Suzuki stunned the audience at the New York Motor Show by unveiling its third concept version of its future saloon - the Kizashi - which will ultimately provide Suzuki with a rival for the Ford Mondeo and Citroen C5. Like the Kizashi 2, shown at Tokyo last year, this car uses a 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The V6 has been independently developed by Suzuki with some help from its motorcycle and WRC divisions.

It's slightly shorter than a Mondeo, at 4650mm, but it has a very similar wheelbase, making the car look longer than it actually is. Cleverly, the Japanese designers have also made the Kizashi 3 wider (1900mm) and lower (1450mm) than the Ford. The result is it has more of the look of a sports saloon. Speaking to the assembled journalists in NY, Suzuki bosses said the Kizashi will arrive in the US by 2010, with European dealerships receiving their first cars late the sam, and we should expect to see a production car at the Detroit show in January next year.