The Japanese automaker Suzuki has recently come out with the Kizashi compact sedan, and what better way to show off what the all new four door can be then to bring four highly modified examples to the world's greatest aftermarket car show SEMA. The new Kizashi should feel right at home amongst a sea of modified Camaros and Challengers, not to mention a few Mustangs among others. Due to the new Suzuki's affordable entry price, appeal towards the youth market and visually appealing design make the Kizashi the next great candidate to take over tuner duties from the Honda Civic.

The first modified Kiashi will come from engine tuners Road Race Motorsport and will feature a set of Carbontrix custom bumpers as well as an integrated rear diffuser. The body features a blacked out roof while hidden underneath the skin is a full racing suspension and a set of equally as capable high performance brake setup to complete the road racing theme. The second Kizashi scheduled to appear at the Las Vegas Convention Center comes from Delta Tech Engineering, who added a few bolt ons in order to extract a few more horse power. Their creation comes complete with an RK Sport body kit on the outside with a mix of LED and HID lighting while the interior is made up of Katzkin covered seats and a custom Kenwood stereo system.

Westside Auto Group is coming out with a Suzuki Hayabusa inspired model, complete with numerous distinct touches to emphasize the Kizashi's sporting lineage. The car is covered in a custom two tone paint scheme consisting of Napa Merlot and Bronzed Amber laid on top of the new body kit as well as shaved and smoothed sheet metal. The speed theme continues with a GT Super Car wing and a Yoshimura exhaust while the Westside Kizashi rolls around on a set of R-Worx 7-spoke wheels. Last but not least, Import Tuner will also be at the show with a hot rod Kizashi with a few high performance enhancements under the hood as well as a few cosmetic upgrades to complete Import Tuner's own editorial visualization of the new four door sport compact.

Press release after the jump.

Press release

While the Concept Kizashi series debuted globally over the past two years, (in Frankfurt, Tokyo and New York), U.S. anticipation for the production Kizashi was met by a number of custom builders - and members of Suzuki management - asking the proverbial "what if?" What if you melded Kizashi's production underpinnings and artfully-crafted sheet metal with modifications fully appropriate to a concept's debut? With European sport sedans serving as Kizashi's inspiration, and Suzuki's design and engineering team constructing a platform fully appropriate to a global marketplace, the all-new Kizashi serves as the perfect platform for those stylistic and performance mods integral to America's motoring DNA. The challenge went out and four custom shops responded. The results of those combined efforts are on display next week at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

Road Race Motorsport's Platinum Edition Kizashi


As one of the first custom builders to recognize the potential of Suzuki's vehicles, the presence of Road Race at SEMA comes as no surprise. Given the Kizashi platform's promise - and the fluid, almost organic sheet metal clothing it - Road Race supplies its own very unique take on Kizashi.

SEMA visitors can enjoy Road Race's Sport Body kit exterior which employs Carbontrix custom bumpers, rear spats and diffuser. Road Race has crafted a custom grill, vented hood and made the Kizashi its own 'Platinum Edition' graphics and a blackened roof. These visual modifications are supported by a platform perfectly suited to Las Vegas Motor Speedway or a high-speed drive on I-15 (what happens in Vegas doesn't have to stay in Vegas...).

Progress Technology provided the sport springs and front and rear sway bars. Road Race installed its own chassis stiffeners, and Rotora brings the custom Kizashi to a stop with 330mm slotted rotors up front, supplemented by Road Race's own 260mm slotted rotors in the rear. Under the vented hood, the sweetness continues with a proprietary custom intake system, Zeitronix ZT-2 data logging system and Road Race engine management. The modifications are concealed - until ignition - by a painted-to-match engine cover, and announced by Road Race's own 'Integrated Sport' dual exhaust system. The Road Race Kizashi can be seen at the Zeitronix Booth #21212.

Delta Tech Engineering Kizashi


Delta Tech Engineering, a specialist in vehicle lighting, started with a gutted - and lightened - Kizashi body shell. While Delta Tech took care of under the hood, with cold air intake and performance exhausts, RK Sport developed a body kit, Katzkin supplied the custom seating, and Koni enhanced the Kizashi's already composed ride with its own coilovers and shocks. Lighting, engineered in house by Delta Tech, is LED and HID. Sound equipment upgrades are provided by Kenwood. The Delta Tech Kizashi may be seen at Booth #23526 in the Central Hall.

Westside Auto Group Kizashi Soleil


Integrating vintage European elegance with the high-performance DNA of Suzuki's Hayabusa, Westside Group's Kizashi Soleil (French for 'masculine sun') incorporates numerous distinct touches, all executed to make an individualistic statement within the unique template supplied by Suzuki's own execution. Vehicle modifications performed by Westside include custom two-toned paint (Napa Merlot/Bronzed Amber), redesigned front and rear fenders, custom air apertures, fabricated grill, shaved and modified door handles and new front fascia. In back, a redesigned rear deck lid equipped with a GT Super Car spoiler, and a redesigned rear bumper is equipped with custom Yoshimura exhaust. Planting the Soleil to the ground are early-release Bridgestone Potenza mounted on R-Worx 7-spoke wheels. The Westside Group Kizashi will be on display in the show car area adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Import Tuner Kizashi


No outlet speaks better to the 'tuner' audience than Import Tuner magazine. With its Kizashi the project build team went for the vehicular jugular, with performance enhancements under the hood, appropriate suspension mods connecting those enhancements to the ground, and cosmetic modifications to provide the appropriate visualization for Import Tuner's own editorial visualization.

With a nod to both the SEMA Show and its own Los Angeles - based roots, the Import Tuner Kizashi provides a tune-up to an already class-leading sport sedan. The Import Tuner Kizashi will be on display in the show car area adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

ICON Vehicle Dynamics Equator


Using Suzuki's award-winning Equator platform as its base, ICON Vehicle Dynamics taps into a variety of Southern California-based suppliers to assemble a more aggressive interpretation of Suzuki's off-road recipe. Under the hood, Doug Thorley long-tube headers and cat-back exhaust amplify the Equator's class-leading 4.0 liter V6. And for off-road exploration, the Equator's suspension is enhanced with ICON's own performance coilovers in front and 2.5-inch piggyback shocks supporting linked to Total Chaos upper control arms.

The enhanced power - and capability - is connected to the less-traveled path with Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires mounted to Trail Ready bead-lock wheels; the Equator's bodywork is protected by Bushwacker fender flares. AMP Research bed extender and LightForce lights add to both utility and safety. ICON's Equator can be seen at SEMA booth #32173.