Suzuki has made its lightweight, affordable, reliable, inexpensive to maintain and fuel-efficient models its trademark. The price-conscious consumer apparently got the message.
115 years ago, Michio Suzuki and his son-in-law Shunzo Suzuki decided to start manufacturing looms and weapons. In Japan, it is customary for a son-in-law to take his wife’s surname. The company that is today the pride of the Land of the Rising Sun was born.
The beginnings in the automobile
In 1937, Suzuki produced its first motorized four-wheel vehicle.taking the Austin Seven as a model. It was not until 1955 that the Suzuki Suzulight arrived on the market, a two-door city car with front-wheel drive and a transversely mounted two-cylinder two-stroke engine. The fact that this car was strikingly similar to the German DKW Junior model was not a problem for Japanese customers. In 1962 a four-door sedan version arrived which, from 1967, was powered on the rear wheels.
In 1981, General Motors acquired a 5% stake in Suzuki and later increased it to just over 20%. In the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis, the American automobile giant experienced financial difficulties and sold its shares in 2009. The signal for Volkswagen to acquire 20% of Suzuki’s shares and access the vast Indian market through its partner Japanese. However, the collaboration did not last long. After two years, their paths separated. In 2018, Suzuki withdrew from China to fully focus on the Indian marketalmost half of which is now owned by the Japanese manufacturer.
Suzuki is focused on compact, reliable and affordable cars. It produces more than 3.2 million vehicles per year and ranks eighth among the world’s best-selling automobile brands – 1.8 million vehicles are destined for the Indian market. Suzuki therefore sells more vehicles than European brands taken individually and has been cooperating with Toyota for several years, having previously also collaborated with Mazda and Nissan.
What makes Suzuki successful?
2023 was a good year for Suzukidespite a difficult geopolitical situation. Production amounted to 3,265,203 vehicles, with two out of three produced outside Japan. The Swift is notably produced in the Hungarian Suzuki factory in Esztergom.
Suzuki is also doing well in Belgium. Compared to the same period last year, sales increased by more than 20% in a declining market. Asked about the secret of Suzuki’s success, CEO Olivier Fontaine responds: “I don’t think we can talk about a secret. Suzuki is known for building family cars that are lighter than its competitors and therefore consume less. While a Suzuki intended for the European market weighs on average 1,204 kilos, the average weight of comparable models from our colleagues is 1,525 kilos. This extra weight costs more fuel and leads to higher emissions while driving as well as during the production process. Suzuki is therefore more environmentally friendly than its competitors in both areas and our customers now know it.”
7-year manufacturer’s warranty
«Consumers also know that their Suzuki is extremely reliable and inexpensive to maintain. The result is very high customer loyalty and a high satisfaction rate. This last point is also due to the fact that we have a geographically well-developed and stable family business distribution networkwhere customers are not just numbers, but so to speak friends of the house, who are helped outside of working hours. Nothing gives customers more confidence than an extended warrantywhich for Suzuki is 7 years, compared to 2 to 3 years for European brands. Suzuki is also the only automobile brand to offer a 4×4 version for all its models.. All-wheel drive is part of the brand’s DNA and explains why Suzuki is very strong in the Alpine countries and in Wallonia.”
Did Suzuki miss the electric train?
Suzuki only presented its first fully electric model last week. Did Suzuki miss the electric train and if so, can it still catch up? “As an independent brand, you cannot benefit from the synergies present within a large group and you must make choices. It is impossible to be the first and the best always and everywhere. This explains why we are not playing a pioneering role in electric cars. Suzuki is working with Toyota on an ambitious electrification project of which the new e Vitara is the first product. The electric car helps slow climate change and is therefore also a priority for Suzuki. Without an electric offering, you cannot play a significant role in the commercial vehicle marketwhich determines a brand’s overall revenue and market share.”
“The demand for electric vehicles will continue to increase, but sales are slower than expected, not because of technological lag but because of politics. The Flemish incentive bonus caused a sharp increase in online sales, but now that it has been abolished, it will probably fall sharply again. Market research shows that tax benefits remain the most important incentive for buying an electric car. I’m not worried, for us the new e Vitara is coming just in time and will further strengthen our position in the market, especially in the commercial vehicle market. It is still too early to announce precise prices. What I can say is that the e Vitara will be very competitively priced, like all our models. Suzuki is the only brand that dares to take up the challenge against Dacia. The cheapest Swift today costs 18,549 euros and benefits from a 7-year factory warranty. Find me a better deal.”
Better late than never
The e Vitara is a joint project between Suzuki and Toyota, although only the platform was developed by the two companies and all other components are the work of Suzuki employees. The e Vitara will be available in three power versions (144, 174 and 184 hp) with a maximum torque of 300 Nm. In its most powerful version, the e Vitara is powered by two electric motors. A so-called Trial mode allows you to adapt it to an excursion in the great outdoors. With a length of 4.27 meters and a wheelbase of 2.70 meters, the newcomer is compact on the outside and spacious on the inside. We will have to wait for the results of a road test next year to be able to make a definitive judgment on its driving comfort, performance and consumption.
We can do it for other models and our opinion is positive for both the playful Swift and the friendly Vitara, without forgetting the S-Cross. It is no coincidence that this latest model represents the most sold at Suzuki. A car that offers excellent value for money and a modern look. The Vitara is a flashy car but remains a strong contender in the S-Cross.
The Suzuki A-Cross and Swace were developed by Toyota and also roll off the production line at a Toyota factory. These vehicles are intended to retain customers who are looking for a car in the higher price segment and want to retain their Suzuki dealership.
