The era of Suzuki’s body-on-frame SUVs may be coming to an end, as Japanese production of the long-lived Escudo/Grand Vitara has now ceased. The Kizashi sedan is also no longer manufactured, a company spokesperson has confirmed to just-auto.

Suzuki’s Iwata plant built the Escudo (Japanese market name) and Grand Vitara (export markets), while the Kizashi was made for just five years at Sagara. This sedan’s replacement is the Ciaz/Alivio. Maruti Suzuki builds the Ciaz at Manesar, and the Alivio is made in Chongqing by China’s Changan Suzuki joint venture. 

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The Escudo/Grand Vitara has been effectively replaced by the similarly sized but monocoque construction SX4/S-Cross which entered production in 2013. The smaller, 16 year old Jimny remains the brand’s sole ladder-frame SUV built in Japan.

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