In 1909, a young entrepreneur named Michio Suzuki founded a small loom manufacturing company, giving it his name. Thanks to a decisive approach, for 30 years the company "Suzuki" has become one of the leaders in its field, leaving far behind competitors from the UK and Holland, sales of the products of the Japanese company are carried out in 22 countries around the world, and the well-being of its founder increases significantly 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 start production of the first cars in the next 3 years. But the transition of Japan to a military economy in 1938, forced Michio Suzuki to curtail the project to create the first car, and again switch to the production of looms.
After the Second World War, which, as you know, ended with the defeat of Germany and Japan, the country's poverty-stricken 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 factory was being rebuilt, Michio, along with several engineers, set to work on a Japanese people's vehicle project, receiving its first fruits in 1950. A year later, the Suzuki Power Free motorized bicycle saw the light, which was very popular among the poor population of Japan, and the first experience did not pass for a small company in vain, which served as 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 markets of Japan, China, Thailand and Malaysia. And the super-profits from the sale of motorcycles went to create an even more ambitious project. In 1955, a large number of visitors gathered at the Tokyo Transport Exhibition at the Suzuki stand - everyone was waiting for Michio himself to appear, who would present a new generation of motorcycles. Instead, a car stopped in front of the booth, from which Michio Suzuki emerged, announcing a new era in the history of his company. The Suzuki Suzulight model was built on an independent suspension chassis, and was also equipped with a revolutionary front-wheel drive transmission and power steering in Japan. In the same year, the American Suzuki division was opened.
In the period from 1955 to 1965, a significant expansion of the company's areas of activity took place, Michio Suzuki opened a division of the company for the production of power units for motor boats, a plant for the production of automobile and motorcycle engines began to be built, and the company's current model range was constantly replenished with new models of motorcycles. In 1967, a new model of the Suzuki Forte light car was presented, and a year later the company's first truck went on sale. In 1968, the Sizuki Jimny subcompact off-road car appeared on the United States car market, which became the first all-wheel drive car in the company's lineup.
In 1973, the American representative office of "Suzuki" opens 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 motorcycles of the brand was opened in the Philippines.
In 1981, Suzuki entered into an alliance with the American concern General Motors, becoming a full-fledged technological partner of 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 became in 1988 the compact SUV Suzuki Vitara.
By 2000, the Japanese company "Suzuki" was ranked 12th in the world in terms of production of passenger cars and 5th in production of motorcycles. The prosperity of the brand is constantly growing, over the next 8 years, a number of new cars have been seen, which are successfully sold in 150 countries around the world. By the start of the global financial crisis, the company terminated the contract with General Motors, thus saving from potential losses. In 2009, the current model range of the Japanese company undergoes a complete modernization, as well as the construction of several factories begins in China, which becomes the main sales market for Suzuki. In 2012, a record profit was recorded, and the company's management was quick to announce that by 2016 more than 30 new models of the Suzuki brand will be produced, created both independently and with the active participation of other major automakers.
In 2013, the company released the Suzuki Swift, a B-class front-wheel drive hatchback. This is a modernized model, but only the front bumper, radiator grill and rims have undergone restyling. The basic Swift package includes options such as cruise control with steering wheel control, LED headlights, front fog lamps and electric headlights. Since 2014, the company has started to produce the Suzuki Celerio - a front-wheel drive hatchback of the "A" class. The Suzuki Celerio is powered by a liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine with multipoint injection. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, or with an "automatic". In 2015, the Japanese auto giant Suzuki, which took part in the annual show of auto premieres in Paris, presented a new crossover to the public. We are talking about a 2015-2016 Suzuki Vitara car - a compact class B crossover. The model turned out to be successful and competitive in its class, the exterior design of the body and interior of the passenger compartment meets the requirements of the current car market.