Not really. There are many new cars available for $12K, and a few for less
than $10K. These are street prices, not MSRP prices, for second and third
tier manufacturers like Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki, Mazda, etc.

Suzuki is not third tier, and the cheapest street price for a new Suzuki is
substantially above $12K. HOWEVER, Suzuki no longer offers fuel-efficient
vehicles (in the U.S. anyway, though they have lots of fuel-efficient
vehicles for sale outside the U.S. still), like they did even a few years
ago. Suzuki seems to be targetting more upscale customers now, at least in
the U.S. Even their lower-end models which are aimed to compete with the
Civics and Corollas range from about the same price to more expensive, and
have lower MPG also.

So if you are looking for a cheap new car that will give you good fuel
economy, Suzuki fails to deliver on both counts. Suzuki does make some
damned nice vehicles, though, in terms of performance, value (relatively
speaking) and RELIABILITY. In fact, in Japan, Suzuki has a better rep.
(well earned, btw) for reliability than both Honda and Toyota.
(really!) -Dave