Yes, we at TTAC may be heralding the imminent departure of Suzuki in the United States, but figures compiled by industry stalwart Just-Auto show that Suzuki isn’t doing too badly in their home market of Japan – in fact, they may even eclipse Nissan.
According to just-auto
Reporter Glenn Brooks cites the decision to produce the Micra small car in Thailand as the main force behind Nissan’s decline. The Micra is being eclipsed by the Toyota Vitz (aka Yaris), which, in turn is being trounced by the Honda Fit. The Fit is outselling the Yaris by a 2:1 ratio. Even with kei-car sales included, the Fit is Japan’s best-selling vehicle, and the main driver of Honda’s turnaround this year. Crediting the Fit and the N-Box kei-car, Brooks says
“Honda…has managed to sell 413,382 passenger vehicles in H1, a whopping 95,385 more than Japan’s new three brand, Nissan. As at 30 June 2011, Nissan was 14,677 units ahead of Honda so you can see how impressive Honda’s year-on-year turnaround has been.”
And guess who the N-Box is eating away at? Suzuki’s bread-and-butter kei car, the Wagon R.
Suzuki in Japan didn’t fill their showrooms with Daewoos(or am I supposed to say Chevrolets now?) like they did in the US, destroying their reputation in the process.
Right on spot. I knew this would happen once I learned what Suzuki was doing with Daewoos cars. I guess that is what happens when you are in bed with GM.
Correct – no Suzukis sold in Japan have a single strand of Daewoo DNA.
In fact, Suzuki has a ton of joint ventures with Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and other automakers. A flow chart of the connections would be a tangled mess. Just a few examples:
Suzuki Alto –> Nissan Pixo
Suzuki Carry –> Mazda Scrum
Suzuki Lapin –> Mazda Spiano
Suzuki MR Wagon –> Nissan Moco
Suzuki Wagon R –> Mazda AZ Wagon
Suzuki Splash –> Opel Agila
Suzuki Solio –> Mitsubishi Delica D:2
Suzuki SX4 –> Fiat Sedici
Nissan Frontier –> Suzuki Equator
Nissan Serena –> Suzuki Landy
Suzuki Palette –> Nissan Roox
The Carry, the Lapin, and the Wagon R are sold by Mazda under the Autozam sub-brand. The Mazda Scrum, Spiano and AZ Wagon are just badge-engineered 100% Suzuki models.
The Suzuki Alto dates back to 1979 and also is a 100% Suzuki car badge-engineered by Nissan. The very same happens to the MR Wagon and the Palette. Also 100% Suzuki products.
The Suzuki Splash/Opel Agila are indeed fruits of a joint-venture between Suzuki and Opel. But its predecessor was the Wagon R+, itself a 100% Suzuki project. The Suzuki Solio and the Mitsubishi Delica D:2 are both based on the Wagon R+ as well.
The Suzuki SX4/Fiat Sedici are supposed to be jointly-developed, but in reality it is a lot more Suzuki than it is a Fiat – it was produced in Suzuki’s hungarian plant. I believe the only Fiat part of it is the Multijet diesel engine.
The Equator and the Landy are, in another hand, 100% Nissan products.
The thing is, Suzuki is a subcompact car specialist that has to relly on its competitors to have suitable bigger models, and maybe that’s why they are about to leave the US.
Before the Kizashi, the last biggest 100% Suzuki model was the Baleno/Esteem, itself replaced not by a similarly sized car but by a Swift-derived sedan, the Liana – and, in the US, by the Forenza, itself a rebadged Daewoo Nubira.
@Viquitor: Thanks for the clarifications! I used the term “joint venture” loosely to include any deal Suzuki has with another automaker. My only points were A.), there are no Korean “Daewookis” in Japan, and B.) as automakers go, Suzuki is pretty promiscuous!
Wow. Great table.
Reminds me of the old 1980’s expression, “Japan Incorporated”.
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Suzuki is only filling North America with crap. Nissan, on the other hand, is filling the entire world with crap.
I miss the ‘made in japan’ products Suzuki and Nissan used to sell here. I’ve had one of each. Reliable, safe, cheep to own, enjoyable to drive.