We’re gearing up for the next auto show season, with the Los Angeles showcase taking place in just a few weeks. Suzuki – an automaker that hasn’t been doing so hot lately – will reportedly be absent from this year’s festivities in Los Angeles, and will not be seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit come January.

“For the upcoming season, our brand will selectively participate at auto shows where our distinctive and engaging story will resonate the most,” Suzuki spokesperson Jeff Holland told Automotive News. As for the remainder of the North American show circuit, it’s unclear whether or not Suzuki will appear at the Chicago Auto Show in February, but we’d be surprised if the Japanese automaker didn’t have some sort of showing inNew York next spring.

Suzuki was hit hard by the large economic recession of the past few years. Automotive News reports that while the automaker managed to sell over 100,000 vehicles in the United States in 2007, it only sold 23,994 in 2010. Due to the poor economy, Suzuki’s marketing budgets have been slashed, says Holland, and thus, the company will have “more of a conservative approach going forward.”

When Volkswagen announced it was teaming up with Suzuki for some joint projects, initial talk centered around small cars for emerging markets and possibly even a spate of two-wheeled ventures. Now, the rumormill is buzzing with speculation that the Japanese automaker might be interested in securing some of Volkswagen’s well-regarded powerplants for its midsize Kizashi sedan.

Prior to its tie-up with VW, Suzuki had enjoyed a partnership with General Motors that had the Japanese automaker using The General’s engines and transmissions. Those contracts died off after the VW deal, and, according to Ward’s, it now appears that any future engines for the Kizashi beyond the 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder (185 horsepower and 170 lb-feet of torque) will be sourced from Volkswagen.

Currently, there’s no indication what powertrains Suzuki is interested in procuring from Volkswagen, but we’d have to guess that a V6 or possibly even a hybrid would be on the menu, if possible.

Suzuki has recalled almost 70,000 SX4 models, including a handful built in 2007 as well as those constructed between 2008 and 2010. The recall centers around faulty screws that are used to attach the vehicles’ side view mirrors. Over time, vibrations can cause the screws to loosen and the mirror may fall off. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, if that happens, a lack of visibility may lead to an accident.

While Suzuki has not yet come up with a repair schedule for the issue, the company says that replacement screws are being shipped to dealers right now, and that the problem will be taken care of free of charge. Owners can contact their local Suzuki dealer for more information. Hit the jump for the company’s statement on the recall.

When we think of production vehicles that can double as daily drivers and weekend racers, the Lotus Exige,Mazda MX-5 Miata and Porsche Boxster come to mind. They’ve got to be light, nimble and handle the rigors of the road along with the demands of the track. That’s why we had a little chuckle when a 2010 Suzuki SX4 with “Road Race modifications” came up on our schedule for vehicles to review. When we drove the 2008 SX4 Sport, we found it to have a “sporty feel and rather quick reflexes,” but the chassis had fairly low limits and we couldn’t imagine the squat hatch being that much fun on track.

Still, we were curious how a hopped-up SX4 would perform, particularly in 2010 MY guise, which adds seven additional horsepower (143 to 150 hp) and a six-speed manual transmission. Suzuki has billed its new five-door as a worthy competitor to the world’s best hot hatches, but can it really deliver a world-class combination of practicality and sportiness? With several days of Southern California’s back roads marked down on our schedule, we aimed to find out.

You’d be forgiven if you forgot all about the brand spankin’ new motorcycles brought into the States by Suzukilast year… because there weren’t any. Purse strings were pulled so tightly during the global economic collapse that the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer decided not to bring in any new models for 2010.

However, all of that is set to change for 2011, and the first major announcement from Suzuki are updates to its GSX-R600 and GSX-R750. Interestingly enough, the engines are all new but there isn’t actually any more horsepower than before – 123 horses from the 600 and 148 from the 750.

Instead of more peak power, Suzuki focused all of its efforts on reducing weight, lopping off four pounds from the motor, three pounds from the exhaust and another three pounds from the aluminum frame. Add it all up and Suzuki has cut about 20 pounds from each model, with the 600 coming in at 413 pounds wet and the 750 tipping the scales at 416 pounds.

Another notable feature new for 2011 are the brakes: 310mm fully-floating front brake discs and radial-mount, four-piston Brembo monoblock calipers. Styling closely mimics that of the range-topping GSX-R1000, featuring new vertically stacked headlamps; see for yourself in our high-res image gallery below. Pricing comes in at $11,599 for the 600 and $11,999 for the 750, and full details can be found after the break.