The Suzuki Cultus Crescent is a compact car that was produced by Suzuki in Japan between 1995 and 2002, with South Asian production continuing until 2007. The Cultus Crescent was sold as such in Japan until May 1998, when it was renamed Suzuki Cultus due to the sales discontinuation of the previous Cultus in the Japanese market. The Cultus Crescent was also marketed as the Suzuki Esteem in North America, and as the Suzuki Baleno throughout Asia, Australasia, Europe, South America, and Puerto Rico. In India where it was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki, the Cultus Crescent was sold as the Maruti Baleno. In the Philippines, the facelift model was marketed as the Chevrolet Cassia.
History
The Cultus Crescent was introduced in Japan in January 1995 and then to the global market in the first half of 1995. It was Suzuki's first attempt in the competitive compact segment. As a North American replacement for the Suzuki Cultus sedan, it was built on a slightly stretched Cultus platform for improved cabin room, but otherwise sharing most of internal components with the smaller model—and marketed as a distinct model. The Cultus Crescent was initially available as a three-door hatchback and four-door sedan, with the SOHC 16-valve G-family engine, in 1.3- and 1.5-liter form, with power ranging from. The 1.3-liter was only offered in the hatch while a 1.6-liter with was only fitted to the sedan. Eventually, 4WD was offered with the 1.6-liter variant, basically the same engine as found in the Suzuki Escudo, with power raised to. A sports variant, dubbed GT, used Mazda's 1,840 cc BP engine, with. It was introduced in the spring of 1996, at the same time that the lineup was extended with the Baleno/Esteem Wagon. This was Suzuki's first station wagon, also with the same 1.6-liter, which also received the optional four-wheel drive in the wagon. The Suzuki Esteem was introduced in the Philipines in 1996 and was sold until 2000. The Wagon variant was popular among buyers, Suzuki then dropped the "Esteem" name in favor of Chevrolet, who had just been returning in the Philippine-market to have atleast one sedan model to compete with other popular Japanese-made sedans.
1998 facelift
Suzuki restyled the Cultus Crescent and renamed it Cultus in mid-1998. In North America, the changeover took place with the 1999 model year. The car was given a new front end, with a rounder grille and new headlights, and the engine lineup was expanded to include Suzuki's J18A chain-driven DOHC engine that was fitted to the sedan and wagon. In North America, the Esteem 1.8-liter wagon completely replaced the Esteem 1.6, but in most markets the 1.8 sedan became the sports model. In some European markets, the 1.8-liter was installed in the hatchback and sold as the limited edition Baleno GSR. The Suzuki 1.8 had exactly the same displacement as the earlier Mazda BP engine, but was less powerful with only in European specifications. Europe also gained a diesel version, with a XUD9 engine supplied by Peugeot. The Cultus was replaced in most markets by the new Aerio/Liana, which was launched in 2001. In Japan, the sedan was discontinued in November 2001, although the wagon remained until August 2002. The entire range was pulled from the market in Europe and North America in 2002, after one year of overlapping with the Aerio/Liana. The car remained available in many developing countries, including India and Southeast Asia, where it was sold until 2007, when production stopped at the Maruti factory, with the assembly line giving way to the SX4 sedan. In the Philippines, the facelift model was introduced in 2000 as the Chevrolet Cassia. Suzuki chose to drop the Esteem in the market in favor of Chevrolet Philippines, who have been re-introduced at that time to have an entry-level sedan competing against other Japanese-made sedans. Chevrolet's first sedan to be offered in the country for a new decade was not a market success. The 1.6 SOHC 16V 4-cylinder which made 96 horsepower was the only Engine choice offered and had fewer features than the rest of its rivals. Its main competitors were the Ford Lynx,Toyota Corolla,Honda Civic,Nissan Sentra, and the Mitsubishi Lancer. Due to poor sales, production ended in 2002, just 2 years after it was introduced.
