subject: Sales For Suzuki In The 2009 Model Year [print this page] Suzuki is the ninth largest automaker by production volume in the world, and the second largest Japanese manufacturer of small cars and trucks. Suzuki began producing automobiles in 1955 with the introduction of the Suzulight. The Suzulight featured front wheel drive, four wheel independent suspension, and rack and pinion steering; while common today, these features were uncommon in Japanese cars of the 1950's. Suzuki produced cars for markets throughout Asia until the mid 1980's, when it entered the U.S. market with the small off-road vehicle called the Suzuki Samurai.
Suzuki has been in the American market for 25 years, and now features a full line of cars, SUVs, and a compact pickup truck. Suzuki sales in the American market were down 55% in 2009 compared to sales in the 2008 model year; sales in the 2009 model year were about 39,000 vehicles as compared to sales of over 81,000 in 2008. While the American market was down across the board in 2009, Suzuki sales suffered a much greater fall than most automakers. For 2009, Suzuki has introduced the Kizashi sedan in the compact sedan market segment. The sedan features electronic stability control, anti-locking braking, and dual zone automatic climate control
. But perhaps the biggest news to impact Suzuki's future sales is the acquisition by Volkswagen of a 19% stake in the Suzuki company. Suzuki and Volkswagen will begin development of a new small car design to be sold in developing countries at a price point between 4,000 and 5,500 U.S. dollars. While initially for developing markets, the car will at some point most probably find its way into developed markets like the U.S. and Europe. Volkswagen will benefit from Suzuki's strength in the development and execution of small cars, while Suzuki will benefit from the size and financial strength of the Volkswagen group. The combined unit sales of both the Volkswagen and Suzuki groups will make the combined group the world's largest automobile maker by number of units sold.
