year-ago period.

Suzuki says Aerio sales are split evenly between the wagon and sedan.

Meanwhile, the new sport wagon will debut at the New York International Auto Show in April 2006. It is powered by a 2.0-liter engine.

Ono expects Suzuki to sell 30,000 of the vehicle in 2007.

[ifcar]

I can see why they'd kill it off, it was never very popular, though it's a pretty good car with its recent 05 update.