History of Suzuki

In 1909, a young entrepreneur named Michio Suzuki founded a small loom company, giving it his name. Thanks to a decisive approach, for 30 years, Suzuki has become one of the leaders in its field, leaving competitors from the UK and Holland far behind, sales of the Japanese company’s products are carried out in 22 countries around the world, and the wealth of its founder is increasing many times every year .

However, Michio Suzuki dreamed of creating his own car, which prompted him to make his first attempts in 1937. Daimler engineers, specially invited from friendly Germany, even managed to prepare several prototypes, planning to launch the production of the first cars in the next 3 years. But Japan’s transition to a war economy in 1938 forced Michio Suzuki to curtail the project to create the first car, and switch back to the production of looms.

After the Second World War, which, as you know, ended in the defeat of Germany and Japan, the country’s struggling economy was in dire need of an inexpensive vehicle that the general population could afford. So, Michio Suzuki managed to grab a second chance. While the restoration of the enterprise was going on, Michio, along with several engineers, began work on a project for a Japanese people’s vehicle, receiving the first fruits in 1950. A year later, the Suzuki Power Free motorized bike saw the light, which was very popular among the poor population of Japan, and the first experience was not in vain for a small company, which was the beginning of the creation of a whole range of cheap motorcycles.

In 1954, two-stroke light motorcycles of the brand were introduced, which became the most popular in the market of Japan, China, Thailand and Malaysia. And the excess profits received from the sale of motorcycles went to the creation of an even more grandiose project. In 1955, at the Tokyo Transport Exhibition, a large number of visitors gathered at the Suzuki stand – everyone was waiting for the appearance of Michio himself, who would present a new generation of motorcycles. Instead, a car pulled up in front of the booth and Michio Suzuki emerged from it, heralding a new era in the history of his company. The Suzuki Suzulight model was built on a chassis with independent suspension, and was also equipped with a front-wheel drive transmission and power steering, which was revolutionary in Japan. In the same year, the American division of Suzuki was opened.

In the period from 1955 to 1965, there was a significant expansion of the company’s activities, Michio Suzuki opens a division of the company for the production of power units for motor boats, a plant for the production of automobile and motorcycle engines begins to be built, and the current model range of the company is constantly updated with new models of motorcycles. In 1967, a new model of the Suzuki Forte light car was introduced, and a year later the company’s first truck went on sale. In 1968, the subcompact off-road car Sizuki Jimny appeared on the automobile market of the United States of America, which became the first all-wheel drive car in the company’s lineup.

In 1973, the American representative office of Suzuki opened its second office in the Canadian city of Toronto, which later became the official representative of the Japanese brand in the Canadian automotive market. In 1974, a factory for the production of spare parts for Suzuki motorcycles was opened in Indonesia, and a year later a factory for the production of branded motorcycles was opened in the Philippines.

In 1981, Suzuki entered into an alliance with the American concern General Motors, becoming a full technology partner for such brands as Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick. In the wake of the success of compact and economical cars, the engineers of the Japanese company, with the technical support of the General Motors concern, are starting to create a new car, which was the Suzuki Vitara compact SUV in 1988.

By 2000, the Japanese company Suzuki ranked 12th in the world in terms of passenger car production and 5th in motorcycle production. The well-being of the brand is constantly growing, over the next 8 years, the light has seen a number of new cars that are successfully sold in 150 countries around the world. By the beginning of the global financial crisis, the company breaks the contract with the General Motors concern, thus saving itself from potential losses. In 2009, the current model range of the Japanese company is undergoing a complete modernization, as well as the construction of several factories in China, which is becoming the main market for Suzuki. In 2012, a record profit was recorded, and the company’s management hastened to announce that by 2016 more than 30 new models of the Suzuki brand will be released, created both independently and with the active participation of other major automakers.

In 2013, the company launched the Suzuki Swift, a class B front-wheel drive hatchback. This is a modernized model, but only the front bumper, radiator grille and rims have been restyled. The Swift comes standard with steering wheel cruise control, LED headlights, front fog lights and power headlight range. Since 2014, the company has begun producing Suzuki Celerio, a class A front-wheel drive hatchback. The Suzuki Celerio is powered by a liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine with multipoint injection. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, or with an “automatic”. In 2015, the Japanese auto giant Suzuki, which took part in the annual auto show in Paris, presented a new crossover to the public. We are talking about the car Suzuki Vitara 2015-2016 – a compact crossover class “B”. The model turned out to be successful and competitive in its class, the external design of the body and the interior of the cabin meets the requirements of the current car market.