When was suzuki founded

Production moved into new territories such as Thailand, Hungary, Pakistan and China. In , General Motors doubled its share in the company from its initials 5. By , Suzuki had sold over 10 million cars in Japan alone, and had achieved 10 million cumulative overseas sales by The 30 million mark for total automobile sales was passed in , with the following year marking 30 consecutive years as the leading producer of Kei cars in Japan.

After partnerships with other car giants such as Fiat in and Nissan in , Suzuki announced, alongside VW , the establishment of a global strategic partnership. In , VW completed its purchase of They then commenced arbitration proceedings for the return of the shares held by VW.

The following year, American Suzuki Motor Corp. They then announced that they will discontinue building cars for the US markets. This is allegedly owing to its focus on small cars, US safety regulations and a strong Yen. Instead, it will focus on motorcycles, ATVs and marine equipment.

The companies were originally going to work together on fuel efficient cars. VW also saw the partnership as a way of accessing the Indian market for small cars, where Suzuki was the leading brand.

However, thing soon turned sour after a number of disagreements on both sides. The court battle for the shares went on for four years , with Suzuki ultimately triumphant after VW were told to give their stake back to Suzuki. After the war, Suzuki began making clip-on motors for bicycles. A few years later the Diamond Free is introduced, featuring a double-sprocket wheel mechanism and a two-speed transmission. Suzuki saw continued success in Motor racing, winning the cc World Championship both in and The next time Suzuki won this was in , when Kevin Schwantz won against arch-rival Wayne Rainey — who suffered a career ending injury in that exact race.

The company's plant in Thailand is responsible for vehicle assembly with parts made in Japan. Three years later, Suzuki introduced its first electric car. Suzuki's electric car was based on the Carry Van and it is designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian industrial designer and the founder of Italdesign. In the same year, in , Suzuki launched the first generation Jimny.

It is a vehicle that is designed with a strong yet lightweight body, according to Suzuki. In , Suzuki introduced the Alto. After introducing the Jimny and the Alto in the automotive market, Suzuki wanted to maintain its momentum and further expand its business.

As such, in , Suzuki established Maruti Udyog Ltd. In , the production of the Maruti began. In , Suzuki debuts the Vitara, featuring a four-wheel-drive system. The Japanese manufacturer claims the Vitara is fuel-efficient and performs well on urban roads and highways.

In , the company changed its name to Suzuki Motor Corporation to better represent its automobile, motorcycle, and outboard motor businesses. A year after its name change, Suzuki introduced a two-seater sports car called the Cappuccino.

This car even made an appearance in a Japanese hit manga and animation series "Initial D. By providing local employment and inviting Thai investment in the venture, Suzuki skirted import restrictions that locked out other manufacturers. Later, Suzuki duplicated the export development formula in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Still unable to reach sales goals for domestic vehicles, however, Suzuki began a diversification campaign. The company's small engines were fitted to electrical generators, yielding an entirely new line of portable power sources. In Suzuki expanded into outboard motors for boats. In addition, the company dabbled in housing, an initially successful but short-lived venture. Faced with skyrocketing fuel prices, consumers showed interest in more efficient cars.

But while Suzuki's little cars and trucks sipped gasoline, they were underpowered when compared with competing models from Japan's big three. The company's domestic auto sales slid further during a recession resulting from the oil crisis.

That year, total sales of minicars--Suzuki's prime automobile segment--fell by more than 65 percent from Suzuki began a major export campaign soon afterward, commencing full motorcycle production in Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In addition, it sent automobiles to the United States for the first time.

The product was a bit unusual in the U. Suzukis were introduced in the United States in small numbers but were refreshingly fuel-efficient, capable of using one-third to one-half as much gasoline as some American models. Suzuki, however, entered the U. Furthermore, by , fuel prices had fallen, and demand for Suzuki's "economy cars" was evaporating.

Oil prices would shoot up again briefly in , following the Iranian Revolution, but by then many of Suzuki's most promising markets had enacted tough laws restricting imports from Japan. Returning to the development strategy it had begun in Thailand in , Suzuki negotiated a number of foreign investment deals, agreeing to locate production facilities in several countries in return for access to their markets.

Two years later Suzuki set up new marketing operations in New Zealand and France. In the United States, Suzuki's largest market outside Japan, the company signed a series of marketing and production contracts with General Motors and rival Isuzu Motors, Ltd. As part of the deal, GM purchased a 3 percent interest in Suzuki. The companies planned to share production facilities and handle marketing of each other's products. This plant went into production in , manufacturing Sprints, Metros, and Suzuki Sidekicks also marketed as Geo Trackers.

While Suzuki's joint venture with GM was off to a good start, Suzuki had considerably more trouble of its own. In it had begun importing the Samurai, the first compact sport-utility vehicle SUV sold in the United States that term had not yet been coined, however, so the Samurai was called a "multipurpose vehicle". One year later the company established American Suzuki Motor Corp. Specifically, the magazine noted that the Samurai's high center of gravity could cause it to flip over while negotiating turns even at low speeds.

Suzuki launched its own investigation and took remedial measures, but the damage had already been done; sales plunged 31 percent in , bottoming out at just 13, units by Worse for Suzuki, the company's entire U. The Samurai meantime received a clean bill of health from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which conducted an investigation of the vehicle and found it no more prone to roll over than other light-duty vehicles.

Domestically, Suzuki developed several new models during the s, including the Cultus subcompact in and the four-wheel-drive Escudo in Also in , Suzuki agreed to handle sales of Peugeot automobiles in Japan.

The following year, the company rolled out the Cultus Esteem, which shared the same cc engine as the Escudo. Also shoring up revenues were motorcycle sales, which were recovering by , following a decline that had begun in With the Samurai debacle mostly behind it, Suzuki initiated a subtle campaign to reestablish the vehicle's promising U. The high-riding Samurai was popular with younger adults who favored a more rugged jeep-like buggy that was impervious to off-road obstacles.

Above all, it was fun to drive and distinctive in appearance. Suzuki also continued its push at globalization, opening a plant in Great Britain in that turned out 15, microvans annually. The Pakistani venture also was expanded to include automobile manufacture under a new company, Pak Suzuki Motor Company, Ltd. In April Suzuki established a joint venture with C.

During this time, the company suffered reverses in its largest enterprise, midget cars with engines under cc. This was due to two factors: new laws that extended parking restrictions to cars of that class and a worsening recession in Japan. Suzuki's losses were partially offset by an increase in motorcycle sales, but because revenues from auto manufacturing were nearly five times greater than motorcycle sales, the company's overall growth rate slowed substantially.

A promising area for Suzuki was its place under the corporate umbrella of General Motors' international ventures. Through teaming agreements, Suzuki was designated GM's de facto small car division, developing automobiles for the American company under the Geo nameplate. Elsewhere in Suzuki's U. Suzuki continued to produce the Sidekick, however, and in the company introduced the mini sport-utility vehicle, the X With engines, suspensions, and four-wheel-drive options similar to the two-door Sidekick, the two-seat X combined off-road capabilities with carlike, commuter-friendly features.

Globally, Suzuki continued to seek out countries with emerging markets and large populations. Its joint ventures with the governments of Pakistan, Hungary, Egypt, and Columbia had been low-risk and cost-effective means of expansion.

The company stepped up that same successful strategy in the early to mids in India and China. Having begun a joint venture with the Indian government-controlled Maruti Udyog in , Suzuki increased its equity hold to 50 percent in and raised that company's capacity to , units in By the Suzuki-Maruti venture held 80 percent of the Indian automobile market.

In China, Suzuki built on a licensing agreement with the government in to become the first Japanese company to invest in a Chinese automobile manufacturing venture.