Suzuki withdraws from Detroit auto show

DET, Mich., June 26 (UPI) -- Suzuki Motor Corp. said it was withdrawing from the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit because it was not given the right display space.

The company and organizers of the January auto show confirmed Suzuki had withdrawn from the event, The Detroit News reported Thursday.

Suzuki needed "more than they were allocated," Executive Director NAIAS Rod Alberts said, calling for an expansion of the Cobo Center, where the event is held.

Suzuki spokesman Jeff Holland said the space and location the company was offered is not adequate for the company's display plans, the newspaper said.

Although the Japanese automaker plans to launch three new products in the next 18 months, other locations were better suited to Suzuki's marketing needs, Holland told the News.

Suzuki sold 2.4 million vehicles in 2007, but only 100,000 in the United States, the News said.