Suzuki, GM to road-test fuel cell car

Japans Suzuki Motor Corp. said that it has received permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to conduct road tests of a new fuel cell-powered vehicle jointly developed with U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. (GM). Suzuki will display the vehicle, called the SX4-FCV, at the Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido. The new eco-friendly five-seater car is based on Suzuki’s SX4 model and features a GM-made high-performance fuel cell and a compact Suzuki capacitor designed to improve its fuel economy and acceleration, the leading Japanese maker of mini-vehicles said. The SX4-FCV can achieve a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour and run 250 kilometers on a single charge of hydrogen. Suzuki and GM have jointly developed fuel-cell versions of three mini-vehicle models, including the Suzuki Wagon R and MR Wagon, since 2001. (June 24, 2008)