Nother CarGuy

In between developing of an entirely new Jimny and upgrading some models, Suzuki took their time to create a fresh study called e-Survivor. Displayed in front of the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show audience, the e-Survivor is an open-top two-seater off-roader that looks basically like a Mars rover inspired by Jeep, but that's a completely different story. What we should focus upon instead is its very generous ground clearance and chunky off-road rubber that give it a go-anywhere flair; and the thing is that this small Suzuki study might just do that - go anywhere, as it's built on a ladder frame. Moreover, as its name suggests, the e-Survivor is a zero-emission vehicle, set in motion by four electric motors, one integrated in each wheel, which creates an all-wheel drive system. The Japanese automaker decided to keep specs close to its chest, claiming that it could target the segment up to 100 years into the future. With this bold statement, one might assume that the...

If you told us this was Jeep's vision for a the pocket-sized off-roader of the future, we might almost believe you. But it's not. It's a Suzuki. Called the e-Survivor, the show “truck” (if you could call it that) draws on compact sport-utes from the Japanese automaker's history, like the Jimny, Sideckick/Vitara, and X90. The concept is built on a truck-style ladder frame, which tells you this is no car-based crossover. But it integrates electric propulsion, with an individual hub motor in each wheel for through-the-road (or off-the-road) all-wheel drive. Details are otherwise rather scarce at the moment, but as you can see, it features a two-seat open cockpit, with clear doors that may be the next best thing to taking the doors off completely, Wrangler-style. With the wheels extending about as far as the bumpers, it also looks like it'd have nearly 90-degree approach and departure angles, and enough ground clearance to drive over one of the company's ...